Senior Project Development & Finance Associate

White & Case LLP; New York; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

White & Case LLP in New York seeks a senior associate for its Project Development and Finance Practice. The role focuses on financing energy and infrastructure projects across sectors, coordinating multi-office deal teams, and advising lenders, sponsors, and investors through complex cross-border transactions.

Ideal candidates have extensive experience with FIDIC contracts, debt financings, tax equity and securities, and leading transaction teams. Telecommuting up to one day per week is allowed.

Qualifications

• 6 years of experience in transaction-related research and drafting for commercial banks and development finance institutions.
• 6 years of experience managing deal teams across multiple practice areas and locations.
• 6 years advising on strategic, legal and commercial project development matters and FIDIC-based contracts.
• 6 years in project finance including debt financings and restructuring of term loan facilities.
• Mentoring junior team members and contributing to client development.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, review, and negotiate financing, investment, project, and related documents including financing and pledge agreements, tax equity and EPC contracts.
• Manage deal teams across practice areas and geographies, coordinating timelines and deliverables.
• Provide legal research and due diligence for financings, acquisitions, restructurings, and divestitures.
• Advise lenders, sponsors, and equity investors on energy and infrastructure financings, including cross-border matters.
• Serve as primary client contact and coordinate with transactional teams across offices.

Job description

Overview

• The Project Development and Finance Practice specializes in advising clients on legal and financial aspects of large-scale infrastructure and development projects across energy, transportation, real estate, and public infrastructure sectors, providing support from initial planning through financing, construction, and operation, including structuring agreements, managing regulatory compliance, mitigating risks, securing funding, and navigating complex financial transactions.


• White & Case is an elite global law firm with over 40 locations, distinguished by its on-the-ground presence in key financial markets and strength in handling complex cross-border work.


• The role involves managing deal teams and processes across practice areas and geographic locations in the financing of energy and infrastructure projects, covering assets such as power, geothermal facilities, digital infrastructure, and energy transition.


• Core responsibilities include preparing, reviewing, and negotiating a range of financing, investment, project, and associated documents, including various financing agreements, pledge/security agreements, letter of credit reimbursement agreements, sponsor guarantees, tax equity/preferred equity investment documents, tax credit purchase agreements, EPC Contracts, PPAs, Services Agreements, and closing opinions.


• The role also involves managing the development and financing of infrastructure projects, including privately financed IPPs, tertiary healthcare facilities, and critical road infrastructure, guiding projects from inception through development, construction, and commercial operations.


• Advice is provided to lenders, sponsors, and equity investors on financings for energy and infrastructure assets such as conventional power, solar, wind, battery storage, geothermal facilities, and digital infrastructure assets, covering asset-based, leveraged, acquisition, and other project finance transactions.


• The position requires conducting legal and factual research, drafting memoranda and written analyses, managing legal due diligence in connection with financings/acquisitions/restructurings/divestitures, and serving as a primary point of contact for clients and other transactional legal teams.


• Specific experience required includes 6 years in managing transaction-related research and drafting, including legal memoranda and client communications, for commercial banks and development finance institutions on complex cross-border project and corporate financings involving regulatory, credit, and security package considerations.


• Also required is 6 years of professional experience managing deal teams across multiple practice areas and geographic locations, coordinating transaction timelines, workflows, and deliverables while handling multiple matters concurrently for complex greenfield and brownfield IPP and infrastructure projects requiring multi-agency approvals, land rights structuring, and cross-border regulatory compliance.


• Further required experience includes 6 years advising clients on strategic, legal, and commercial considerations and project development matters (including FIDIC-based contracts and large-scale infrastructure projects), 6 years in project finance (including debt financings and preferred equity), and 6 years handling the financing of energy projects and restructuring of term loan facilities (advising lender groups on restructuring multi-facility, cross-currency credit arrangements and enforcement of security interests in multi-jurisdictional contexts).


• The role involves mentoring and training junior team members, participating in client development initiatives, and managing workload planning and assignments for deal teams.


• Telecommuting is permitted up to one day per week; otherwise, the role is based in the New York office.