Lead Legal Counsel

Job title: Lead Legal Counsel - Alternative Energy

Stream

Alternative Energy

Function

Legal

Location

Oman - Muscat

Budget control

*OPEX and/or CAPEX and/or Revenue amount as relevant*

Reporting to

VP OQAE Legal

Direct Reports

0

Job purpose

Provide strategic legal leadership for Alternative Energy ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations and representing OQAE in all legal and contractual matters with contractors, off-takers, partners, external counsel and in other business relationships.

The position will act in accordance with the Group’s Mission, Vision, Values & Strategies, as well as, policies, guidelines and international standards, Omani Law & all other governing laws, best international practice and in consonance with national objectives.

Main tasks and responsibilities

Advisory and Transaction management

• Provide timely, professional and accurate legal support across multiple projects in various jurisdictions.
• Support OQAE Management and individual business units in ensuring delivery of company and Group objectives.
• Ensure the timely performance of all legal deliverables in line with OQAE’s business needs.
• Manage assigned legal matters independently while maintaining accountability, ensuring timely and compliant outcomes that support business objectives.
• Draft, review and negotiate EPC, O&M, PPA, SHA, financing agreements, and any ancillary agreements.
• Support mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures in the renewable energy space. Conduct legal due diligence and structure transactions.
• Possess a broad legal knowledge with the ability to advise numerous business units on different areas of law simultaneously.
• Excellent knowledge of project financing and project delivery requirements.
• Knowledge of, and experience in, electricity generation, regulation and off-taker agreements.
• Retain and manage outside counsel, within strict pre-defined budgets, as necessary.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Extensive experience in compliance and corporate governance.
• Ability to deal directly with OQAE Board and Senior Management as necessary.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of departmental policies, systems, processes, procedures and controls, and continuously identify and recommend improvements while ensuring compliance with the group guidelines, international / local standards and relevant legislation.
• Liaise with Partners, and all internal business units to provide seamless legal service delivery to clients.
• Monitor contractual performance to ensure inter alia full compliance with contractual obligations, regulatory requirements and all relevant laws.
• Support the implementation of Corporate Legal policies, systems, processes, procedures and controls covering all areas of Alternative Energy that all procedural / legislative requirements are fulfilled while delivering a quality, cost-effective service in a consistent manner.
• Conduct thorough risk assessment and mitigate legal risk across project contracts
• Support planning, budgeting, forecasting and reporting practices / set of processes, as well as, documents, performance indicators (KPIs) and embed in day-to-day activities.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Act as primary legal liaison for Alternative Energy business units.
• Support and assist with the development of junior colleagues within OQAE Legal Department.
• Work collaboratively with the legal team and cross-functional stakeholders, promoting open communication, knowledge sharing, and alignment to deliver consistent, high-quality legal support across all projects.

Key interactions

Internal: Finance, Project Delivery, Clean Energy, Business Development, Commercial, PTC

External: Partners, Lenders, Off-takers, Contractors, External Counsel

Notable Working Conditions. Office environment, intensive computer screen use, sporadic visits to operation site.

Education requirements

Minimum qualification required is a bachelor’s degree in law,

Master or any other qualification is a plus.

Language

Excellent knowledge of written, read, and spoken English (required)

Background and experience

Competencies and skills

• 8 + years’ experience in a similar role, in an international energy or oil and gas company, (transactional and operational experience required) with both Oman and overseas knowledge including in the following sectors:
• Oil (Upstream – Downstream)
• Gas
• Alternative / Renewables Energies
• Petrochemical
• Commercial for Oil products and polymers
• Oil & Energy Projects
• Strong experience in:
• Legal framework for the assigned Business Unit
• Legal Compliance,
• Legal Operation
• Corporate Law, Omani law and/or England & Wales law.
• Corporate Governance.
• Multinational contracts & agreements
• People management skills
• Analytical skills
• Maintaining effective, accurate and transparent communication with all stakeholders
• Negotiation
• Planning skills
• Forward thinking
• ethics & guidelines
• Engages & inspires people to collaborate and share knowledge to achieve common goals
• Ensure commitment with business targets
• Innovation & continuous improvement
• Acts as an agent for change, constructively challenging the status quo
• Leads a solution-based approach to plan and deliver competitive results
• Transforms strategic insight into achieving business excellence
• Takes accountability for a performance culture that delivers continuous transformation and adds value to OQAE.

Technical Competencies:

• Excellent legal drafting and analysis
• Provide timely legal advice that adds value to OQAE operations
• Extensive knowledge of major software packages.
• Legal Operation
• Joint Venture formation and management
• Contracting & Procurement
• EPC Contracts
• Power Purchase Agreements
• Multinational contracts & agreements
• Corporate law,
• Financing
• Planning & business.
• Litigation and Arbitration.
• Project delivery and execution
• Claims & Disputes
• Excellent general legal knowledge
• Omani law or England & Wales law under Oil & Gas frame.