Legal Counsel, Engineering & Projects
SD Guthrie Berhad
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
SD Guthrie Berhad is seeking an experienced lawyer to act as a key legal advisor to Industrial Park, Renewables & Projects, handling contract drafting, review, and negotiation for a range of project agreements.
You will also manage disputes, provide governance-compliant legal guidance, and support external counsel across major infrastructure initiatives in Malaysia.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LL.B) or equivalent recognised legal qualification.
- Admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaysia.
- Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP), Bar qualification or equivalent professional qualification.
Responsibilities
- Advise Industrial Park, Renewables and Projects on contractual matters from development to operation.
- Draft, review and negotiate EPC/EPCC and other project contracts and frameworks.
- Manage disputes, adjudication, arbitration and liaise with external counsel.
- Develop contracting governance, clauses, templates and playbooks for recurring arrangements.
- Provide training and guidance on contracting to engineers, procurement and project teams.
- Ensure compliance with Malaysian laws and the Group's governance framework.
Skills
Education
Job description
SD Guthrie Berhad (SD Guthrie) is one of the world’s leading producers of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO), representing approximately 12% of the global market share (as of 31 December 2022). With over 84,000 employees across 12 countries, we pride ourselves on innovation, sustainability, and excellence. Our operations span the entire palm oil value chain, and we are expanding into new business verticals such as green industrial parks and renewable energy. We offer enriching career opportunities supported by cutting‑edge technology and a commitment to sustainability. We are the world’s first palm oil company to have our net‑zero GHG emissions reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Join us today, as we continue to Unlock Nature's Superpowers.
Your Mission
Act as a key day‑to‑day legal adviser to Industrial Park, Renewable Energy and Projects business leaders and project teams on legal matters arising from project development, commercial arrangements, engineering, construction and operations.
Support the General Counsel, Industrial Park, Renewables & Projects in providing end‑to‑end legal coverage to the assigned businesses and projects.
Develop a strong understanding of the businesses' commercial objectives, operating models, project pipelines and strategic priorities in order to provide proactive and commercially relevant legal advice.
Advise management on the legal implications of business proposals, contractual structures, commercial arrangements and project‑related decisions.
Participate in project, commercial and management discussions where legal input is required, ensuring that material legal risks and contractual implications are identified sufficiently early.
Provide practical and solution‑oriented legal recommendations that balance legal protection, commercial objectives, execution requirements and acceptable levels of risk.
Escalate significant legal, contractual or regulatory exposures to the General Counsel, Industrial Park, Renewables & Projects and, where appropriate, to the Chief Legal & Risk Officer and relevant governance forums.
Draft, review, negotiate and advise on construction, engineering and project‑related contracts, including:
- EPC and EPCC contracts;
- design‑and‑build arrangements;
- engineering and technical consultancy agreements;
- project management consultancy agreements;
- construction and works contracts;
- equipment procurement and supply agreements;
- installation, testing and commissioning agreements;
- operation and maintenance agreements;
- framework and master service agreements; and
- other project‑specific and bespoke commercial arrangements.
Advise on recognised construction contracting frameworks and standard forms, including FIDIC, PAM, PWD and other relevant industry or bespoke contractual arrangements.
Advise stakeholders on contractual risk allocation including:
- indemnities;
- limitation and exclusion of liability;
- warranties and guarantees;
- extension of time;
- variations and change mechanisms;
- insurance;
- bonds and performance security;
- termination rights;
- delay and disruption; and
- payment and milestone mechanisms.
Support negotiations with contractors, consultants, developers, suppliers, technology providers, joint venture partners and other project counterparts.
Develop and continuously improve standard contract templates, legal clauses, negotiation playbooks and fallback positions for recurring project and construction arrangements.
Provide legal advice across the project development lifecycle, including feasibility, procurement strategy, contractor engagement, project implementation and operations.
Review and advise on commercial arrangements associated with Industrial Park and Renewable Energy projects, including project development, infrastructure, utility, supply, services, leasing, operating and collaboration arrangements where relevant.
Support the structuring and negotiation of project‑related commercial arrangements involving multiple stakeholders, contractors, consultants, developers, authorities or business partners.
Identify contractual interfaces and potential gaps between different project packages and counterparties and advise the business on appropriate mitigation measures.
Support the General Counsel, Industrial Park, Renewables & Projects on broader corporate, commercial or transactional matters associated with projects, including joint ventures, strategic partnerships or investment arrangements, where construction and engineering legal expertise is required.
Advise business and project teams on contractual claims arising during project execution, including variations, delay, disruption, extension‑of‑time, liquidated damages, defects, payment disputes and other contractual entitlements.
Support early identification of potential disputes and implement dispute‑avoidance strategies before matters escalade into formal proceedings.
Assess the Group's contractual position in potential disputes and provide management with clear assessments of legal exposure, commercial options and recommended courses of action.
Manage adjudication proceedings under the Construction Industry Payment and Adjudication Act 2012 (CIPAA), where applicable.
Coordinate and manage arbitration, litigation, mediation and other dispute‑resolution proceedings in collaboration with external counsel.
Review claims submissions, notices, correspondence and settlement proposals to protect the Group's contractual and legal position.
Support negotiation and settlement of disputes where commercially appropriate.
Keep the General Counsel, Industrial Park, Renewables & Projects appropriately informed of material claims, disputes and emerging legal exposures.
Partner with Procurement, Engineering and project teams during tendering, contractor selection and contract award processes.
Review tender and RFP documentation to ensure appropriate legal protections and contractual requirements are incorporated.
Advise on contractual deviations, qualifications and exceptions submitted by bidders and contractors.
Support contractor and vendor contracting arrangements including framework agreements, master service agreements, panel arrangements and strategic supply contracts.
Advise on contractual remedies associated with contractor or vendor performance, including suspension, termination, damages, rectification and enforcement of security.
Support the development of contracting governance and standardisation across Industrial Park, Renewable Energy and Projects‑related activities.
Monitor legal and regulatory developments relevant to construction, engineering, renewable energy and project development and advise stakeholders on their implications.
Maintain strong working knowledge of applicable Malaysian legislation and regulatory frameworks, including where relevant:
- Construction Industry Payment and Adjudication Act 2012;
- Arbitration Act 2005;
- Construction Industry Development Board Act 1994;
- relevant occupational safety and health requirements;
- licensing, permitting and project‑related regulatory requirements; and
- other laws affecting project development and construction activities.
Ensure contracts and legal arrangements comply with the Group's governance framework, delegation of authority, internal policies and risk management requirements.
Identify significant contractual and legal risks and ensure appropriate documentation, approvals and risk acceptance are obtained.
Promote consistent and disciplined contracting practices across supported businesses and projects.
Support the General Counsel and Chief Legal & Risk Officer in maintaining appropriate legal‑risk governance across material Industrial Park, Renewables and Projects matters.
Identify matters requiring specialist external legal advice and recommend appropriate external counsel where necessary.
Prepare clear instructions and briefs to external counsel and ensure advice received is commercially relevant and responsive to business requirements.
Manage external counsel performance, legal fees, budgets and timelines.
Maintain oversight of significant disputes, claims and legal proceedings and provide appropriate updates to the General Counsel, Industrial Park, Renewables & Projects.
Escalate material legal, financial, regulatory or reputational exposures to the General Counsel and, where required, the Chief Legal & Risk Officer.
Ensure legal matters and precedents are properly documented and retained for organisational learning and future risk management.
Provide training and practical guidance to business, engineering and procurement stakeholders on construction contracting, contractual risk, claims management and dispute avoidance.
Develop legal guidance notes, contracting playbooks, clause libraries and practical tools to improve stakeholder understanding and contracting quality.
Capture lessons learned from major contracts, negotiations and disputes and incorporate them into future contracting approaches.
Contribute to the continuous improvement of Group Legal's legal operating model, templates, processes and knowledge‑management practices.
Support the General Counsel in building stronger legal capability and risk awareness within the Industrial Park, Renewables and Projects businesses.
Ideal Candidate
Bachelor's Degree in Law (LL.B) or equivalent recognised legal qualification from an accredited institution.
Admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya and holds a valid practising background in Malaysia, or possesses an equivalent qualification acceptable to the Group.
Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP), Bar qualification or equivalent professioal legal qualification, where applicable.
Additional qualifications or professional development in construction law, arbitration, adjudication, infrastructure, energy or project finance would be advantageous.
Membership or active participation in relevant professional bodies such as the Malaysian Bar, AIAC, CIArb or other construction / arbitration professional organisations would be an advantage.
Approximately 6–8 years of post‑qualification legal experience, with substantive exposure to construction, engineering, infrastructure, projects or related commercial matters.
Demonstrated experience advising on construction and engineering contracts, either within a reputable law firm, corporate legal function, infrastructure developer, engineering organisation, energy company or similar environment.
Strong practical exposure to construction and engineering disputes, claims, adjudication, arbitration and/or litigation.
Proven experience reviewing, drafting and negotiating complex commercial and construction contracts.
Experience with EPC, EPCC, design‑and‑build or other major project contracting structures is highly desirable.
Experience working with or advising clients in sectors such as:
- infrastructure;
- utilities;
- construction; or
- large‑scale capital projects
would be an advantage.
Prior in‑house legal experience is desirable but not mandatory, provided the candidate can demonstrate strong commercial judgement and an ability to transition from external legal adviser to embedded business partner.
Experience dealing directly with senior business leaders, project directors, engineers, procurement professionals, contractors and external advisers is preferred.
Demonstrated ability to independently manage legal matters with appropriate escalation of significant risks.
Why Join Us?
- Flexible Benefits Coverage
- Hybrid Workplace
- Learning on Demand
- Employee Wellness Programme
- Employee Engagement Activities
- Fully Subsidised Sports Clubs
- Education Assistance (terms & conditions apply)
- Free Parking
- Free Shuttle Service from nearest LRT
- and many more...
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
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