General Counsel (Data Center)

Position Opportunity: This is a legal management role requiring candidates to have hands-on, end-to-end experience in hyperscale data center projects, from site due diligence and land acquisition to customer lease signing. You are proficient in the full chain of work including land acquisition, power scheme design, EPC contract negotiation, local regulatory compliance, and execution of hundred-megawatt-level customer transactions. As General Counsel, you will build and lead legal team, serving as the core legal advisor to senior management and the Board, handling all legal, regulatory, and corporate governance matters. You will cover multiple jurisdictions across Asia-Pacific, simultaneously managing a large volume of complex transactions while building out the team and institutional systems to support the company's rapid growth. This role requires commercial mindset, pragmatic execution ability, and the capacity to work in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. You are not just a contract reviewer, but a transaction architect, partnership designer, and decision-maker.

Responsibilities:

1. Land Acquisition & Real Estate Legal

- Take full ownership of the end-to-end legal work for project site acquisition: direct and manage external local counsel to conduct due diligence, title searches, land purchase agreements, option agreements, and long-term land leases across multiple jurisdictions.

- Directly lead or deeply manage real estate transaction negotiations with landowners, industrial park operators, government authorities, and JV partners.

- Advise internal teams on planning, land use, environmental compliance, and permitting risks that impact project feasibility, timelines, and deal structure.

- Build and manage a panel of external counsel in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and other target markets; set quality standards, control costs, and ensure knowledge transfer to the internal team.

2. Power & Utility Agreements

- Coordinate the review of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), utility connection agreements, and grid access arrangements, working alongside specialized external counsel and the internal power/utilities team.

- Advise on power procurement structures and related legal risks, including renewable energy procurement, green tariffs, and carbon credit arrangements.

- Coordinate regulatory filings and permit applications related to power supply, generation, and distribution (as applicable).

3. Construction & Project Development

- Coordinate negotiations of EPC contracts, design-build agreements, and construction management agreements, leveraging external engineering counsel where necessary while maintaining commercial leadership over core risk terms.

- Advise project teams on contractor claims, change orders, delay and disruption, liquidated damages, and dispute resolution strategies.

- Review and approve consultant appointments, equipment supply agreements, and technology licensing arrangements to ensure alignment with project and company standards.

- Establish a standardized contract framework and risk allocation principles that can be scaled and reused to support simultaneous multi-project development.

4. Customer Leases & Commercial Agreements

- Directly lead the drafting, negotiation, and execution of hyperscale data center lease agreements, colocation agreements, and build-to-suit contracts with global cloud providers and enterprise customers.

- Design complex transaction terms covering power density commitments, Service Level Agreements (SLAs), expansion rights, termination rights, and pricing mechanisms.

- Serve as the primary legal interface with customer legal teams; advise the commercial team on deal structure, risk allocation, and contract strategy to improve deal certainty.

- Develop and maintain standardized contract templates, playbooks, and negotiation guidelines to accelerate transactions as the business scales.

5. Corporate Governance, Compliance & Group Legal

- Serve as legal advisor to senior management and the Board on governance, structuring, and strategic transactions.

- Oversee entity formation, corporate secretarial matters, and intra-group arrangements across all operating jurisdictions.

- Provide legal support for joint ventures, shareholder agreements, investment structures, and financing activities (including debt financing and potential equity transactions).

- Establish and maintain corporate compliance programs, including anti-bribery/corruption, data protection, sanctions, and antitrust compliance.

- Manage litigation, disputes, and regulatory investigations; establish crisis response and escalation procedures.

6. Team Building & Legal Operations

- Build and lead an internal legal team from scratch, recruiting talent across transactional, regulatory, and corporate law as the business grows.

- Establish a panel of external counsel in core markets; manage outside counsel budgets, performance, and knowledge transfer.

- Implement legal processes, contract management systems, and reporting frameworks to support the company's rapid expansion.

- Develop legal risk assessment frameworks and reporting standards for the Board.

1. Educational Background

- Education & Qualification: LLB/LLM from a renowned university. Singapore Bar qualification highly preferred. Qualifications in China or Common Law jurisdictions with strong Singapore law expertise are also acceptable.

- Candidates holding a Chinese or Singaporean legal professional qualification or practicing lawyer's license

2. Work Experience

- 15+ years of legal experience with substantial time on hyperscale data center projects or equivalent large-scale infrastructure, covering the full project lifecycle from site acquisition through to customer lease execution

- Proven track record leading complex, high-value transactions in real estate, construction, and infrastructure across at least two SEA jurisdictions (Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, or Indonesia)

- Hands-on experience with land acquisition, EPC/engineering contracts, PPA or utility agreements, and hyperscale or large enterprise customer leases — personally executed, not just supervised

- Demonstrated ability to manage external law firm panels across multiple jurisdictions, including cost control and knowledge transfer to internal teams

- Admitted to practice in at least one relevant jurisdiction; Singapore Bar or common law qualification preferred

- Fluent English written and oral communication, with the ability to translate complex legal positions into clear commercial guidance for executive and board audiences

- Comfortable operating in a lean, high-growth environment and building processes from zero

3. Other Requirements

- Must be able to work full-time in Singapore with a valid Singapore work authorization and a clean professional record.

- Aligned with the company's culture, willing to support the company's strategic development, proactive in legal work, with a strong sense of professionalism and team spirit.

- Prior in-house General Counsel or Deputy GC experience at a hyperscale DC platform or partner-level external counsel experience on DC development and customer leasing mandates in SEA

- Corporate transaction experience: JV structuring, M&A, project finance, or capital raises in the infrastructure or real estate sector

- IPO preparation or capital markets governance experience

- Familiarity with ESG legal frameworks, green financing structures, or carbon credit arrangements relevant to high-energy infrastructure

- Proficiency in Chinese, Malay/Indonesian, or Thai

- LLM, MBA, or specialist qualifications in real estate, construction, or energy law; familiarity with SEA data protection and cybersecurity regulations (PDPA Singapore, Indonesia PDP Law, etc.)

- Performance bonus

- Annual Leaves

- Insurance

- And additional bonuses - details are discussed during the interview

Co-founder / Board of Directors