Construction & Procurement AGC I

Rückbauanlage Gundremmingen•Chicago, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

RWE Americas, LLC is seeking an experienced Assistant General Counsel to support its renewable energy and emerging technology businesses. The role provides legal counsel across the development, construction, and operation of wind, solar, battery storage, microgrid, and flexible generation projects, as well as the company’s data center business, including behind-the-meter and hyperscaler-facing projects. Working with business stakeholders and outside counsel, the AGC leads complex procurement, construction, and operations matters, negotiates contracts to protect commercial value and appropriately allocate risk, and advises on operational issues such as warranty claims and contract enforcement. The AGC anticipates and mitigates legal risk and turns contractual issues into actionable commercial advice. The role partners closely with engineering teams to develop contracts for new technologies and innovation initiatives, including data centers and microgrids, and provides project-specific legal support to project execution, operations, project management, and O&M personnel. This is an office-based position involving some travel and visits to other RWE Americas office and field locations. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States; the company cannot sponsor or assume sponsorship of employment visas.

Requirements

Juris Doctorate from an accredited university.
At least 6 years of experience, or 4 years with specific experience working on complex construction projects and/or related procurement in a law firm or an energy or large infrastructure company.
Licensed and in good standing in a U.S. jurisdiction.
An enabler mindset, with the ability to find paths to workable deal structures while protecting the company’s interests.
Strong commercial and business judgment and the ability to translate legal issues into viable business solutions.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to build stakeholder relationships and influence without formal authority.
Strong organization and prioritization skills, with the ability to manage multiple deliverables and meet deadlines independently and as part of a team.
Self-motivation, problem-solving ability, coachability, and responsiveness to feedback and direction.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel for tracking and reporting, as well as Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook; proficiency with SharePoint and Teams.
Legally authorized to work in the United States; employment visa sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

Legal knowledge and experience in construction work and large-scale energy projects.
Experience or demonstrated interest working with engineering teams on new technology, intellectual property, and innovation initiatives in the renewable energy industry.
Litigation or dispute management experience.
Experience using AI tools or CLM platforms in a legal practice setting; demonstrated proficiency in AI applications and experience embedding them into legal workflows.
Curiosity about emerging asset classes and comfort partnering with engineering teams to turn innovation into actionable contracts.
Genuine interest in the company and its growth in the energy space.

Responsibilities

Serve as lead legal counsel on complex procurement and construction matters across renewable energy and emerging technologies, advising on project procurement, construction, and operations.
Draft, review, and negotiate procurement and construction contracts, including turbine supply, balance of plant, EPC and turnkey, major equipment and component purchase, and service agreements, along with exhibits and ancillary documents.
Negotiate favorable commercial terms that protect company value and appropriately allocate risk.
Negotiate terms and conditions for purchases of non-project-based goods and services.
Advise on operations and maintenance and long-term service agreements, including transition-to-operations and warranty periods.
Support management of pre-litigation disputes, warranty claims, and change orders, and coordinate handoff to the Litigation team when matters become formal disputes.
Manage outside counsel on procurement and construction matters and review their work for accuracy, efficiency, and value.
Provide legal support on HSE, R&D, intellectual property, IT, tax, and insurance issues arising in procurement and construction workstreams.
Draft and negotiate IRA requirements, tariff and FEOC clauses, and related regulatory provisions.
Anticipate and address legal risks in construction and procurement workstreams and develop strategies to avoid disputes and reduce risk.
Collaborate with Procurement, Pre-Construction, Project Execution, Tax, Credit, Accounting, and Insurance stakeholders to develop contract strategies aligned with commercial goals.
Partner with engineering teams to translate new technology and innovation initiatives, including data center and microgrid development, into actionable contracts.
Provide project-specific legal support to Project Execution teams, project managers, Project Operations, and O&M personnel.