Interim Legal Transition & Handover Lead

Role and Responsibilities

• Develop a comprehensive, structured “Head of Legal Handover Pack” to enable seamless onboarding of the incoming Head of Legal.  
• Compile an active matter register including status, ownership, deadlines, risks, next steps, and supporting documentation.  
• Develop a contract register covering critical agreements, including counterparties, value, term, obligations, and key risk clauses.  
• Prepare a disputes and claims log (where applicable), including exposure, strategy, and next milestones.  
• Establish a compliance and governance calendar covering filings, permits, approvals, and internal governance cycles.

• Map and validate all legal document repositories (SharePoint, drives, email archives, deal folders).  
• Consolidate documentation into a structured and accessible single source of truth.  
• Develop an access map covering current access, required access, and access control processes.  
• Implement a clear and consistent folder taxonomy across legal materials.  

• Translate existing Group Delegations of Authority into a clear, practical contracting approval workflow for local use.  
• Consolidate current templates and legal standards used locally and identify gaps.  
• Prepare for alignment with incoming Group Legal leadership on minimum standards, templates, and deviation processes.  
• Develop and maintain a deviation log for non-standard contractual terms

• Develop a structured inventory of external counsel engagements, including scope, rates, and budgets.  
• Standardise instruction templates for legal advisors.  
• Introduce consistent tracking of legal spend and forecasting for active matters.  

• Provide limited, time-critical legal support when requested by the Chief of Staff.  
• Ensure all such support is documented and incorporated into the Handover Pack. 

Requirements

• Approximately 5–10 years’ experience as an in-house legal or contracting professional.  
• Demonstrated experience in legal operations, including development of registers, repositories, and structured documentation. 
• Experience operating within corporate governance frameworks, including Delegations of Authority and approval processes.  
• Experience working across infrastructure, energy, or project-based environments preferred.  
• Proven ability to deliver structured outputs under time pressure in transition or high-change environments. 

• Strong understanding of governance frameworks and practical application of Delegations of Authority.  
• Ability to structure and organise complex legal information into clear, decision-ready formats.
• Experience implementing or working with contracting standards, templates, and deviation tracking mechanisms. 
• Ability to structure and prioritise legal and operational information in the absence of direct legal leadership.. 
• Sound judgment in identifying risks and ensuring appropriate documentation and escalation
• Highly structured and detail-oriented, with strong organisational discipline.  
• Clear and concise written communication, with the ability to produce decision-ready outputs.

• Strong stakeholder management skills, including the ability to coordinate across multiple functions.  
• Ability to manage competing priorities under tight timelines.  
• High level of discretion, professionalism, and accountability. 
• Must prioritise delivery of handover artefacts over business-as-usual legal work.  
• Comfortable working in a transition environment with evolving structures.  
• Able to work on-site during initial onboarding period and independently thereafter