Legal Analyst- NOB

Organisation Overview

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an international organisation, co-founded by France and India, with 124 member countries, headquartered in Gurgaon, National Capital Region of India. The ISA is a platform for international solar energy cooperation, that strives to facilitate the deployment of solar energy across member countries by enabling collective action on regulatory frameworks, demonstrating viable project models, supporting innovative financing mechanisms, enhancing technical and institutional capacity, and facilitating the development of favourable policy environments in its member countries and globally. India plays a pivotal role as a founding member and host country of ISA.

Primary Purpose of the Role

The ISA's legal unit plays a crucial role in protecting the ISA from legal risks, maintaining institutional integrity, ensuring regulatory compliance, managing contracts and partnerships, and advising on legal matters related to operational policies and its programmatic support areas. ISA is also actively implementing key catalytic financing mechanisms, including the Global Solar Facility (GSF) and the Africa Solar Facility (ASF), to attract private investment in solar energy as part of its programmatic support to its member countries. The ISA continues to design and structure various other innovative financing mechanisms that will help provide catalytic financing for the acceleration of private sector investments in solar energy globally.

In this context, ISA seeks a Legal Analyst with an understanding of commercial and financial sector laws and regulations in India to support the full range of ISA's functions. The role will involve financial, transactional, and institutional advisory, including advisory on financing mechanisms, banking and commercial transactions, privileges and immunities application, legal structuring, and advisory support to ensure institutional compliance and risk mitigation of ISA-financed projects and instruments in India and beyond.

Under the supervision of the Legal Specialist, and where required, working with relevant Programmatic Leads in the ISA, and the member country representatives (NFPs) when directed, the Legal Analyst provides legal support on a variety of issues in the areas of transactional advisory, financial compliance, contract management, policy review development, regulatory framework support (for countries), etc.

Key Accountabilities

The Legal Analyst is an important member of the ISA Legal Unit and will report directly to the Legal Specialist. Key areas of responsibility include:

1. Agreements and Contracting

2. Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of agreements, including service agreements, funding agreements, MoUs, grant agreements, and IT or procurement-related contracts.

3. Provide legal support throughout the procurement process in alignment with ISA policies and international standards.
4. Develop standard contract templates, model clauses, and guidelines to support consistency and legal risk mitigation.

2.
Finance and Transactional Advisory

• Provide strategic and pragmatic guidance and advice to improve the organisation's understanding of relevant finance-related legal and regulatory requirements in India.
• Support the design and structuring of innovative financing instruments (e.g., guarantees, blended finance structures, payment security mechanisms) under GSF and ASF.
• Draft, review, and negotiate legal documents including financing agreements, guarantees, risk-sharing mechanisms, and trust arrangements.
• Advise on Indian regulatory frameworks governing project finance, foreign direct investment (FDI), foreign contributions (FCRA), GIFT City operations, and financial sector regulations.
• Conduct legal due diligence of potential grantees, donors, and financial vehicles.
• Provide legal counsel on the setup and operations of ISA-supported financial vehicles and funds registered or operating
  in GIFT City.

3.
Institutional and Governance Support

• Draft policy memos, briefing notes, legal opinions, and concept papers for internal use and processes.
• Advise on the interpretation and application of the ISA Framework Agreement, rules of procedure, and governance protocols for the Assembly and its subsidiary bodies.
• Provide legal advice on host country obligations, privileges and immunities, and relations with member states and observer entities.
• Support drafting or amendment of internal policies, procedures, and rules of conduct.
• Support institutional policy development and provide compliance advisory on critical administrative decisions including on decision on code of conduct, ethics, conflict of interest, and transparency.

4.
Regulatory and Compliance Oversight

• Support ISA's compliance with applicable laws within its sphere of operations, including with respect to its host country agreement.
• Monitor developments in Indian laws relevant to ISA's operations such as labour, taxation, data protection, and institutional governance.
• Support coordination and compliance with Indian authorities on ISA exemptions, foreign contributions (FCRA), visa processing, and other compliance issues.

5.
Dispute Resolution and Risk Management

• Advise on legal risk exposure related to contracts, partnerships, and operational activities.
• Support pre-litigation or dispute resolution efforts, including mediation and arbitration, where required.
• Engage with external legal counsel, where necessary, to ensure consistency with ISA's interests
  and governance principles.

6.
Other duties as assigned.

Core Proficiencies

i.
Legal and Technical Expertise

• Strong knowledge of Indian commercial law, financial sector regulation, and institutional financing structures.
• Working knowledge of SEBI AIF regulations, RBI FEMA rules, FCRA application, IFSCA guidelines, and related statutes in India.
• Experience drafting, negotiating, and closing project finance and infrastructure contracts.

ii.
Analytical and Interpersonal Skills

• Ability to assess legal risks and propose pragmatic mitigation strategies.
• Ability to work respectfully in a diverse and multicultural environment.
• Result-oriented, and capable of managing multiple assignments.
• High level of integrity, professionalism, and discretion.
• Strong analytical and drafting skills.
• Effective stakeholder coordination with government bodies and development partners.

Capabilities of the Role

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Law (LL.B.) from a reputable Indian university. An Advanced Degree (LL.M.) in Business & Transactional Law, Finance Law, and Corporate Finance is an advantage.
• Licensed to practice in India and must be in good standing with the Indian Bar.

Professional

• Minimum 5 years of post-qualification experience in either of the following:
• Legal and regulatory advisory for financial entities. Relevant experience with GIFT City or equivalent international financial jurisdictions will be an advantage.
• Project and infrastructure finance (preferably in renewable energy or infrastructure sectors).
• Corporate Finance, Private Equity, Capital Markets and Derivatives.
• Governance and institutional legal advisory in multilateral or intergovernmental settings.
• Experience advising on cross-border legal structuring, investment protection, and credit guarantees is highly desirable.
• Previous experience with an international, multilateral, bilateral, or development finance institutions (e.g., REC, PFC, NIIF, SIDBI, IREDA, or MDBs) is encouraged.

Languages & IT skills

The role demands a very high level of writing and verbal communication skills. As English is the official and working language of the Organization, excellent command of both written and spoken English is required. Knowledge of other languages (i.e., French, Spanish, and Arabic) would be advantageous. The role demands substantial writing and verbal communication skills.

Knowledge of other languages (i.e., French, Spanish, and Arabic) would be advantageous.

Satisfactory skills in ERP, ICT implementation project management systems/software, Outlook, and MS Office products, and experience with the various ERP systems required to manage this role.