Senior Land Rights Developer

G7 Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 500 000 - 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading renewable energy company in Cape Town is seeking a Senior Land Rights Developer to manage land rights acquisition for renewable energy projects. The role involves identifying project sites, negotiating with stakeholders, and ensuring compliance with regulations. The ideal candidate will have a relevant degree and over 5 years of experience in land rights development. This position offers a chance to contribute to sustainable energy solutions in a growing sector.

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience in land rights development within renewable energy development.
• Strong negotiation and communication skills.
• Ability to manage stakeholder relationships effectively.

Responsibilities

• Identify potential project sites and conduct land-related feasibility studies.
• Negotiate with landowners and stakeholders to secure land necessary for projects.
• Drive national land origination and portfolio expansion.

Skills

Project Finance in South Africa

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Environmental protection

Critical reasoning

Relationship building

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's or Honours Degree in a relevant field

Environmental Science

Real Estate

Spatial Planning

Law

Business

Tools

GIS and other related software

Job description

Overview

Leaders in Renewable Energy Development G7 Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd has been pioneering renewables, including utility‑scale hybrid renewable technology, in South Africa for over 15 years. G7 delivers high‑performing, grid‑connected projects and has transitioned from a developer to a fully integrated IPP. With projects in excess of 2GW at various stages of maturity, G7 is growing its pipeline and has over MW of renewable energy projects under construction. G7 is on a mission to harness the power of renewable resources, contributing to a sustainable and energy‑secure future.

Opportunity

The Senior Land Rights Developer : Special Projects is responsible for supporting portfolio expansion while informing and implementing the strategy of land rights acquisition across G7’s renewable energy pipeline. The role supports the Head of Land and Head of Development by identifying long‑term opportunities, structuring land deals, and mentoring the Land Rights and Development teams to deliver best‑in‑class outcomes. The incumbent works on the front end of G7’s renewable energy projects, ensuring alignment between land strategy, project development, and G7’s growth objectives.

Main responsibilities include : identifying potential project sites and conducting land related feasibility studies to assess their viability; negotiating with landowners and stakeholders to secure land and rights necessary for project development; managing relationships with landowners and stakeholders throughout the development process; assisting in ensuring compliance with spatial law and regulations and obtaining necessary permits for land use; and providing input into project design and planning to ensure that land and property rights are adequately addressed. This role will also provide project acquisition support, as well as mentoring and knowledge transfer to the broader land team. Securing land rights is a complex, fluid, and often time‑consuming process that carries significant risk, and this role is integral to ensuring the long‑term success of G7's renewable energy projects.

Role‑Specific Responsibilities: Strategy

• Support the development and refinement of G7’s land rights strategy, ensuring alignment with long‑term portfolio expansion goals.
• Provide input to land scoring criteria in alignment with G7 strategy.
• Provide strategic insight to support feasibility modelling, acquisition decisions, and early‑stage project screening.
• Identify and assess emerging market trends, regulatory shifts, and policy developments influencing land availability and project feasibility.

Land Rights Management & Project Development

• Drive national land origination and portfolio expansion.
• Provide support to the Head of Project Development and Head of Land during due diligence and acquisition processes for new projects, ensuring commercial, legal, and technical alignment with G7’s risk appetite.
• Provide support during project financial close.
• Lead strategic negotiations and relationship management with landowners, communities, and key stakeholders to secure and optimise long‑term development rights.
• Lead the full land rights engagement and contracting process, from initial introduction meetings and site visits with landowners to presenting G7’s development proposal, negotiating commercial terms, and finalising agreements.
• Oversee the preparation, review, and execution of all contracts, amendments, cessions, and registration documents, ensuring internal approvals are obtained.
• Manage title deed verification and handover procedures, maintaining compliance and continuity across the project lifecycle.
• Draft permit applications or manage appointed consultants in this regard.
• Review permit tracker to ensure it is accurately captured.
• Provide input to land protocols, manuals, policies and stay abreast of the latest legislation.
• Monitor and evaluate any regulatory changes to determine the potential impact to G7 projects and report on this accordingly.
• Follow due process as per guidance by Compliance Officer.
• Ensure HSE and site protocols are adhered to.
• Lead and coordinate land rights activities throughout the project development lifecycle, ensuring deliverables align with portfolio priorities and project milestones.
• Review iterations and development input on layouts working closely with Engineering and Environmental.
• Guide and support development team members in executing project‑related tasks, providing direction, quality control, and technical input to support project development.
• Guide project teams with accurate timelines, ownership data, and land‑related conditions to support sound decision‑making and integrated project planning.
• Work with legal and environmental teams to ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations, as well as mitigating any potential environmental impacts.
• Proactively identify and mitigate potential risks related to land rights and project development.
• Continuously assess opportunities to streamline land acquisition, permitting, and development processes, contributing to more efficient and scalable project execution across the portfolio.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Work collaboratively with cross‑functional teams to ensure successful project development and delivery.
• Report to the CPO and Head of Land on regular intervals on project progress, challenges, and opportunities.
• Assist the Head of Project Development with Project acquisition.
• Consult and liaise with landowners, community groups and other parties.
• Liaise with local municipalities and provincial / national government officials where relevant.
• Develop and maintain a strong network of industry contacts, including landowners, industry bodies, and government officials.
• Undertake on‑going market research and trends relating to project development and key focus areas of renewable energy development.
• Ensure adequate stakeholder engagement at various levels internally and externally, including seller‑facing regarding project acquisition.
• Engagement with industry players and networking.

Financial Management

• Provide input into early budgets and simplified financial models to support the projects business case.
• Manage project budgets and financial performance to ensure cost‑effective delivery of land rights‑related activities.
• Ensure accurate and timeous reporting.

Admin, Research and Reporting

• Maintain accurate and up‑to‑date records of land ownership, rights, and agreements.
• Attend relevant project meetings to manage, support, and advise on progress, issues etc.
• Conduct research to determine land ownership and rights, as well as any legal or regulatory constraints that may impact the development of renewable energy projects.
• Conduct ongoing research and analysis of trends and developments in land rights and renewable energy industries and use this information to inform project development and strategy.
• Develop and maintain a keen understanding of renewable energy markets, development, and specifically key role players.
• Develop and maintain a database of key role players in the market and understand their business case to understand the product needs.

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor's or Honours Degree in a relevant field, Environmental Science, Real Estate, Spatial Planning, Law or Business

5+ years' experience in land rights development within renewable energy development, or a related spatial development field

Role‑Specific Skills & Knowledge

• Project Finance in South Africa
• Local laws and regulations
• Land prospection
• Negotiation
• Lease Agreements
• Servitudes Agreements
• Environmental protection
• Stakeholder management
• GIS and other related software
• Critical reasoning
• Relationship building
• Problem‑solving
• Project management
• Negotiation and communication skills
• Emotional intelligence
• Learning agility
• Numerical reasoning
• Verbal reasoning

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.