Director, Legal - Energy (US)

Nscale•Houston, NY

12h

About The Position

Nscale is hiring a US-based Director, Legal – Energy to serve as dedicated counsel for US energy and power procurement supporting the development and operation of its data centre campuses. Reporting to the VP, Legal – Infrastructure (US), this is a hands-on execution role leading legal matters end-to-end, from early power strategy and term sheets through negotiation, delivery and ongoing operations. The Director will negotiate directly with utilities, generators, energy suppliers, developers and major equipment providers, apply consistent commercial and legal positions across multiple jurisdictions, and work with local external counsel when jurisdiction-specific advice is needed. The role partners with real estate, construction, procurement, finance, operations, insurance and Debt Capital Markets Legal teams to align power procurement with campus schedules, operational requirements and lender needs. It also supports site development, maintains energy procurement templates and playbooks, manages outside counsel, and monitors relevant regulatory developments.

Requirements

At least 7 years of legal experience in energy, power, infrastructure or major projects, gained in-house and/or at a top-tier law firm.
Strong track record negotiating complex energy and power arrangements, including utility, interconnection, energy supply, PPA, generation, equipment supply and O&M agreements.
Experience supporting large-scale, mission-critical, industrial, infrastructure or energy-intensive projects.
Experience working across multiple US jurisdictions and managing local counsel effectively.
Fluency in energy and infrastructure risk allocation, including pricing structures, capacity and volume commitments, delay remedies, credit support, performance guarantees, warranties, insurance, liability caps and dispute-resolution provisions.
Confident first-chair negotiation skills and ability to run multiple high-value contracts in parallel and drive them to signature.
Ability to explain complex legal and commercial risk clearly to non-lawyers and senior stakeholders.
Comfort working alongside real estate, construction, project finance, insurance, regulatory and technical counterparts.
Qualified attorney admitted in good standing in at least one US state or the District of Columbia.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience at a hyperscaler, colocation provider, data centre developer, energy developer, utility, major contractor or infrastructure investor.
Experience with corporate, sleeved or utility-scale PPAs and renewable-energy procurement.
Experience with interconnection, transmission or distribution arrangements across the US.
Experience with on-site generation, energy storage, microgrids or critical-power equipment.
Project finance and bankability experience.
Energy regulatory, permitting or environmental attribute experience.

Responsibilities

Lead negotiations for power procurement, utility supply, interconnection and transmission service arrangements for US data centre campuses.
Draft and negotiate power purchase agreements, sleeved and corporate PPAs, energy supply agreements, renewable-energy arrangements, and related certificates or attribute procurement structures.
Negotiate development, supply, installation and O&M agreements for on-site and behind-the-meter generation, energy storage, microgrids and critical power infrastructure.
Support interconnection and energization programs, including capacity reservation, interconnection facilities, network upgrades, milestones, security and delay-risk arrangements.
Advise on legal and commercial allocation of energy and power risks, including pricing, volume commitments, curtailment, imbalance, change in law, force majeure, credit support and termination rights.
Partner with real estate, construction, procurement, finance and operations teams to align power procurement with campus development schedules and operational requirements.
Support site acquisition and development by assessing power availability, utility constraints and energy-related contractual risks.
Maintain and improve energy and power procurement templates, playbooks and contracting positions, adapting them for local law and market practice.
Run counterparty comment rounds and promote consistent contracting positions across projects while balancing speed, bankability and commercial outcomes.
Coordinate energy-related insurance, guarantees and bonding requirements with the insurance team, and partner with Debt Capital Markets Legal on lender requirements for project-financed sites.
Manage US outside counsel, including scope, budgets and quality of advice.
Monitor and advise on regulatory developments relevant to energy procurement, grid access, renewable-energy claims and data centre power supply.