Contracts Manager

Role Overview

We are recruiting on behalf of an established South African independent power producer that develops, finances, builds, owns and operates renewable energy projects across solar, wind, hydro, hybrid and battery storage technologies. The business carries its projects from preferred bidder stage through financial close and construction into long-term operation, which places the contracts function at the centre of how project value is protected across the full asset lifecycle.

This is an in-house Contracts Manager role within the Legal Affairs function, supporting the Legal Counsel: Construction and Operations, and working alongside project managers during construction and facility managers during operations. You sit on the Employer and Owner side, not the contractor side. The purpose of the role is to make sure the company’s own contractual obligations are discharged, and that its rights are enforced against counterparties including EPC contractors, O&M contractors, offtakers, the grid access unit and government.

Location: Western Cape. Fixed-term contract.

What You Will Do

• Support the Legal Counsel from preferred bidder phase onwards through contract review and finalisation with contractors and other counterparties, including the drafting and negotiation of EPC contracts, O&M contracts and co-operation agreements, to facilitate financial close.
• Enforce the owner’s rights under the project agreements and project documents, including the Power Purchase Agreement, Implementation Agreement, Self-Build Agreement, Distribution Customer Use of System Agreement and the financing documents.
• Establish standard forms of contractual notices and communications so that rights are exercised consistently and on time across the portfolio.
• Review and challenge representations made by project and facility managers in the execution of their duties.
• Assist and guide the asset management team with the set-up and creation of the project obligations tracker, and with the establishment and maintenance of contractual record-keeping.
• Challenge and defend claims, change proposals and variations under the respective contracts, and draft the claims and contractual communications required in terms of the project documents.
• Escalate contractual matters immediately where the risk warrants it, keep the Legal Counsel updated on emerging and ongoing contractual risk, and advise on mitigation options and strategies.
• Provide assistance and advice across the full contractual cycle: owner and contractor claims, adjudications and determinations, pass-through claim communications and equivalent project relief, correspondence with counterparties, lenders and shareholders, review of contractor documentation, rejection notices, programme reviews, suspension notices, milestone reviews and payment applications, unit and facility completion notices, taking-over and final acceptance, notification of defects, variations, and contract termination.

What We’re Looking For

Minimum requirements

• LLB, BA (Law) or BCom (Law) preferred, with articles completed.
• At least 5 years’ post-qualification experience.
• At least 3 years’ experience in the drafting and negotiation of EPC and O&M contracts.
• At least 3 years’ experience in the administration of EPC contracts.
• At least 3 years’ experience in the administration of O&M contracts.
• At least 3 years’ experience in the administration of contracts on REIPPPP projects.
• Excellent written communication skills.

Preferred

• Familiarity with conciliation, mediation and arbitration processes.
• Presentation skills.

What We Offer

• An in-house role on the Employer and Owner side of renewable energy projects, not the contractor side.
• Exposure across the full project lifecycle, from preferred bidder and financial close through EPC construction and into long-term operations.
• Work across multiple technologies: solar, wind, hydro, hybrid and battery storage.
• Direct interface with the Legal Counsel, project and facility managers, lenders, shareholders and counterparties.
• Western Cape based.
• Market related package.

This role is being placed exclusively by Energy Africa Recruitment. To apply, visit www.careers.energy-africa-recruitment.com.

Should you not hear back from us within 14 days, your application has been unsuccessful.