Seeking a Legal Counsel to support our exciting commercial, project and corporate activities
Taranaki | New Zealand
⚡ Shape the legal foundations of pioneering green hydrogen projects
📜 Lead the drafting, negotiation and management of complex commercial agreements
🤝 Work closely with project, commercial, finance and executive teams
🏗️ Support major infrastructure, JV and strategic partnership deals
📈 Join a fast‑growing renewables business with purpose and momentum
Hiringa Energy is growing, and we’re looking for a skilled Legal Counsel to provide high‑quality legal and commercial support across our New Zealand and Australian operations.
This is a hands‑on role ideal for someone who enjoys complex deal‑making, thrives in a dynamic environment, and brings a pragmatic, solutions‑focused approach to supporting high‑impact renewable energy projects.
You’ll be involved in legal work that spans commercial contracts, project development, construction, joint ventures, governance, finance, and strategic partnerships — contributing directly to the delivery of world‑class green hydrogen projects.
You will be involved in:
- Drafting and reviewing commercial agreements (supply, construction, JV, project development, funding, offtake, service contracts)
- Supporting and negotiating commercial agreements for development, construction and operational stages
- Managing legal workstreams for financial close of bank‑financed projects
- Preparing and maintaining contract templates, registers, approvals and governance processes
- Coordinating legal documentation for equity, finance and partner negotiations
- Liaising with external legal advisors and ensuring legal advice is implemented effectively
- Providing contract summaries, risk assessments and briefings to the executive team, board and partners
- Supporting compliance, governance and due diligence activities across NZ and Australia
- Providing company secretarial support and ensuring adherence to corporate governance requirements
- Maintaining legal and commercial documentation within the contract management system
- Supporting project, finance and operations teams through clear communication and collaborative problem‑solving
- Contributing to process improvement to streamline legal workflows across the trans‑Tasman business
What We’re Looking For
We’re interested in people who bring strong judgement, practical commercial thinking, and a collaborative mindset.
You will ideally have experience across elements of the following:
- Commercial contracting, negotiation and drafting
- Multi‑party contract negotiation (e.g., JV partners, government, suppliers, funders)
- Infrastructure, energy, construction or large‑scale project environments
- Contract lifecycle management, templates and governance processes
- Managing external legal advisors and integrating legal advice into commercial outcomes
- Preparing and presenting legal risk assessments and transaction summaries
- Supporting project financing, equity processes or government funding arrangements
Experience & Background
- Tertiary qualification in Law and eligibility to practice in NZ
- 5+ years’ experience in commercial/contract law
- Proven experience negotiating complex commercial agreements
- Strong understanding of risk allocation, contract structures and commercial drivers
- Experience working with multiple stakeholder groups (internal & external)
- Exposure to infrastructure, energy, clean‑tech or renewables (advantageous)
- Experience with project or construction contracting (advantageous)
- Experience supporting financial close processes for debt‑financed projects (advantageous)
- Familiarity with trans‑Tasman commercial environments and JV/government agreements (advantageous)
Core Competencies We Value
- Strong decision‑making capability
- Ability to identify, manage and mitigate legal and commercial risk
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Strong relationship‑building and influencing ability
- High personal integrity and ethical judgement
- Ability to problem‑solve in complex, dynamic environments
- Adaptability and comfort working with ambiguity
- Collaborative mindset and willingness to support a growing team
Why Join Us?
Hiringa is a small, agile and values‑driven business where you will have:
- Real influence on commercial outcomes and legal strategy
- Exposure to pioneering green hydrogen and renewable energy projects across NZ and Australia
- A collaborative, high‑trust work environment
- The chance to shape systems, templates and processes as the business scales
- Opportunities for professional growth in a fast‑paced, purpose‑led organisation
If you’re motivated by supporting impactful, future‑focused projects and want to contribute your legal expertise to a growing mission‑driven business, we’d love to hear from you.
