Legal Counsel - Sandton, South Africa at Vestas

Vestas Mediterranean (MED) is a Region within Vestas Wind Systems, covering wind markets in South Europe, Africa and the Middle East, each corresponding to MED Sub-Regions.
The position is primarily for South Africa, dealing mainly with transactions, corporate matters, compliance and general legal matters but may also involve, when needed, support to the rest of MED Sub-regions.
The Legal Department provides legal advice in relation to the sale and services transactions which include preparing, negotiating and drafting the transactions documents as well as agreements with the different stakeholders to reach the established business goals.

Responsibilities

• Reporting to the Director of Legal South/East MED, the key tasks are the following:
•  Prepare, negotiate, draft and finalize transactional documents (EPCs, Turbine Sales Agreements, Service Agreements, Procurement Agreements) as well as subsequent ancillary documents under such contracts, i.e. parent documentation, lender direct agreements, escrow agreements, NDAs, etc.;
•  Ensure and provide continuous legal support on issues arising after transactional documents are signed and during the execution phase, including disputes and potential litigation;
•  Provide legal counselling to Management with respect to legal and regulatory matters pertaining to the wind energy sector;
•  Partner closely with other department stakeholders to identify issues of risk facing the organization and propose and drive solutions to address them;
•  Monitor national laws and regulations pertaining to the company's business, including those relating to Compliance;
•  Ensure that the relevant corporate governance is timely and properly applied along the closing of each transaction;
•  Take care of corporate matters;
•  Ensure, in coordination with the team, that:
  • the review process and management of commercial opportunities is applied in compliance with the internal mandates obtained by the relevant functions;
  • the different tasks for the purpose of the realization of each project are properly allocated and accepted by all stakeholders of the contracting process; and deadlines are met,
• Develop and implement good contracting practices, including, providing legal awareness training and creating templates and contract policies;
•  Coordinate and manage tasks assigned to external legal advisors, especially litigation.

Qualifications

•   LLB in South Africa, or equivalent; LLM in business, commercial or energy law desirable;
•  Admitted Attorney in South Africa;
•  Solid legal educational background handling/analyzing complex transactions especially relating to construction industry or large-scale projects;
•  Experience in legal, commercial and contracting functions with Original Equipment Manufacturers in the RES sector or preferably in the wind energy industry (or other significant experience with handling large-scale international construction, industrial equipment tools, automotive, etc.).

Competencies

•   Efficient negotiation skills and capability to deal with intensive negotiation sessions,
•  Strong ethical principles and compliance focus,
•  Ability to effectively influence and communicate within all levels of a global organization, as well as third parties,
•  Ability to work proactively and collaboratively as the primary legal point of contact and to prioritize among different urgent matters,
•  High organizational skills,
•  Ability to work in time sensitive environments,
•  Ability to examine complex problems and apply legal principles, facts and precedents to recommend adoption of an effective, practical and proper course of action,
•  Appetite/strong interest for business-related matters and ability to connect the legal dimension with value creation impact,
•  General curiosity for renewables, environment, sustainable solutions and their associated products,
•  Proven commitment to continuous self-improvement,
•  Occasional travelling may be needed, based on company needs and goals,
•  Commercial mindset and interest in learning more about commercial and technical issues,
•  Innovative and independent mindset, but with demonstrated stakeholder management skills and experience working in a multinational, matrixed organization,
•  Computer literate (MS Office),
•  Fluency: English, including legal and business terminology.