Legal Manager

Legal Manager: Corporate – Renewable Energy | Cape Town

Copper Quail is recruiting for one of South Africa's leading IPPs — a serious player in utility-scale renewables with an active deal pipeline and a growing asset portfolio.

This is a senior in-house role for a corporate commercial lawyer who wants to sit where the transactions happen. You'll lead the legal side of M&A, project acquisitions and disposals, corporate finance and energy trading — advising the senior team directly and running your own calls on structure, risk and execution.

What you'll be doing (overview — not the full picture):

• Leading legal workstreams on M&A, disposals, restructures, JVs and project transactions — SPAs, subscription agreements, SHAs, JDAs
• Supporting corporate finance: funding, equity investments, refinancing and security documentation
• Acting as primary legal advisor to the Sales and Trading teams — electricity trading, aggregation, virtual wheeling and grid-related commercial arrangements
• Overseeing corporate governance, compliance and the Group Company Secretary function
• Managing trust and SPV structures, including an employee ownership trust
• Leading commercial contracting across the Group and managing external counsel
• Mentoring a small legal team (3–5)

The basics:

• LLB and admitted attorney
• 8–10 years post-qualification experience in corporate commercial law
• Proven negotiator on complex, high-value transactions
• Renewable energy sector experience gets you to the front of the queue

Worth knowing:

This is a role with real decision-making authority — you interpret, you advise, you approve within mandate. Fast-paced environment, tight deadlines, complex deals. If you need external counsel to hold your hand, this isn't it.