Commercial Lawyer – In house Legal Counsel

Quest Capital LLC (CQC) is a leading global carbon project developer, social impact investor and climate finance specialist. Our mission is to transform the lives of families in the poorest communities in developing countries by providing access to clean and sustainable energy solutions and improving the health and wellbeing of women and children. We do this through making investments in carbon reduction and removal programs, which provide clean and efficient energy appliances, small-scale agriculture and forestry services to the rural poor.

CQC’s carbon programs have improved the lives of over 20 million people in Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Central America. Our ambition is to reach over 175 million people by 2035 and we are well on our path to do so with current committed funding.

CQC is headquartered in Washington DC, USA, with subsidiaries in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Australia.

The Role

CQC is expanding its Legal team and hiring a Commercial in-house counsel to support the company’s commercial growth. This is a new role reporting to CQC’s Group General Counsel, with dotted line reporting to the Head of Commercial**.**

Location

Australia – Hybrid: Sydney or Melbourne.

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Counsel- Commercial will have the following main responsibilities:

• Provide legal oversight on sales team activities through contract reviews and drafting/negotiating contracts. Serve as a trusted advisor to the Head of Commercial and legal department gatekeeper.
• Provide counsel on and oversee legal points of the various documents for the sales team, such as nondisclosure agreements, term sheets and Emission Reductions Purchase Agreements (ERPAs).
• Interface with the Group General Counsel and in house legal team.
• Draft, review and negotiate contracts for sales team.
• Assist with finance closings and investor due diligence.
• Organize and track agreements and company documents.
• Assist with day-to-day legal matters of the Australia offices.

Relevant Experience and Qualifications

The successful candidate is likely to have the following prior experiences and training/qualifications:

• Experience as In-house Counsel or Senior Associate in a law firm.

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school.

• Admission in all jurisdictions necessary for provision of in-house legal services for CQC’s Australia branch and global business.

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in contract negotiation and/or corporate law, preferably in the commodity trading or carbon market sector.

• Experience advising on, and negotiation of commercial agreements such as ERPAs or Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).

• Preferable experience in the energy, commodity trading, or carbon market sector.

• Understanding of relevant international laws, particularly related to greenhouse gas emissions reductions and offsets.

• Experience in working with cross functional teams.

• Experience with Due Diligence Questionnaires (DDQ) and Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures is an advantage.

• Experience working with fast growth entrepreneurial organizations, preferably in the carbon, commodities, or energy sectors.

• Comfortable operating within an international environment with a diversity of cultures.

Key Attributes

The successful candidate is likely to be:

• A lawyer who understands commercial targets and can provide counsel to create a win-win outcome for the Company and its clients.
• A highly effectively communicator, in written and verbal form, of complex ideas and activities. Detail oriented, with exceptional attention to detail in document review, drafting and redlining.
• Exceptional organizational skills and appreciation for building and following processes.
• A lawyer who has a good understanding of the challenges that climate change presents and the role that carbon markets play in addressing it.
• Passionate about actively helping the rural poor in less developed countries in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Able to fit in with the high-performance, entrepreneurial, and collaborative culture of CQC.
• Located in Sydney or Melbourne.

Compensation Details

We offer a highly competitive, full compensation package to include Base Salary, Bonus, generous corporate benefits, and a broad range of company perks.