Legal Expert - Mauritania

Role and Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice to programme leadership and technical teams on issues related to programme implementation, governance, and risk management. 
• Identify legal and regulatory risks associated with programme activities and propose mitigation measures. 
• Support interpretation and application of relevant national laws, regulations, and policies affecting the energy sector and public programmes. 

• Review, draft, and advise on contracts, agreements, memoranda of understanding, and other legal instruments with consultants, service providers, partners, and stakeholders. 
• Support procurement processes by reviewing legal clauses, advising on contractual risk allocation, and ensuring consistency with client and partner requirements. 
• Monitor contract compliance and support resolution of contractual issues or disputes. 

• Support alignment of programme activities with existing legal and regulatory frameworks governing the energy sector. 
• Provide legal inputs to policy, regulatory, or institutional reform initiatives supported under the programme. 
• Support legal analysis related to private-sector participation, public-private partnerships, and investment frameworks. 

• Coordinate with relevant legal units, regulators, and partners to support effective legal engagement and information flow. 
• Maintain organised records of legal documents, contracts, and approvals. 
• Prepare legal briefs, notes, and summaries to support decision-making and governance processes. 

• Support strengthening of legal and contractual capacity within counterpart institutions through on-the-job support and guidance. 
• Contribute to development of standard templates, guidance notes, and reference materials. 
• Promote knowledge transfer to ensure sustainability of legal functions beyond the assignment. 

• Inception note outlining legal support approach and priorities 
• Reviewed and/or drafted contracts, agreements, and legal instruments 
• Legal risk notes and advisory briefs 
• Standard legal templates and guidance materials 
• Inputs to policy or regulatory reform documentation, as required 
• Completion or handover report summarising work undertaken and recommendations.

Requirements

• Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in legal advisory, contract management, or regulatory roles. 
• Proven experience advising on contracts, procurement, and compliance issues in public-sector, infrastructure, energy, or development programme contexts. 
• Experience working with development partners or donor-funded programmes is an advantage. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Economics, Data Master’s degree in Law (LLM or equivalent) or Bachelor of Laws with relevant professional qualification. 
• Admission to the Bar in Mauritania (or eligibility to practise) is required. 
• Strong knowledge of contract law, public-sector legal frameworks, and regulatory processes. 
• Familiarity with PPPs, infrastructure projects, or energy-sector regulation is an asset. 

• Fluency in French (oral and written) required; working knowledge of English is an asset. 
• Strong analytical and drafting skills. 
• High attention to detail and sound professional judgement. 
• Ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary teams and diverse stakeholders.

About
Allied Talent Partners (ATP), a Three Cairns Group initiative, is a mission-driven, not-for-profit talent marketplace focused on solving the human capital bottlenecks slowing down sustainable development efforts in emerging economies, with an initial focus on Africa.  ATP connects vetted, experienced, context-relevant professionals to high-impact opportunities in energy access and sustainable development – strengthening local capacity and fuelling economic vitality. We specialize in fixed-term, deliverable-driven engagements – from interim leadership and generalist projects to niche technical expertise – handling project scoping, talent vetting and matching, contracting, payroll, and compliance so that our clients can focus on impact.