Legal Advisor - Cape Town

TOTAL Deutschland GmbH; South Africa; On-site; ZAR 600 000 - 900 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading renewable energy company in Cape Town is seeking a Legal Advisor to provide comprehensive legal advice for renewable projects. The role involves drafting contracts, supporting project teams, and ensuring compliance with regulations. Candidates should have a law degree and 5-6 years of relevant experience. Strong negotiation skills and a multicultural approach are essential.

Benefits

Diversity and equal opportunity workplace

Professional growth opportunities

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 to 6 years' experience in legal support to project development.
• Experience in M&A and operational project management in renewable energy.
• Strong negotiation skills and ability to work in a multicultural environment.

Responsibilities

• Drafting and negotiating a variety of legal contracts.
• Preparing legal documentation for tenders and overseeing awarded projects.
• Conducting legal studies and providing advice on regulations.

Skills

Legal drafting and negotiation

Project management

Strong negotiation skills

Multicultural communication

Education

LLB or BCom Law

Job description

Employer company TotalEnergies Renewables Southern Africa

Domain Legal Affairs

Type of contract Regular position

Experience Minimum 6 years

Based in Cape Town, the lawyer provides comprehensive legal advice and assistance to TotalEnergies Renewables Southern Africa business units for all South African projects. This includes supporting multidisciplinary teams responsible for the development, investment, construction, and operation phases of renewable projects (mainly wind & solar), primarily Independent Power Producers.

TotalEnergies Renewables is committed to controlling global warming and enhancing its position in the renewable energy sector. This commitment is reflected in numerous large-scale commercial, technical, and industrial developments worldwide, as well as the acquisition and sale of equity interests. These activities necessitate robust legal support.

Activities

Our TOTALENERGIES RENEWABLES hub in South Africa is seeking for a permanent position a Legal Advisor to join our growing South African operations.

Legal advice and assistance to Total Energies Renewables business and in particular to the multidisciplinary teams in charge of the development, investment, the construction and the operation of South African renewable energy projects (mainly IPP).

Under the supervision of the Head of Legal Onshore Teams of TotalEnergies Renewables, your main responsibilities will be to:

• Drafting and negotiating a wide range of contracts, including letters of intent, MOUs, partnership agreements, shareholders agreements, EPC contracts, O&M agreements, land agreements, acquisition and sale of assets, share purchase agreements, project documents.
• Preparing legal documentation for responses to calls for tenders for renewable projects and overseeing the legal aspects of awarded projects, including the creation or participation in joint ventures and the implementation of agreements.
• Conducting legal studies and providing legal advice.
• Analyzing and interpreting new regulations and ensuring appropriate disclosure of information to the Business teams.
• Coordinating and supervising the work of external law firms, adhering to the legal group policies regarding the selection of law firms
• Attending 1:1 with the Head of Legal Onshore Teams on a regular basis
• Following up on litigation files (if any) associated with the project portfolio in coordination with Head of Legal Onshore Teams to maximize favorable outcomes for the Company.
• Preparing legal memo for internal corporate approval process (internal committees)
• Contributing to the legal reporting of TotalEnergies Renewables in coordination with the Head of Legal Onshore Teams.
• Developing training and guidelines for operational teams.
• Participating in the implementation of the Company's policy and the standardization of contractual documents under the supervision of the Head of Legal, Onshore Teams.
• Liaises and develops cooperation GRP teams and TotalEnergies SE teams;
• Contributes to the coordination of corporate housekeeping of the legal entities within the perimeter

Candidate Profile

• LLB or BCom Law.
• Minimum 5 to 6 years’ experience in private practice completed by an experience of more than 4 years of legal support to project development and implementation, M&A, operational project management and ideally Project Finance, in the renewables industry or industrial companies, of the South African IPP Power and Renewable projects.
• Diplomacy, ability to work in a multicultural environment, rigor and strong negotiation skills,
• A « service partner » approach to support Management in sustaining growth,
• Autonomy in a demanding high growth/ high pace environment,
• Team spirit,
• An understanding of applicable Group legal policies, procedures and processes, as well as its organization.

Additional Information

The Legal Counsel is accountable for:

Contributing to the delivery of high-quality photovoltaic or wind projects, M&A transactions, Project Finance from a legal point of view (business entities being accountable of the business relevance),

TotalEnergies values diversity, promotes individual growth and offers equal opportunity careers.

TotalEnergies is an equal opportunity employer and all applicants that meet the specified criteria will receive consideration for employment without discriminating unfairly on any arbitrary ground, including but not limited to race, gender, sex, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religious conscience belief, political opinion, culture, language, marital status, or family responsibility.