Contracts Manager
Posted Updated
Description
Job Location- Botswana
Job Summary:
- We are seeking an experienced Contracts Manager to lead and manage all
contractual and commercial matters associated with the development and
execution of the Project, with particular focus on the EPC Contract, the Power
Purchase Agreement (PPA), the Project's insurance program and other major
project agreements. The successful candidate will act as the Project Company's
principal contractual and commercial focal point, protecting the Project
Company's contractual position, minimizing exposure to contractor claims and
delays, ensuring full compliance with contractual obligations, and proactively
pursuing the Project Company's contractual entitlements. The role combines
strong contract administration and claims-management capability with a
proactive, owner-side commercial mindset to support successful project
delivery.
Key Responsibilities:
- Act as the Project Company's
principal focal point for administration of the EPC Contract, the PPA and other
major project agreements.
- Develop and maintain a detailed
understanding of all EPC contractual obligations, milestones, guarantees,
deliverables, notice requirements and commercial mechanisms.
- Monitor the EPC Contractor's
compliance throughout engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning,
testing and project completion, tracking key milestones including Notice to
Proceed, energization, commissioning, reliability testing, Provisional Acceptance,
Commercial Operation Date and Final Acceptance.
- Maintain a contractual
obligations register identifying obligations, responsible parties, notice
periods, deadlines and current status.
- Identify potential EPC
non-compliance, delay, default and contractual exposure at an early stage and
advise project management on mitigation measures; preserve the Project Company's rights through timely notices,
reservations of rights and formal contractual correspondence.
- Manage the variation/change order
process end-to-end: review Contractor-submitted variation proposals and quotations,
verify the contractual basis and pricing methodology, negotiate valuation, and
process approvals through the Project Company's authorization levels; maintain
a Variation/Change Order register.
- Assess, on a case-by-case basis,
whether the EPC Contractor or other project counterparties are contractually
entitled to take a particular action, issue an instruction, claim relief,
invoke a specific contractual mechanism or make a given change, and advise the
Project Director and Execution Project Director accordingly before the Project
Company responds.
- Establish and maintain a
proactive claims-avoidance strategy; identify potential claims before they
crystallize and coordinate mitigation actions with the project team.
- Review and assess contractor
claims relating to Extension of Time (EOT), additional cost, variations,
disruption, acceleration, changes in law, force majeure, site conditions,
employer-caused delay and other contractual entitlements; recommend acceptance,
rejection, negotiation or settlement positions, including assessment of
contractual time bars and substantiation requirements.
- Identify circumstances giving
rise to Project Company claims and proactively pursue contractual entitlements
against contractors; coordinate calculation of damages, delay costs, Liquidated
Damages and other contractual compensation.
- Develop and maintain a thorough
understanding of the PPA and the obligations of the Project Company and the
Offtaker; monitor compliance with PPA milestones, performance obligations,
payment mechanisms, reporting, force majeure, default and termination
provisions.
- Prepare contractual notices and
formal correspondence to the EPC Contractor, the Offtaker and other
counterparties in accordance with the applicable
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quantity
Surveying, Law, Construction Management, Commercial Management or a related
discipline; a professional qualification in contracts, commercial management,
construction law or quantity surveying is advantageous.
- Minimum 10–15 years of relevant experience,
including significant experience managing EPC contracts on utility-scale power,
renewable energy or major infrastructure projects; previous experience with
utility-scale Solar PV and/or Battery Energy Storage System projects is highly
desirable.
- Strong knowledge of EPC contractual structures
and international contracting practices; familiarity with FIDIC or similar
international forms of contract is advantageous.
- Demonstrated experience managing contractor
claims, EOT submissions, variations/change orders and contractual disputes,
including experience administering Power Purchase Agreements or other major
offtake agreements.
- Working knowledge of project insurance programs
for construction and operational assets (Construction All Risks, Delay in
Start-Up, Third-Party Liability, Operational All Risks), including
policy-wording review and coordination with brokers and insurers.
- Strong commercial and contractual judgment with
an owner/SPV mindset; ability to identify contractual risks and entitlement
opportunities before they become formal disputes.
- Excellent contract interpretation and
risk-assessment capability, with the ability to determine, on a reasoned
contractual basis, whether a contractor is entitled to take a particular action
or invoke a specific contractual mechanism.
- Excellent written contractual correspondence
and notice-drafting capability; strong attention to contractual deadlines,
notice requirements, records and time bars.
