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Upstream Contracts & Agreements Manager

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Reference ID R178701 Updated 06/13/2025
Commercial and Retail
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
N/A

What’s the role

The position holder is responsible for a portfolio of upstream commercial negotiations requiring securing of mandate, planning, preparing and leading negotiations of agreements with counterparties and where required securing Government agreement and regulatory approval. These may include contracts for Joint Bidding Agreements, Joint Operating Agreements, Asset sales and Purchase Agreements, Infrastructure agreements, Gas sales and Transport agreements, Unitizations and Equalizations, with multiple parallel negotiations occurring at any one time. In addition to managing key external relationships the position holder also acts as the Client Lead for a designated New Business Development or Asset Commercial Venture manager.

The position holder is a member of the Commercial LT. Within the Contracts and Agreement team the position holder is expected to leverage the depth and breadth of experience to take a leading role in team development activities including coaching of other members. The role reports to the Commercial Contracts and Agreements Manager.

What you’ll be doing

Lead negotiations for commercial agreements such as JBAs, JOAs, asset sale or purchase agreements, unitization agreements (e.g. “Acordo de Individualização”, Equalization agreements, Unit Operation Agreements, Consortium Agreements, Redetermination agreements), Abandonment Security agreements, Framework agreements, Confidentiality Agreements, etc. Main responsibilities are:

  • Effectively represent Shell´s interests with counterparties during contract negotiations.

  • Act as the Client Lead for coordination of all negotiations within the scope of a designated NBD or Venture Manager to ensure priorities and expectations are agreed and met. 

  • Develop and execute negotiation plans.

  • Prepare and manage proposals for commencing negotiations, mandates, investment proposals and the approval processes required for agreement signature.

  • Manage complex stakeholder interactions, identify specific challenges or alternatives, propose clear recommendations for action and secure internal functional support to implement.

  • Ensure agreements are aligned with industry practice and in compliance with Shell standards and policies including Ethics and Compliance, Health & Safety etc.

  • Recommend courses of action to the GM Commercial, NBD or Venture Manager related to NBD or asset and commercial strategy.

  • Coordinate the functional support required to deliver the agreements including NBD, finance, tax, legal, P&T, oil and gas evacuation teams, etc.

  • Interact with other Venture Managers, commercial leads and General Manager, managing priorities and delivery of agreements responding to a continually evolving NBD agenda.

  • Be an active member of the Brazil Commercial Leadership Team

What you bring

  • Must have legal authorization to work in Brazil on a full-time basis for anyone other than current employer.

  • 15+ years of professional experience in the Upstream oil and gas sector.

  • Breadth of experience in leading various types of deals that uncover value opportunities and assess them from multiple perspectives, including presenting the merits and risk-reward balance to stakeholders.

  • Deep expertise in petroleum contracts and agreements, with a strong record of successfully leading complex multiparty deals.

  • Significant experience in JOAs, NBD agreements, gas value chain deals, and transportation agreement negotiations.

  • Delivered fully negotiated agreements in diverse environments (including under PSC and Concession regimes), consistently meeting or exceeding mandates.

  • Proven track record of sustained performance in leading challenging negotiations and delivering clear, positive business impact through changing circumstances and varied market conditions.

  • Skilled in identifying and proactively taking well-judged risks, and in creating risk mitigation features within agreements to address key uncertainties.

  • Strong capability in analyzing economic and financial valuations to determine optimal deal outcomes.

  • Demonstrated ability to make considered and timely decisions that achieve sustainable results and reflect positively on Shell’s reputation.

  • Strong ability to prioritize personal tasks and lead coordination of deal team staff, work effectively under pressure, and manage time constraints arising from multiple partner negotiations or stakeholder demands.

  • Demonstrated mastery of a wide range of influencing approaches, with the ability to coach team members in developing their own capabilities.

  • High level of motivation, diligence, perseverance, and emotional resilience.

  • Fluent in written and spoken Portuguese and English, with strong skills in drafting and reviewing mandate and internal approval documents.

What we offer

You bring your skills and experience to Shell and in return you work with talented, committed people on one of the most important challenges facing our planet. You’ll have the opportunity to develop the skills you need to grow in an environment where we value honesty, integrity, and respect for one another. You’ll be able to balance your priorities as you become the best version of yourself.

  • Progress as a person as we work on the energy transition together.

  • Continuously grow the transferable skills you need to get ahead.

  • Work at the forefront of technology, trends, and practices.

  • Collaborate with experienced colleagues with unique expertise.

  • Achieve your balance in a values-led culture that encourages you to be the best version of yourself.

  • Benefit from flexible working hours, and the possibility of remote/mobile working.

  • Perform at your best with a competitive starting salary and annual performance related salary increase – our pay and benefits packages are considered to be among the best in the world.

  • Take advantage of paid parental leave, including for non-birthing parents.

  • Join an organisation working to become one of the most diverse and inclusive in the world. We strongly encourage applicants of all genders, ages, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, sexual orientation, and life experiences to apply.

  • Grow as you progress through diverse career opportunities in national and international teams.

  • Gain access to a wide range of training and development programmes.

We'd like you to know that Shell has a bold goal: to become one of the world’s most diverse and inclusive companies. You can get to know more about how we're working towards that goal, click here.

Shell in Brazil

Who We Are

Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies, employing 103,000 people and with operations in more than 70 countries. We use advanced technologies and take an innovative approach as we seek to help the world build a sustainable energy future.

Shell is a customer-focused organisation, serving more than 1 million commercial and industrial customers, and around 33 million customers daily at more than 47,000 Shell-branded retail service stations.

Our approach

Powering Progress sets our strategy to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, generating value for our shareholders, our customers and wider society. As we move forward on this journey, we will power lives and respect nature while maintaining our core values of honesty, integrity, and respect for people.

Our values

At Shell, we share a set of core values – honesty, integrity and respect for people – which underpin all the work we do. The Shell General Business Principles, Code of Conduct and Ethics and Compliance Manual help everyone at Shell act in line with these values and comply with relevant laws and regulations.