Senior Legal Counsel - Construction

ABOUT ZENOBE

Our mission is to make clean power accessible. We are passionate about making a positive impact on communities and the environment where we work. We’re designing, financing, building and operating the world’s most sophisticated battery systems to enable the take up of more renewable power, electrifying fleets for cleaner air, and providing clean, portable power including repurposed electric vehicle batteries. Our proprietary software and data analysis optimises operational performance for our customers to reduce emissions and costs. Since we began in 2017, we’ve raised over £2.7 billion in debt and equity funding and transformed it into >1.2GW of grid‑connected batteries live or under contract and c.3,400 electric vehicles supported. We have operations in the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the US and Canada, with a global headquarters in London. We’re the leading owner and operator of battery storage in the UK, supporting the National Grid with the uptake of renewable power. We also work with c.90% of the UK’s major bus companies, powering 25% of the UK e‑bus market. We’re also the number one owner and operator of e‑buses in Australia and New Zealand, and are quickly expanding into light commercial vehicles and trucks. Our rapidly growing company is looking for highly talented and motivated people to join us.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As the business continues to scale, we are looking for an experienced senior qualified Legal Counsel to join the team on a permanent basis. You will play a key role in the team supporting and leading on specified matters in a fast‑paced, ever‑evolving environment. This is a great opportunity for an ambitious individual to join a growing organisation and legal team.

A TASTE OF THE DAY TO DAY

• Assisting on construction related matters including reviewing, drafting and negotiating standard form (NEC, IChemE, JCT and FIDIC) and bespoke construction contracts and O&M contracts and sub‑contracts
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating ancillary construction and project related documents, including collateral warranties and performance security documents
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating heads of terms, letters of intent, supply contracts and grid connection documents
• Ability to advise on the contentious elements of projects, including advising on and mitigating risk in relation to project issues such as delays, cost claims and extensions of time
• Ability to also get involved across a broad range of general commercial legal work and working closely with multiple internal and external stakeholders
• Responsibility for providing commercially focused legal advice on a range of EV and battery projects
• Supporting with commercial and contractual matters with respect to tenders, projects, variations and on‑going contractual and operational matters
• Working confidently with external legal resource as required
• Supporting and managing more junior members of the team and advising on specific questions
• Ability to upskill and be involved in asset finance/ project finance
• Guiding and advising the business on regulatory, compliance and procurement matters and on key construction related issues that may impact the business and operations
• Supporting Heads of Legal and General Counsel when required
• Reporting into the Head of Legal (NI & Construction) and Global General Counsel and supporting legal functions globally as we expand
• Confidently manage general commercial legal related aspects of the business
• General day to day advice on key risk and legal issues

Health and Safety

Actively contribute to Zenobe's commitment to health and safety, wellbeing and sustainability by integrating these principles into daily responsibilities, ensuring a safe and supportive work environment, promoting both the physical and mental health of self and colleagues, and adopting sustainable and energy‑efficient practices to minimize environmental impact. By doing so, each employee at Zenobe plays a vital role in fostering a culture that prioritises overall safety, holistic wellbeing, environmental sustainability in our business operations.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We realise that certain groups of people are less likely to apply for a role if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. To be absolutely clear: if you like the look of this job and think you could do it well, we encourage you to apply with a CV that highlights your transferable skills and experience. Above all, Zenobē is looking for collaborative, flexible, empathetic people who are interested in creating and promoting practical routes to a zero carbon world.

• At least 7 to 10 years PQE having trained and qualified at a good regional, national or international law firm
• Strong Generalist and construction experience
• Non‑contentious construction lawyer with excellent knowledge of construction agreements
• Ideally someone who possesses in‑house experience
• Experienced contract negotiator with commercial awareness
• Excellent legal drafting skills
• Sound commercial judgment with an ability to prioritise effectively
• An understanding of the energy regulatory environment and experience in the energy sector would be a strong advantage
• An understanding of project finance/ financing documents would be advantageous
• Able to establish rapport and build strong trust‑based relationships
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

WORKING AT ZENOBE

We’re passionate about sustainability and are proud to offer Team Zenobē a pioneering and collaborative working environment. We encourage our people to take ownership of their career progression and celebrate those that can think outside the box. If you’d like to join our community of likeminded people hit the apply button now, we’d love to hear from you!

WHAT WE OFFER

• Up to 33% annual bonus for being awesome
• 25 days holiday, increasing with length of service up to 30 days, plus bank holidays
• Private Medical Insurance
• £1,500 training budget per year, to ensure you grow as we do
• EV Salary Sacrifice Scheme
• Pension scheme, up to 8% matched contributions
• Enhanced parental leave
• Cash back health plan
• Plus more

Lots of our people work flexibly in many different ways, including part‑time, flexitime and hybrid working. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but please talk to us about the flexibility you need and let’s see how we can make it work.

OUR APPROACH TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Our people are our strongest asset and the key determinant of our success, and we value a range of skillsets and perspectives. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute. We work to provide equal opportunities and an inclusive work environment, where everyone is fairly treated in the application process and through their career at Zenobē. If there are any adjustments that would help improve your experience with Zenobē, please let us know when you apply.