The Opportunity

Are you looking for a legal career which is rewarding, at the cutting edge of project development and where you can really make a difference? Come and join our expanding Sizewell C Nuclear New Build Legal team and work on one of the most exciting projects in the UK, whilst being at the forefront of the UK’s climate change agenda and energy policy.  The Sizewell C Project is a multi-billion pound nuclear new build project in Suffolk which is currently seeking planning approval and financing from HMG and investors, with a view to start construction in 2022.  

Sizewell C (SZC) currently operates as part of EDF in the Nuclear Development business unit and is staffed by EDF colleagues and independent contractors.  It is setting itself up as an organisation capable of delivering a new nuclear power plant, from investment case and funding, to construction, commissioning, operations, maintenance and decommissioning.  The capital investment required to construct and commission the plant is ~£20 bn, of which the majority is expected to be debt finance through a combination of bank debt, bond financing and ECA finance. 

As a Legal Counsel: Construction you will sit within our ‘SZC and Nuclear Development’ Legal team based in London.  The work of this team supports all areas of the SZC project and is critical to the success of the project.  

Our teams are set up to work flexibly, therefore you don’t have to live in London and the South East. As long as you’re able to travel to the office 2/3 days a week to collaborate with your team and stakeholders, you can be based anywhere in the UK. We provide a full suite of IT equipment to ensure that our employees can work from home comfortably and effectively. 

Jo Ryan-Smith, Solicitor says “Working on the HPC / SZC project differs from other in-house legal roles due to the complexity, variety and scale…this is why I’ve been here for so long.  And also the people!  Working on such big projects really gives you a sense of being a true team both within the legal team and on the wider project as everyone’s goals are ultimately aligned.  Success is tangible as you watch the progress on the sites (and the TV programmes documenting the HPC build!).  They’re such high profile projects that friends and family know what I do, which I don’t think they ever did when I worked in private practice.”

The Role and Skills

The team won (along with their colleagues on the Hinkley Point C project) the “In-House Team of the Year” award at the 2021 Legal Business Awards and we have a number of very experienced and skilled individuals who specialise in construction law.  

You’ll be working on unique, first of a kind, high value and complex matters. There’s several contracts which are modelled on alliancing and incentivisation principles, pushing collaboration and innovation to a level not previously seen in the UK. You’ll collaborate and works with many of the UK’s leading private practice construction lawyers who are part of our external advisor framework and will also work closely with clients within the project to understand their objectives and business drivers and to identify current and future legal requirements for the construction and operations phases in the life cycle of the project.

If you have relevant post qualification experience as a solicitor admitted in England and Wales or commonwealth jurisdiction with well-rounded legal knowledge, commercial acumen and experience preferably (though not necessarily) in the projects or construction sector then we’d love to hear from you! We have a full job description available and you can request this at application stage.