Associate

Hawkstone Search; New York (NY); On-site; USD 250,000 - 415,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

First-class benefits

Location flexibility

Job summary

Hawkstone Search is seeking an Energy Project Finance Associate with at least three years of directly relevant experience to join its established clean-energy practice in New York, Boston, or Washington, DC. This market-leading platform offers complex transactions, direct client access and significant ownership.

The role reports to senior leadership, collaborates across tax, regulation, and development teams, and handles debt, equity and tax-equity financings for renewable-energy projects from

Qualifications

• Three+ years of directly relevant energy project-finance experience.
• Experience representing developers, sponsors, lenders or other project participants.
• Exposure to renewable-energy or energy-transition transactions.
• Strong drafting, negotiation and end-to-end transaction-management skills.
• Understanding of debt, equity, tax-equity or project-development structures.
• Excellent commercial judgement, communication and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Structure and execute sophisticated debt, equity and tax-equity financings for renewable-energy and infrastructure projects.
• Advise developers, sponsors, lenders and investors throughout the complete project lifecycle.
• Draft and negotiate construction, portfolio, back-leverage, term-loan and other project-finance documentation.
• Advise on project-company structures, joint ventures, tax-credit monetisation and investment arrangements.
• Draft and negotiate PPAs, renewable-energy credit agreements and other core commercial contracts.
• Take meaningful responsibility for client relationships, transaction management and the development of junior lawyers.
• Support clients operating in innovative technologies, financing structures and emerging energy markets.

Skills

Energy project finance

Client advisory

Drafting & negotiation

Transaction management

Job description

Locations: New York, Boston, or Washington DC

Salary: $250,000–$415,000 base, depending on experience and qualifications

Join one of the market’s most authentic and established clean-energy practices, advising on the projects and technologies driving the global energy transition…

This is an outstanding opportunity for an Energy Project Finance Associate with at least three years of directly relevant experience to join a sophisticated international platform offering something increasingly difficult to find: complex transactions, direct client access and genuine ownership without the heavily layered staffing model of traditional BigLaw.

Our client has spent almost two decades building one of the first dedicated practices supporting innovators across the complete energy-transition lifecycle.

The practice is ranked by Chambers USA 2026 for Energy & Natural Resources, while its Energy & Climate Group co-chair is individually recognised for both Energy & Natural Resources and Impact Investing.

Its commitment to the sector is substantive rather than promotional. The firm received the first-ever A+ score on the 2026 Law Firm Climate Change Scorecard, following three consecutive years of receiving an A grade.

But the accolades tell only part of the story.

The team works at the intersection of project finance, development, tax, regulation, real estate and public policy. It advises developers, sponsors, investors, lenders, contractors and customers throughout every stage of a project, from origination and procurement through financing, construction and operation.

Its work spans:

• Solar and distributed generation
• Onshore and offshore wind
• Battery and other energy-storage technologies
• Geothermal
• Renewable natural gas and waste-to-energy
• EV and hydrogen infrastructure
• Hydro and emerging clean-energy technologies

Recent matters include innovative tax-equity solar portfolio financings, joint ventures with leading global infrastructure investors, the acquisition and financing of multistate renewable-energy portfolios, and the development of mini-grid and distributed-energy projects in emerging markets.

The role will report directly to the co-founder and co-chair of the Energy & Climate Group, providing exceptional access to one of the practice’s senior leaders and the opportunity to become a visible part of its continued growth.

What you’ll be doing:

• Structure and execute sophisticated debt, equity and tax-equity financings for renewable-energy and infrastructure projects.
• Advise developers, sponsors, lenders and investors throughout the complete project lifecycle.
• Draft and negotiate construction, portfolio, back-leverage, term-loan and other project-finance documentation.
• Advise on project-company structures, joint ventures, tax-credit monetisation and investment arrangements.
• Draft and negotiate PPAs, renewable-energy credit agreements and other core commercial contracts.
• Take meaningful responsibility for client relationships, transaction management and the development of junior lawyers.
• Support clients operating in innovative technologies, financing structures and emerging energy markets.

What they need:

• At least three years of directly relevant energy project-finance experience.
• Experience representing developers, sponsors, investors, lenders or other project participants.
• Exposure to renewable-energy or energy-transition transactions.
• Strong drafting, negotiation and end-to-end transaction-management skills.
• A sound understanding of debt, equity, tax-equity or project-development structures.
• Excellent commercial judgement, communication and attention to detail.

What’s on offer:

• Base salary depending on experience and qualifications - Cravath Scale.
• Complex renewable-energy transactions within a nationally recognised practice.
• Lean staffing and substantially greater responsibility than is typical at larger firms.
• Direct access to the Energy & Climate Group’s leadership.
• Meaningful client contact and the opportunity to lead critical deal workstreams.
• Formal business-development training for every Associate.
• A strong record of internal advancement and a credible path to partnership.
• A collaborative culture combining BigLaw sophistication with a smaller-firm feel.
• First-class benefits and the flexibility to be based in New York, Boston or Washington, DC.

For Associates who want to remain at the forefront of renewable-energy finance while gaining greater ownership, broader experience and more control over their long-term trajectory, this is one of the most compelling opportunities in the market.