Deputy General Counsel

Vesper Energy Development•Albuquerque, NM

6h•Remote

About The Position

The Deputy General Counsel serves as the day-to-day leader of Vesper Energy’s legal department, partnering with the Chief Legal Officer (“CLO”) to lead and manage the legal and risk management function. This role carries significant responsibility for strategic legal oversight, team leadership, and execution across the company’s core business activities, including commercial transactions, project development, M&A, and project finance. The Deputy General Counsel will drive continuous improvement of legal operations and risk management. This position requires a trusted advisor who can operate with substantial autonomy, exercise sound business judgment, and build strong relationships across Development, Commercial, Finance, Operations, and other functions to ensure timely, practical, and strategic legal support aligned to company goals. The Deputy General Counsel will report to the Chief Legal Officer.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school.
Must be licensed to practice law in one or more U.S. states and a member in good standing of at least one state bar.
10+ years of progressive legal experience, including substantial experience supporting energy, renewables, infrastructure, or adjacent sectors; demonstrated leadership of teams and major matters.
Demonstrated ability to model Vesper's values: accountability, respect, courage, collaboration, and continuous Improvement, through day-to-day behaviors (e.g., flags risks early, communicates directly, involves the right stakeholders early, and documents and shares learnings).
Recognized subject matter expertise in structuring, drafting, and negotiating complex commercial agreements, enterprise-level partnerships, financing, and/or M&A transactions.
Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop legal professionals, fostering a high-performance culture and supporting career growth within the team.
Demonstrated success providing strategic legal guidance and innovative solutions on company-critical or novel legal issues.
Executive presence and credibility to represent Vesper Energy’s legal function.
Strong ability to manage intake, review, and negotiation of commercial agreements, and to implement contract playbooks, templates, and approval workflows.
Experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements, including site control agreements, EPC, O&M, supply, services, financing, and offtake arrangements.
Strong judgment in translating legal requirements and risks into business options and actionable recommendations for a lean, growth-stage company.
Demonstrated ability to oversee and track assigned legal projects independently, with disciplined follow-through and clear documentation.
Experience leading M&A, strategic transactions, and legal diligence, including managing deal teams and coordinating with the Chief Legal Officer on transaction strategy.
Working knowledge of entity management, governance, and document preparation to support board or corporate requirements as delegated.
Ability to strategically manage outside counsel relationships, including firm selection, matter staffing, budget management, and performance evaluation.
Clear communicator with strong cross-functional collaboration and the ability to raise risks early with practical options.
Proactive in improving templates, legal processes, documentation, or knowledge base within the legal function.

Responsibilities

Serve as the day-to-day leader of the legal department, partnering with the CLO on department strategy and priorities while driving execution and strong outcomes across business, project, and operational teams.
Review, draft, and negotiate commercial agreements, implementing and improving contract standards, templates, and playbooks in line with company practice.
Act as the primary legal advisor for assigned complex, novel, or business-critical issues, providing strategic solutions and recommendations with significant independence.
Provide business-focused legal advice, translating requirements and risks into clear recommendations to internal clients and escalating material issues with options for resolution.
Lead, mentor, and develop legal team members, including providing feedback, supporting professional growth, and contributing to hiring and performance management decisions.
Identify, recommend, and implement improvements to legal, compliance, and contract management processes, focusing on long-term scalability, control, and efficiency.
Coordinate and track matter intake, progress, and documentation to ensure transparency, process reliability, and readiness for legal or regulatory audit.
Manage external counsel relationships, including firm selection for assigned matters, budget oversight, work quality review, and ongoing performance evaluation.
Contribute to the management of legal risk related to claims, disputes, and litigation, focusing on early resolution and documentation, in coordination with outside counsel.
Develop and implement legal policies, processes, and compliance initiatives, including leading training programs and policy rollouts across the organization.
Partner with the Chief Legal Officer on significant risks, strategic decisions, and enterprise legal matters, providing recommendations and supporting resolution.
Other duties as assigned.