Senior Legal Counsel Legal BD

Senior Legal Counsel - Legal BD Job Details | acwapowerc
Senior Legal Counsel - Legal BD
Date: 
Oct 6, 2026
Location: 
AE
Job Description: 
Role Purpose
To provide dedicated legal support to Business Development teams on power and water projects, with a primary focus on Operations & Maintenance (O&M), PPP/PFI structures, and ACWA’s role as O&M provider on greenfield and brownfield projects across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The role will support both third-party and ACWA-led bids, ensuring risk allocation is appropriately aligned across, OMA, PPA, EPC, LTSA, TSA and financing documents, and that deliverables are met within compressed bid timelines.
The position requires strong drafting and negotiation capability, sound commercial judgement, and the ability to operate independently on defined workstreams within complex project structures.
Key Responsibilities

1. Bid & Transaction Support
   Lead and support negotiation of:
   Operation & Maintenance Agreements (OMAs), including Direct Agreements
   Long-Term Service Agreements (LTSAs)
   Technical Services Agreements
   Interface and back-to-back arrangements with EPC contractors
   Joint Development/Venture Agreements, SHA and SPA agreements relating to O&M companies
   Subcontract agreements for O&M scope (where required)
   Consortium and partnership documentation
   Support review of PPAs, IWPP/IWP structures and concession agreements from an O&M risk perspective
   Draft and negotiate NDAs, consortium agreements, MoUs and bid-stage documentation
   Support legal due diligence exercises for new jurisdictions with local advisers
2. Risk Allocation & Back-to-Back Structuring
   Ensure appropriate alignment of operational risk between:
   OMA and PPA/concession terms
   OMA and EPC/LTSA performance regimes
   Liquidated damages and availability regimes
   Advise on liability caps, indemnity structures, fitness for purpose obligations and wilful misconduct carve-outs
   Identify risk gaps and escalate structural issues where required
3. Lender & Project Finance Interface
   Support negotiations with lenders’ counsel on O&M-related matters
   Review direct agreements and step-in rights
   Assist in satisfying conditions precedent relating to O&M arrangements
   Maintain working knowledge of security structures typical in project-financed PPP/PFI transactions and their relevance to O&M arrangements
4. Cross-Functional Coordination
   Work closely with:
   BD commercial teams
   Technical and Operations teams
   Corporate legal and Governance teams
   External counsel (where required)
   Operate effectively under high-pressure bid timelines
   Provide clear, practical and commercially balanced advice
   Support preparation of internal approval materials and risk summaries
5. Multi-Jurisdictional Awareness
   Advise on regional considerations across:
   GCC (KSA, UAE, Oman)
   Europe (including Poland and other EU jurisdictions)
   Centra and South-East Asia
   Africa and emerging markets
   Coordinate with local counsel where necessary
   Support assessment of regulatory and concession considerations impacting O&M arrangements
6. Corporate Structuring & Internal Legal Liaison
   Liaise closely with Corporate Legal and Compliance teams on:
   Incorporation of new SPVs and O&M vehicles
   JV entity structuring and shareholder arrangements
   Branch registrations and cross-border establishment matters
   Amendment of constitutional documents in line with transaction requirements
   Support legal aspects of:
   Corporate approvals and board resolutions
   Power of attorney and signatory frameworks
   Regulatory filings and licensing requirements
   Ensure alignment between transaction documentation and corporate structuring requirements across jurisdictions
   Coordinate internal approvals to ensure timely entity readiness under compressed bid timelines
   Qualification
   English law or New York law qualified preferred
   5–8 years PQE (indicative)
   In-house or top-tier law firm experience in:
   Power and water sector
   PPP/PFI or project-financed infrastructure
   O&M contract negotiation
   Strong familiarity with OMAs, PPAs, EPC contracts and LTSAs
   Exposure to lender negotiations in project-financed transactions
   Demonstrated ability to structure back-to-back operational risk
   Skills
   Commercially pragmatic
   Comfortable operating with limited supervision on defined workstreams
   Strong drafting and negotiation capability
   Able to manage multiple bids simultaneously
   Clear communicator under time pressure
   Legal Notice
   Compliance Line

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