ESB Senior Legal Manager, Regulatory Legal

Position Description 

ESB is Ireland’s foremost energy company, established as a statutory body under the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1927. As a strong, diversified utility, ESB operates across the full spectrum of the electricity market: including generation, transmission and distribution, and supply, in addition to using electricity networks to carry fibre for telecommunications, and other service offerings in retrofitting, energy project management, EV charging and home energy solutions.  

ESB develops and operates a portfolio of wholly- and jointly owned electricity generation assets throughout GB and Ireland, as well as retailing energy in those geographies, and has a significant energy trading portfolio. ESB owns the electricity transmission and distribution networks in Ireland and, through its subsidiary NIE Networks, in Northern Ireland also. 

ESB has various regulated businesses and the legal and regulatory landscape in which ESB operates is complex and constantly evolving. ESB’s various regulated businesses in Ireland are subject to strict business separation obligations.

The regulatory legal manager role is a key role in managing the delivering of strategic and commercially focused advice to ESB businesses across a range legal and regulatory issues, including in the areas of energy regulation, license compliance, competition law, administrative law, sustainability and climate legislation, State aid and market abuse. The regulatory legal team has involvement in all significant developments and transactions impacting across all areas of the business. 

The regulatory legal team is a small team which forms part of the wider ESB in-house legal function. The successful candidate will be required to lead the regulatory legal function, staying ahead of legal developments of relevance to the business and to provide clear, strategic and commercially focused advice at a senior level on a wide range of legal and regulatory issues, in addition to engaging with key external stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide support and strategic regulatory and competition advice to Group Head of Legal and to ESB senior management
• Ensure legal advice provided by the Regulatory Legal team is aligned to the delivery of ESB Group strategy
• Lead legal strategy in responding to regulatory enquiries/investigations, regulatory disputes, merger filings and consultation responses
• Work closely with ESB Group Compliance to support the management of legal and regulatory compliance and the design and implementation of compliance policies
• Lead regular engagements with Business Unit regulatory teams
• Lead/advise on external engagements and negotiations with external stakeholders including regulatory bodies, Government departments and contractual counterparties
• Manage the provision of external legal advice on specialist regulatory matters, including managing relationships with advisors and managing fees
• Lead and motivate the regulatory legal team, ensuring performance and development plans are in place and to identify and proactively develop solutions to improve delivery of regulatory legal advice
• Work closely with the Group Head of Legal and the ESB Legal Managers in delivering a cross-functional legal service and planning the development of the wider ESB legal function
• Influence the reputation of legal services across the ESB Group and to strive to identify and implement change to seek improvements in the delivery of legal services
• Improve customer service and add value by leading and developing a culture of continuous improvement

Experience and Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified lawyer admitted to practice in Ireland, preferably with a minimum of 10 years’ post-qualification experience gained in-house within a relevant sector, in a law firm, or at the Bar
• Significant experience advising in the energy or utility sector, and/or on competition law
• Demonstrated experience of leadership and delivering results in a commercial context
• Experience providing strategic, commercially focused advice to senior stakeholders, supported by sound commercial judgement
• Excellent drafting skills, particularly in relation to clear legal advice, regulatory/policy submissions and contractual drafting
• Strong academic and analytical skills, with the ability to understand complex factual scenarios and provide clear, practical and solution-focused advice
• Ability to work effectively with multi-disciplinary teams and deliver high-quality outputs within demanding timelines
• Well-developed interpersonal, negotiation, communication, stakeholder management skills

Desirable

• Strong presentation skills
• Experience in drafting, implementing and reviewing compliance policies
• Experience advising on public and administrative law matters
• Knowledge of market abuse legislation, including the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) and REMIT

Reporting to

This role reports to the Group Head of Legal.

Location

This position will be based in 27 Fitzwilliam Street Lower, Dublin 2.

Smart Working at ESB is designed to make ‘in-person’ time together as purposeful as possible while also enabling the effective use of digital tools and hybrid arrangements to preserve our commitment to flexibility. The successful candidate may work flexibly within the jurisdiction where they have been employed, with attendance at the workplace for in-person collaboration at least two days per week. All Smart Working arrangements are subject to regular review based on the operational requirements of the role, the team, and the business.

Why Work with Us?

• Opportunity to lead Ireland’s transition to net zero carbon future
• Career development through mentoring and training
• Corporate Social Responsibility Opportunities
• Sports and Social Clubs
• Networking opportunities
• Credit Union
• Generous Pension
• Access to staff well-being programmes
• Generous parental leave entitlements
• Strong values-based and inclusive culture
• Strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
• Great team environment working to our Core Values: Courageous, Caring, Driven and Trusted

Closing Date

19th October 2026

Interview

Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will complete a Behavioural Interview based on each of the following Behaviours, which underpin how we work at ESB and are critical to delivering our strategy:

• Accountable and Ethical
• Collaborative
• Growing and Adaptive
• Proactive
• Respectful and Supportive

More information on “Our Behaviours” is available on Our People Promise.

Notes

Your application will be held in reserve for 6 months should you be suitable for the role.

The successful candidate will be required to evidence their right to work in the Republic of Ireland prior to commencement of employment.

Psychometric assessment will be a feature of this process.