Senior Legal Counsel – Public Law, Regulatory, Compliance

About The Role

Embedded within the Legal, Compliance & Rights Protection Department, the Senior Legal Counsel will play a key role in supporting the development, construction and operation of renewable energy projects, including wind, solar, agrivoltaic and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) assets.

Key responsibilities

Public Law, Permitting & Regulatory Affairs

• Advise on public law, environmental law, planning law and energy regulatory matters affecting renewable energy projects.
• Support the obtaining and maintenance of environmental permits, development consents, building permits and other administrative authorisations required for renewable energy projects.
• Manage administrative litigation and third-party challenges affecting project development, construction and operation.
• Advise project teams on regulatory risks.
• Monitor regulatory developments affecting the renewable energy sector and assess their impact on the Group’s activities and projects.

Renewable Energy Project Development & Contracts

• Draft, review and negotiate project agreements relating to the development, construction and operation of renewable energy assets.
• Support the negotiation of EPC, BoP, equipment supply, O&M, land rights, easement and grid connection agreements.
• Review and negotiate project development agreements, joint development agreements and option agreements.
• Provide legal support in connection with renewable energy projects throughout their development, construction and operational phases.
• Advise business teams on contractual risk allocation and project structuring.

BESS & Energy Regulation

• Advise on legal and regulatory frameworks applicable to Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).
• Support the development of stand-alone and hybrid renewable energy projects combining generation and storage assets.
• Review agreements relating to storage services, electricity markets and ancillary services.

Corporate PPAs & Commercial Matters

• Draft, review and negotiate Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPAs) and other energy offtake arrangements.
• Advise on electricity market regulation and renewable support schemes.

Compliance & Corporate Governance

• Support the implementation and monitoring of the Group’s internal and external compliance programmes, including anti-corruption, sanctions, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and duty-of-vigilance matters.
• Conduct compliance risk assessments and support third-party due diligence exercises.
• Prepare legal memoranda, risk assessments and decision papers for management and governance bodies.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting the renewable energy sector and provide practical guidance to relevant stakeholders.

Required Skills

Hard skills

• Strong expertise in public law, environmental law, planning law and energy regulation applicable to renewable energy projects.
• Proven experience in securing environmental permits, development consents and administrative authorisations for renewable energy projects.
• Significant experience in drafting, reviewing and negotiating project documentation throughout the renewable energy project lifecycle.
• Strong knowledge of EPC, BoP, O&M, land rights, easement, grid connection and energy offtake agreements.
• Good understanding of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) regulatory and contractual frameworks.
• Ability to manage administrative litigation and coordinate external counsel.
• Practical knowledge of compliance frameworks, including anti-corruption, sanctions, ESG and duty-of-vigilance requirements.

Soft skills

• Strong commercial awareness and ability to provide pragmatic, business-oriented legal solutions.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation and contract management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and stakeholders simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical and risk assessment capabilities.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively with developers, engineers, management, public authorities and external counsel.
• Ability to work autonomously while collaborating within an international and multidisciplinary team.
• Proactive mindset and ability to anticipate legal and regulatory risks.
• Strong team spirit.

Languages

• Native or bilingual proficiency in French.
• Professional fluency in English (written and spoken), including the ability to negotiate contracts, prepare legal memoranda and interact with international stakeholders.
• Knowledge of Mandarin Chinese would be consid