Senior Energy Lawyer

Law for Energy Transitions Africa (LETA) is a pan-African initiative that provides technical legal input to shape laws, policies and decisions that advance just transitions to equitable renewable energy power systems across Africa, while strengthening civil society participation so that reforms reflect local contexts and deliver access, affordability, environmental protection and public benefit.

LETA works at the intersection of energy law, public interest advocacy, and civil society capacity building. Its focus is on power sector legal reform: helping to improve the laws, regulatory frameworks, planning processes, procurement systems, and public participation mechanisms that will determine whether African electricity systems become more renewable, affordable, transparent, and just.

Based remotely in South Africa, LETA seeks to appoint a

SENIOR ENERGY LAWYER AND COUNTRY LEAD, SOUTH AFRICA

LETA is seeking to appoint a senior South Africa-based lawyer with strong expertise in energy law, power sector regulation, and public interest legal advocacy. The lawyer will play a leading role in supporting and growing LETA's work in South Africa and, where relevant, contributing to work within other countries in the southern African region.

This is a strategic and outward-facing role. The lawyer will work closely with civil society partners, technical experts, and public institutions to help shape legal and regulatory frameworks that enable equitable renewable energy development, strengthen transparency and participation, and safeguard the public interest. This is an opportunity to help shape LETA's strategy and impact across South and southern Africa as the organisation grows.

The lawyer will serve as a key legal resource for LETA's work in South Africa. They will provide high-quality legal and policy analysis, direct and support strategic advocacy and legal interventions, help build the technical capacity of civil society partners, and contribute to LETA's wider legal and institutional work.

Key responsibilities of the Senior Energy Lawyer and Country Lead include:

Legal and Policy Analysis

• Track, monitor, analyse, and report on developments in South Africa's electricity sector laws, regulations, policies, institutions, and reform processes.
• Interpret statutory and regulatory developments affecting electricity planning, market structure, transmission, procurement, and renewable energy deployment.
• Identify legal risks, gaps, and opportunities for public-interest intervention.

Advocacy and Legal Engagement

• Build collaborative networks and work closely with civil society partners to develop legal and advocacy strategies on power sector reform and renewable energy governance, and in some cases, lead the development of legal advocacy strategies.
• Draft comments on relevant draft laws and policies, and submissions on necessary law reforms.
• Draft explanatory notes and memoranda for stakeholders.
• Engage technical experts and oversee technical expert reports.
• Support strategic litigation where appropriate.

Partnerships and Capacity Building

• Support legal and policy engagement with government institutions, legislative bodies, regulators, utilities, and other decision-makers.
• Contribute to, and where appropriate, lead, the design and implementation of workshops, trainings, convenings, and other capacity-building activities for civil society partners.
• Attend and present at key national, regional and continental CSO meetings and platforms.

Institutional Strengthening

• Assist with donor-related deliverables and internal reporting, where relevant to the lawyer's work.
• Contribute to communications outputs where relevant, including short explainers, blogs, public statements, or opinion pieces.

The Senior Energy Lawyer and Country Lead must meet the following criteria:

• Bachelor of Laws degree. A post-graduate degree in energy law or policy, energy transition or a related field is desirable.
• A minimum of six years of relevant expertise in energy law, electricity regulation, or closely related areas of public law and governance.
• Experience working on electricity market reform, South Africa’s power sector, and infrastructure governance. Experience in strategic litigation would be an advantage.
• Strong knowledge of South Africa's legal system, institutional arrangements, and electricity sector governance.
• A good understanding of current and emerging electricity sector legal reforms in South Africa, including issues affecting renewable energy, power markets, planning, procurement, and regulation.
• Excellent legal research, writing, and analytical skills.
• Strong oral communication skills and the ability to explain complex legal and technical issues clearly to non-specialist audiences.
• Experience working with civil society organisations, communities, public interest networks, or reform-focused institutions.
• Experience engaging with technical experts or interdisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated leadership, with experience setting strategy independently and supervising or mentoring lawyers or multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple workstreams, and exercise sound professional judgment.
• Ability and willingness to travel within South Africa and internationally where required.
• Professional fluency in English; additional regional language capability may be an advantage.
• Experience working across multiple African countries or with regional institutions is desirable.

Please note: This is a fulltime position. The initial contract term will be for a minimum of one year. LETA's intention is to retain the lawyer for a longer period, subject to satisfactory performance, organisational needs, and the availability of funding.

The senior lawyer & country lead will report to the LETA Co-Convenors / Executive Director and will work closely with LETA's core legal team and partner organisations. The successful candidate is expected to be based in South Africa.

View the full job description and application instructions on the Vacancies page at Action Appointments website and email your application by Monday 5 October 2026 to callum@actionappointments.co.za