Ascending

Project Lead – Contracts & Commercial

Ascending  •  Luanda, AO (Onsite)  •  5 hours ago
Apply
AI can make mistakes so check important info. Chat history is never stored.

Job Description

Our client is a Operator Company in Angola and is preparing to assume full operatorship of a deepwater FPSO asset offshore Angola. This complex operatorship transition involves integrating over 100 legacy staff and multiple third-party contracts. Top priority is ensuring a seamless handover focused on safe, effective, and efficient operations. Client is looking for a Block Leaders for implementing robust risk mitigation standards to guarantee the long-term success and sustainability of the asset.

Contract type Consultant, estimated duration 12 to 18 months.

Location Luanda, remote work can be accommodated for set periods.

Project Lead – Contracts & Commercial

Accountable for ensuring every contractual and legal obligation tied to the acquired deepwater asset is reviewed, novated and ready for Day 1. Manages a complex portfolio of third-party supplier contracts, regulatory submissions and JOA-related obligations arising from the acquisition.

WORKSTREAMS

Contracts: Building a full contract inventory, assessing criticality and risk, and setting the novation roadmap and Day 1 supplier continuity plan.

Legal: Mapping SPA/JOA obligations, coordinating ANPG regulatory submissions and partner notifications, and assembling the legal pack for operatorship transfer.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Contract inventory: Owning full visibility of what the Company is inheriting contractually, including what is critical and what is at risk.

Novation programme: Setting priorities and pace, and managing counterparties, across the full novation workstream.

Legal and regulatory filings: Ensuring ANPG submissions, partner notifications and SPA/JOA obligations are met on schedule.

Supplier continuity: Ensuring no critical service lapses at the point of handover.

Risk register: Owning the legal and commercial risk picture and escalating material issues promptly.

KEY COMPETENCIES

Negotiation: Confident leading discussions with counterparties who may be reluctant to novate, or who see the transition as an opening to renegotiate.

Regulatory navigation: Knows how to work with ANPG and Angolan regulators without creating friction.

Precision under pressure: Thorough and exacting — contracts work at this scale and pace demands it.

Project management: Able to run a large, multi-party contract programme to a fixed deadline, sequencing priorities and managing dependencies across counterparties.

EXPERIENCE & REQUIREMENTS

Experience: Minimum 10 years in contracts management, commercial law or legal advisory within the Oil & Gas sector.

PMI track record: Experience managing contract novation, assignment or supplier transition at portfolio scale during an integration or carve-out is strongly preferred; candidates whose experience is limited to steady-state contract management will be at a disadvantage.

Alternative benchmark: Where PMI integration experience is absent, candidates should demonstrate seniority as a Contracts or Legal Manager who has independently led large contract portfolios through novation or renegotiation.

Regulatory: Familiarity with ANPG and Angolan upstream regulatory requirements is a significant advantage.

Language: Fluency in English and Portuguese is mandatory; French is a strong advantage.

Working style: Able to work autonomously and full-time, remaining highly accessible to counterparties and travelling in-country as needed.

Ascending

About Ascending

Improving Lives and Organizations

We cover a wide range of competencies to help you get the job done. At the heart of our business lies workforce management, where we handle and subcontract workforces to the most challenging work environments, like graphite and coal mines to Oil Rigs and Ships and Vessels.

We also build on the potential of our workers, to give you highly certified and prepared artisans in the most various trades. For this, we have two Training Centres in Pemba and Maputo in Mozambique fully equipped to prepare artisans in Welding, Electrical, Electronics, Rigging, Boiler making, Mechanical and Scaffolding Trades; and one Training Centre in Palma for Hospitality Training.

We provide our clients with systematic reporting, productivity analysis, labour negotiations, query resolution, employee benefits, tax reports and financial reporting. We can still offer legal Counselling, bureaucratic management and handle every detail regarding your HR and admin requirements. In terms of logistics related to your workforce such as flights, land travel, hotels, catering or anything your staff may need, we can provide.

We do full sourcing of expat workforces and visa management, as well as headhunting or bulk recruitment. We can also simply run your payroll and provide you detailed payslips, bank transfer files, productivity reports and reporting on tax payments.

Industry
HR & Recruiting
Company Size
51-200 employees
Headquarters
Lisboa, PT
Year Founded
2017
Social Media