Supporting the bp group strategy, bp legal’s purpose is to deliver legal work which fuels bp’s ability to meet the world’s energy needs. The legal function supports bp in its ambition to become continuously safer, stronger and better by fostering legally compliant operations, mitigating risk, and incorporating legal analysis into the decision-making process and execution.
Trading & Shipping (Supply, Trading and Shipping (ST&S) from 1 January 2025) legal supports bp’s energy marketing, operations, and trading teams. bp is a recognized global LNG player with an extensive portfolio, and significant LNG marketing and trading capabilities across the world. This role primarily will provide specialist legal support to the LNG Trading & Shipping business in Asia, which forms part of the global LNG business of Trading & Shipping. The role will be based in Singapore.
The LNG Trading & Shipping business in Asia handles term acquisitions, term sales and short term LNG trading activities and related structured products and derivatives activity in the Pacific Basin and Middle East: The successful candidate will be required to support these activities in the form of counselling, drafting, negotiating and advising, alongside all other forms of transactional legal assistance as well as providing regulatory compliance and trade compliance advice, and advising on disputes in connection with transactions in Asia.
This role will require performance at a high level interacting with originators, traders, project managers and management so the ideal candidate should have significant relevant experience.
This role may also require providing legal support to other related activities in the region, for example downstream LNG-associated infrastructure and/or other related water-borne commodities in the transition space e.g. hydrogen, ammonia etc.
Key Accountabilities:
- Reviewing, drafting, negotiating, analyzing and interpreting key agreements relevant to the LNG business including (i) complex, bespoke term LNG sale and purchase agreements; (ii) LNG master trading agreements and related documentation and derivative transactions (e.g., ISDAs and confirmations); and (iii) infrastructure project documentation in respect of LNG projects, including supply agreements, equity participation/JV arrangements, EPC contracts etc.;
- Providing structuring advice and compliance guidance for LNG trading activity (primarily physical, but also derivative OTC and on exchange);
- Advising on contract implementation and LNG operational events, including force majeure, late ship arrivals, cargo scheduling issues, credit support, trade compliance, price re-negotiations;
- Supporting a variety of disputes and contractual claims in collaboration with the legal dispute resolution team;
- Ensuring that material risks are appropriately managed. Communicating the existence of such risks to the Managing Counsel, LNG Trading & Shipping, Asia and other stakeholders within bp and, where necessary, mitigating such risks within the constraints of a negotiated transaction (whether in the transaction documentation or otherwise);
- Contributing to legal know-how, and improvement of contracting procedures, design of new structures and products to meet market developments. Sharing experience within the global LNG legal team through both informal and structured collegial interaction;
- Collaboration with Ethics & Compliance team to help ensure effective implementation of the Trading & Shipping and bp group compliance agenda; and
- Cooperating with and assisting other members of the Trading & Shipping LNG legal team, both locally and globally, and collaborating with other colleagues and subject matter experts within bp Legal and more broadly.
Desired Experience and Job Requirements:
- LNG transactions experience with strong client advisory, negotiation and transaction management abilities.
- Confident application of first-class legal skills and the US/UK contract law principles relevant to the energy industry.
- A proven record of commercial awareness and effective contribution to business results, including an ability to balance risks and rewards to enable appropriate business activity to proceed (knowing when to escalate difficult issues within legal).
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively within a group of experienced and motivated lawyers and clients, across different teams and geographies.
- Ability to advise in time-sensitive situations, and to advise on multiple complex, high-value transactions, while resisting “deal fever” pressure to cut corners.
- Self-motivated, driven, team-player, committed, have a bias towards finding solutions and closing issues (not merely identifying problems), be innovative and be prepared to deliver robust and commercial advice.
- Experience in the international commodity trading space, including master trading agreements and confirmations, long-term supply and off-take contracts, terminal capacity and throughput arrangements, scheduling and logistics.
- Experience in energy disputes.
- Experience in energy and infrastructure projects particularly LNG or gas related upstream / downstream projects.
- Experience around commodity exchange activity, structured products and related derivative activity and financial regulation.
- Knowledge of relevant compliance law, including competition/antitrust, sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption law.
- Experience working in Asia Pacific and/or Middle East region.
Education:
- Law degree or equivalent applicable post-graduate legal qualification.
- Valid common law practising certificate or equivalent.
Why join us?
At bp, we support our people to learn and grow in a diverse and challenging environment. We believe that our team is strengthened by diversity. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment in which everyone is respected and treated fairly. There are many aspects of our employees’ lives that are meaningful, so we offer benefits to enable your work to fit with your life! These benefits can include flexible working options, paid parental leave policy among others!
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
RQ086552 (G)
