Legal Counsel - fixed term for 18 months (m/f/d)

Legal Counsel - fixed term for 18 months (m/f/d)

Location(s):

Melbourne, VIC, AU, 3000

RWE Renewables Australia Pty Ltd.

To start as soon as possible, full time, fixed term

RWE Renewables is a leading player in the global energy transition, with an international team of around 3,500 employees working together to provide electricity for a sustainable life. We currently have a total capacity of more than 9 gigawatts from existing onshore and offshore wind parks, photovoltaic plants and battery storage plus ambitious plans for continued growth to drive a net zero future for the world.

The role

As Legal Counsel within the Renewables Australia Legal Team, you will act as one of RWE Renewables key legal advisors on matters relating to the development, financing, procurement, construction and operation of wind, solar and battery energy storage projects across Australia.

We are looking for an experienced, highly motivated and commercially minded legal counsel who is confident working across an international renewables business. You will be a member of the Australian Legal Team and will also work closely with Legal Counsel across OPEAs European markets. You will build strong relationships with the business and other support functions to deliver practical, holistic and streamlined legal support.

This role offers the opportunity to work on high-profile and complex renewable energy projects, including project financing, major procurement and construction contracting, and claims management. You will provide commercial, solution-oriented advice to RWEs Renewables business across a broad mix of development, financing, procurement, construction and operational matters.

Your primary focus will be supporting procurement activities for RWEs pre-FID portfolio and claims management across RWEs construction and operational assets. Experience in both EPC and split-scope contracting (across both OEM and BOPs) is essential, preferably in the wind, solar, and battery energy storage sectors. You will also be expected to support project financing activities, so familiarity with bankability requirements and project finance contracting is expected. Experience across the full lifecycle of renewables project development – from land access through to commercial operation – will be viewed favourably.

Procurement and construction contracting

You will:

Draft and negotiate ECI and preferred supplier agreements, EPC, balance-of-plant contracts for wind, solar, and BESS projects (i.e., for split-scope contracting), including turbine supply agreements, civil and electrical BOP packages, and battery system supply and integration agreements, and other OEM supply agreements (transformers, inverters, panels, and others),.

Advise on procurement strategy, tender documentation, contractor selection processes and tender evaluation - working closely with procurement, technical and project management teams and providing advice on legal risks arising from procurement models.

Draft and negotiate ancillary construction-phase agreements, including owners engineer appointments, independent certifier agreements, grid consultant agreements, environmental and geotechnical contractors and consultant terms, met mast supplier contracts, and construction-phase insurance arrangements.

Support the construction and other operational RWE team members to manage construction and services contracts.

Advise on contract administration issues, including payment claims, pricing validity mechanisms, variations, programming, extensions of time, delay liquidated damages, change of law, force majeure, performance liquidated damages, work quality, defects, warranties and interface risk.