Project Attorney

Overview

The organization is seeking an experienced Project Attorney to remotely support the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Office of the General Counsel (OGC). This role provides legal and policy guidance related to DFC’s equity investment program and supports the structuring, negotiation, documentation, and management of international debt and equity transactions.

This position is well-suited for a transactional attorney with significant exposure to direct equity, private equity funds, project finance, and emerging-market investments. The attorney will play a leading role on complex, high-value transactions across sectors including energy, infrastructure, critical minerals, telecommunications, oil and gas, transportation, manufacturing, and financial services.

Responsibilities

• Structure, diligence, negotiate, and document complex, multi-million-dollar international debt and equity transactions, particularly within emerging markets.
• Advise on transaction structures involving combinations of debt, direct equity, convertible or non-convertible instruments, warrants, and other equity or quasi-equity structures.
• Support debt transactions including limited-recourse project financings, structured and corporate financings, guarantees, security arrangements, and engineering and procurement agreements.
• Advise on direct equity and investment-fund transactions, including fund formation, co-investment structures, joint ventures, framework agreements, specialized compacts, and offtake arrangements involving sovereign and non-sovereign parties.
• Serve as first chair in transaction negotiations with borrowers, sponsors, investees, co-investors, general partners, multilateral development banks, development finance institutions, export credit agencies, commercial lenders, and other counterparties.
• Manage transaction closings, disbursements, subscriptions, and capital calls, as applicable.
• Monitor existing investments and financings and support restructurings across DFC’s global portfolio.
• Analyze and advise on foreign and international law matters, corporate issues, collateral and security arrangements, intercreditor matters, shareholder rights, jurisdiction, dispute resolution, and DFC policies.
• Lead complex, sensitive, and potentially precedent-setting projects involving multiple legal, financial, technical, policy, and commercial considerations.
• Coordinate with internal DFC professionals, outside counsel, government agencies, foreign and domestic businesses, embassy officials, and senior officials in countries where DFC operates.
• Exercise independent judgment when established precedent or policy does not fully address novel or sensitive transaction structures.
• Help develop new legal approaches, transaction structures, policies, criteria, or procedures when traditional methods are insufficient.
• Respond to correspondence, calls, and stakeholder requests promptly, conducting all work with professionalism, discretion, and courtesy.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust or Secret Security clearance, as applicable.
• J.D. or LL.B. from an accredited law school is required.
• Must be a current member in good standing of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a U.S. state or territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
• Minimum of 5 years of full-time professional legal experience after admission to the bar.
• Demonstrated experience advising on the legal and policy aspects of direct equity investments and/or private equity fund investments, including negotiating and documenting transactions involving projects in emerging markets.
• Strong experience with sophisticated cross-border transactional matters, preferably involving project finance, infrastructure, development finance, private equity, investment funds, or comparable international investment structures.
• Ability to independently lead negotiations and advise senior stakeholders on complex or novel legal issues.
• Strong judgment, legal research, analytical, drafting, negotiation, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple complex transactions or workstreams simultaneously while coordinating across internal and external teams.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to engage effectively with senior government officials, financial institutions, investors, sponsors, lenders, and international counterparties.
• High degree of professionalism, discretion, responsiveness, and attention to detail.
• Ability to travel, both domestically and internationally, approximately 15% of the time.
• Only resumes submitted in English will be considered.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base contract period: 12 months
• Option years: 2 additional 12-month option periods

Location

• Primarily remote
• Time Zone: Eastern Time
• Schedule: Full-Time

Equal Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for job opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.