Heads: Legal IPPO

We are seeking an accomplished Head: Legal on behalf of a client to provide strategic legal leadership across large-scale energy and infrastructure programmes. This executive-level role will serve as General Counsel and a member of the Executive Management Committee, providing commercially focused legal guidance that supports procurement integrity, project bankability, regulatory compliance, risk management, and successful programme delivery. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in enabling investment mobilisation, supporting energy security, driving transformation objectives, and ensuring legal excellence across renewable energy, battery storage, gas-to-power, transmission, and emerging energy technologies.

Responsibilities:

• Developing and executing the Legal Strategy in alignment with organisational and national energy priorities.
• Providing executive-level legal leadership on infrastructure procurement, project finance, transaction structuring, and financial close activities.
• Ensuring procurement processes remain lawful, transparent, competitive, and defensible in terms of applicable legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Leading legal governance, compliance, assurance frameworks, and enterprise legal risk management.
• Managing complex commercial agreements, project documentation, financing agreements, government support instruments, and stakeholder contracts.
• Overseeing contract lifecycle management, dispute resolution, claims management, and litigation strategies.
• Providing legal guidance on electricity market reforms, transmission programmes, grid access frameworks, and evolving regulatory developments.
• Embedding transformation, localisation, socio-economic development, and just transition objectives within legal and contractual frameworks.
• Building strategic relationships with government departments, regulators, development finance institutions, investors, lenders, utilities, and industry stakeholders.
• Leading, mentoring, and developing a high-performing legal team while ensuring strong governance and professional standards.

Requirements:

• An LLB degree (NQF Level 8) or equivalent legal qualification recognised for admission as a legal practitioner in South Africa.
• Admission as an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa, in good standing.
• A minimum of 12 years' post-admission legal experience, including exposure to infrastructure projects, commercial transactions, public-sector procurement, or large capital projects.
• At least 5 years' experience at senior management or executive level leading a legal or transaction advisory function.
• A minimum of 5 years' cumulative experience within a Development Finance Institution (DFI) or government-owned institutional investor environment, with direct responsibility for infrastructure or energy transactions.
• Demonstrated expertise in project finance, legal due diligence, procurement law, contract negotiation, regulatory compliance, risk allocation, dispute management, and financial close processes.
• Strong knowledge of South African energy policy, infrastructure legislation, public-sector governance frameworks, and project finance structures.
• Exceptional leadership, stakeholder engagement, negotiation, and strategic advisory capabilities.
• A postgraduate qualification in Commercial Law, Energy Law, Project Finance, Infrastructure Finance, Public Law, Business Administration, or a related field will be advantageous.

EE Disclaimer:

All positions will be filled in accordance with the company's Employment Equity plan. We encourage people with disabilities to apply.

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REF: AD01