General Counsel & Ethics Officer - Energy & Infrastructure

About the role

An international organisation operating in the energy and infrastructure sectors is looking for an experienced General Counsel and Ethics Officer to lead and transform its legal, ethics and compliance function. The role sits at Executive Committee level in Sandton and acts as a trusted business partner to senior leadership, balancing business growth with corporate governance, regulatory compliance, ethical leadership and risk management.

Key responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal advice on corporate law, commercial transactions, regulatory matters, M&A, project finance and infrastructure development, and draft, review and negotiate contracts and project documentation.
• Manage litigation, commercial disputes and relationships with external counsel, and monitor legislative and regulatory developments.
• Lead the local legal, ethics and compliance function, ensure alignment with Group policies and listed-company standards, identify and mitigate risks, and set up internal controls and compliance reporting.
• Develop and oversee ethics and compliance programmes covering anti-corruption, data privacy, sanctions and embargoes, and handle ethics investigations and whistleblower reports.
• Act as legal and strategic advisor to the Country Manager, Executive Committee and operational leadership, and build relationships with government authorities, regulators, EPC contractors, suppliers and offtakers.
• Lead a multidisciplinary legal and ethics team, promote a high-performance culture, and drive digital transformation through LegalTech, AI and digital workflows.

Required profile

• Master's degree in Business Law (mandatory).
• 10-15 years of experience in legal, ethics and compliance functions, including senior leadership.
• Extensive experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors, including renewable energy and conventional power generation.
• Experience in an international organisation, listed company or complex matrix structure, and in transforming a legal and compliance function.
• Willingness to travel within South Africa and to Europe on an ad hoc basis.

Required skills

• Corporate law, regulatory compliance, corporate governance and international compliance standards.
• Construction law, M&A, project finance and commercial contracting.
• Strong executive stakeholder management, negotiation, communication and influencing skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Advantageous: greenfield project development, renewable energy projects, EPC agreements, legal technology implementation and AI adoption. The employer offers competitive market-related salary.