Senior Director, Legal - Policy and Regulatory Counsel

Nscale•San Francisco, CA

13h

About The Position

Nscale is seeking its lead US regulatory and policy lawyer to guide regulatory strategy for its AI infrastructure business. Reporting to the SVP, General Counsel (US), the Senior Director will partner with Policy and Government Relations on legislative drafting, policy changes, and their effects on Nscale’s business. The role also supports regulatory strategy for US campuses, from site selection through energization and operation, and advises on engagement with federal and state regulators. This is a player-coach role combining direct leadership of high-stakes matters with management of outside counsel across multiple states and development of a regulatory function that can scale with the company. The Senior Director will work closely with AI infrastructure, energy procurement, real estate, construction, public policy, Finance, Securities counsel, and Debt Capital Markets Legal teams to help make projects regulatory-ready, financeable, and on schedule.

Requirements

JD from an accredited US law school.
Active membership in good standing of at least one US state bar.
15+ years of energy or data center regulatory experience, gained at a top-tier law firm and/or in-house.
Experience managing multi-state outside counsel teams and budgets.
Ability to explain complex regulatory risk clearly to non-lawyers, executives, and the Board, and translate it into practical site and deal decisions.
Confident advocacy with regulators, utilities, and communities.
Sound judgment and a commercial, schedule-aware approach.

Nice To Haves

In-house experience at a hyperscaler, neocloud, colocation provider, data center developer, utility, IPP, or infrastructure investor.
Experience with behind-the-meter or co-located generation, including gas turbines, reciprocating engines, storage, or nuclear/SMR arrangements.
Experience leading regulatory work in Texas (ERCOT and PUCT) and PJM states.
Prior government experience at FERC, a state commission, DOE, or EPA.
Project finance and bankability experience.

Responsibilities

Partner with Policy on advocacy concerning emerging GPU, large-load, co-location, and data center rulemakings at federal and state levels, and translate developments into site and deal decisions.
Help determine regulatory strategy for US campuses.
Manage strategy for contested permits in partnership with Public Policy & Government Relations.
Conduct regulatory due diligence for site acquisitions, power deals, and project-financed sites, identifying risks early in the site lifecycle.
Partner with infrastructure, energy procurement, and construction counsel to ensure EPC, PPA, interconnection, and O&M agreements address regulatory requirements and change-in-law risk.
Support Debt Capital Markets Legal and lenders on regulatory conditions precedent and bankability.
Advise the US Policy function on responses to proposed legislation, bill drafting, and the business impact of pending policy and regulatory developments.
Advise on engagement with policymakers and government stakeholders, including responses to inquiries, requests for information, and testimony.
Support public-company disclosure on regulatory and environmental matters with Finance and Securities counsel.
Manage outside regulatory counsel across multiple states, including scope, budgets, and quality.
Lead high-stakes regulatory matters and build a regulatory function that can scale with Nscale.