Legal Manager

Overview

This position seeks a commercially astute lawyer with over ten years of experience, skilled in collaborating with business departments to effectively manage legal and regulatory risks in a highly regulated operational setting. Prior knowledge of district cooling, utilities, EPC, O&M, procurement, and concession agreements is highly favored. The Legal Manager will serve as the primary provider of daily legal assistance, supporting operations including distribution of district cooling and gas supply, infrastructure projects, procurement, regulatory adherence, and corporate governance.

Sector-Specific Expertise

• Contracts related to district cooling and utility services
• Regulations and licensing in the utilities sector
• Operations based on concession agreements
• Legal frameworks for infrastructure and construction projects
• Real estate and community development legal practices
• Contracting in procurement and supply chains
• Management of dispute resolution and claims
• Understanding of project financing and tariff modeling
• Land rights and access issues
• Preferably, knowledge of sustainability and energy efficiency concepts

Legal Risk Management

• Balancing legal risks with operational goals
• Allocating and mitigating contract risks
• Competent handling of legal and regulatory risks

Regulatory and Compliance

• Ensuring corporate regulatory compliance
• Expertise in utility regulatory frameworks
• Managing compliance and liaising with regulatory bodies
• Handling dispute resolution, litigation, arbitration, and alternative dispute resolution methods
• Overseeing litigation management and settlement discussions
• Managing claims related to contractors and customers

Commercial Contracting

• Proficient in drafting, negotiating, and allocating risk in contracts
• Deep understanding of long-term utility and service contracts

Infrastructure and Projects

• Supporting EPC, O&M, supply chain, construction, and infrastructure projects
• Managing claims and change-order processes
• Protecting customer and revenue interests
• Handling customer contracts and conflict resolution
• Practicing consumer protection and anti-trust compliance
• Resolving billing issues and debt collection

Real Estate and Utility Law

• Managing land rights, easements, rights of way, access, and developer agreements
• Handling master community and mixed-use development legal arrangements

Business Partnership

• Providing pragmatic and commercially oriented legal counsel
• Exercising strong stakeholder engagement and executive communication capabilities

Contract Support

• Assisting Contracts and Procurement teams on legal contract matters
• Supporting breach and termination procedures related to third-party contractor defaults
• Advising HR on legal employment issues
• Reviewing agreements for assessing and mitigating legal risks
• Reporting legal risks to General Counsel with recommendations to protect company interests

Minimum Qualifications

• Law degree from a respected university
• Between 8 and 12 years of qualified legal experience
• Admission as a lawyer in a recognized common-law or civil-law jurisdiction
• At least 3 to 5 years of experience working in-house or private practice within utilities, energy, water, infrastructure, government entities, or regulated services

Professional Experience

• Strong skills interpreting laws and legislations into actionable compliance
• Expertise drafting and negotiating a wide variety of commercial contracts including services, leases, construction, development, utilities sourcing, procurement, concessions, and PPPs
• For candidates without early career legal formation, 10 to 14 years of experience required
• Knowledge advising on regulatory compliance, licensing, and utility legal responsibilities
• Experience in disputes, claims, and customer matters management
• Supporting corporate governance, board activities, and enterprise risk management
• Backing large infrastructure and capital project initiatives
• Managing external legal counsel and budgeting
• Prior supervisory or leadership experience preferred