Senior Legal Counsel – Project Finance. is responsible for providing strategic legal oversight on complex financing transactions, with a primary focus on project finance, structured funding, and infrastructure financing arrangements.
The role partners closely with Investment, Funding, Finance, and Risk teams to structure legally sound and commercially viable transactions, ensuring appropriate risk mitigation while enabling efficient deal execution and financial close.
This is a deal-facing role embedded within the funding lifecycle from structuring through to post-close management and post-close compliance.
Position of the job in the organisation:
Senior Legal Counsel – Project Finance will report directly to the Head of Legal.
Principal responsibilities:
Transaction Structuring & Execution
- Lead legal structuring of project finance and structured funding transactions.
- Review, and negotiate complex financing documentation including loan agreements, intercreditor agreements, security documents, guarantees, and related funding instruments.
- Review and negotiate lender-provided financing documentation and prepare borrower-side or bespoke financing documents where required.
- Provide legal input into term sheets and transaction structuring alongside Investment, funding, and finance teams.
- Ensure project agreements align with funding requirements and bankability standards.
- Conduct high level bankability reviews of revenue and offtake agreements, including Power Purchase Agreements and wheeling arrangements, to confirm alignment with lender requirements and project finance risk thresholds.
- Coordinate legal deliverables required for conditions precedent, security perfection, and financial close.
- Support transactions through due diligence, negotiation, and financial close.
Legal Risk Interface
- Translate legal risks into clear commercial implications.
- Provide legal input into investment, funding and transaction approval memoranda.
- Ensure enforceability and robustness of security structures and collateral frameworks.
- Advise on risk allocation across lenders, sponsors, contractors, clients/offtakers and other
- Identify structural risks early and propose mitigation strategies to protect project value and prevent disputes.
Regulatory & Compliance Advisory
- Advise and ensure compliance with applicable energy, electricity market, and grid regulatory frameworks.
- Monitor regulatory developments affecting electricity markets, wheeling frameworks, licensing, and grid access.
- Provide legal guidance on funding instruments, including debt facilities, guarantees, bonds, and blended finance structures.
Stakeholder & Negotiation Management
- Act as lead legal negotiator with sponsors, lenders, DFIs, and government entities.
- Manage and coordinate external legal counsel appointed for project finance, funding, and related transaction matters.
- Support internal stakeholders, including Finance, Funding, and Commercial functions.
- Provide bankability focused input during negotiations with clients and counterparties where commercial positions may affect lender requirements or funding viability.
Portfolio & Post-Financial Close Support
- Provide legal oversight on refinancings, restructurings, waivers, and amendments.
- Support enforcement strategies and distressed asset management where required.
- Advise on covenant compliance and ongoing legal exposure within the portfolio.
- Assess legal implications of operational issues that may trigger lender notifications or default risks.
Perform additional responsibilities consistent with the scope and seniority of the role.
Experience & Skills
- LLB degree
- Admitted Attorney in South Africa (required)
- Postgraduate qualification in Finance, Project Finance, Infrastructure Funding, Energy Law or Commercial Law (advantageous).
- 8–10 years post-qualification experience in project finance, structured finance, banking law, or infrastructure funding.
- Strong technical knowledge of project finance structures, security packages, intercreditor arrangements, syndicated lending, and financial close processes.
- Demonstrated experience drafting and negotiating complex financing agreements and transaction documentation.
- Sound understanding of credit risk principles, funding mechanics, and risk allocation frameworks.
- Knowledge of banking regulation, financial services law, exchange control, and cross-border financing structures.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
- ability to interpret financial models and engage effectively with Finance teams;
- familiarity with document management systems and virtual data rooms.
Specific attributes:
- Strong commercial judgment with the ability to balance legal risk and deal viability.
- Confident and composed in high-value negotiations.
- Detail-oriented with strong analytical capability.
- Ability to operate independently while collaborating effectively with Finance, Funding, Commercial and Investment teams.
- Clear communicator who can translate complex legal matters into practical business guidance.
- High level of integrity and professional accountability.
- Ability to manage competing transaction priorities and maintain momentum toward financial close.
Desirable attributes:
- Experience in renewable energy project finance, including Solar PV and/or BESS transactions.
- Exposure to drafting and negotiating project documentation within bankable energy and infrastructure projects.
- Familiarity with Power Purchase Agreements structuring and negotiation, including offtake and credit risk allocation.
- Understanding of grid connection agreements, wheeling arrangements, and related regulatory approvals.
- Experience working with Development Finance Institutions and blended finance structures.
- Knowledge of South African renewable energy regulatory and procurement frameworks.
What Does Success Look Like?
By month 3:
- I will have developed a clear understanding of the organisation’s funding structures, live transactions, and financing pipeline.
- I will have built strong working relationships with Investment, Funding, Finance, Commercial and Risk teams.
- I can confidently identify key legal and structural risks within financing agreements.
- I will be contributing meaningful, commercially aligned legal input in transaction discussions and internal committees.
- I understand how project agreements and risk allocation impact bankability and financial close timelines
By month 6:
- I will be independently leading legal workstreams on active project or structured finance transactions.
- I can negotiate key financing documents with lenders, sponsors, DFIs, and external stakeholders.
- I will be providing structured legal input into transaction approval memoranda and funding submissions.
- I will have supported at least one transaction to advanced negotiation stage or financial close.
- I can proactively identify regulatory and structuring risks before they impact deal timelines.
- I am effectively coordinating external counsel and legal deliverables required for financial close.
By month 12:
- I will be consistently leading complex financing transactions from structuring through to financial close.
- I can balance legal risk mitigation with commercial viability to support sustainable deal execution.
- I will be recognised internally as a strategic legal partner to Finance and Investment leadership.
- I can manage refinancings, restructurings, waivers, and post-close legal matters effectively.
- I will have contributed to strengthening standard documentation, negotiation strategy, and risk governance frameworks.
- I proactively identify portfolio risks and support mitigation strategies to protect project value.
Core Values:
We hire, reward, and recognise our team against these values. It is imperative that you believe in these values and demonstrate them consistently.
- We are passionate and proud of what we do.
- We communicate candidly, especially when it is difficult.
- We take the initiative, share our mistakes, and grow together.
- We are dependable and take accountability.
- No one person is bigger than the solution - no egos.
