Deputy General Counsel

H&P Executive Search; United States; On-site; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

H&P Executive Search is seeking a Deputy General Counsel for a rapidly growing energy company in the United States (Remote). The role oversees the legal and risk management functions, reporting to the CLO, with broad responsibility across commercial transactions, project development, M&A, project finance, and corporate matters.

The successful candidate will lead the legal team, provide strategic guidance to senior leadership, and develop scalable legal processes, templates, and playbooks to

Qualifications

• JD degree from an accredited law school and bar in at least one US state.
• 10+ years of progressive legal experience in energy, renewable energy, infrastructure, or related sectors.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day legal department operations and partner with CLO on strategy and priorities.
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex commercial agreements; develop standards, templates, and playbooks.

Skills

Legal leadership

Contract negotiation

M&A experience

Energy / renewables sector

Commercial transactions

Contract templates & playbooks

Outside counsel management

Governance & board docs

Senior leadership communication

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Bar admission (US)

Job description

Job Title: Deputy General Counsel | Renewable Developer

Location: United States (Remote)

Compensation: $200,000-250,000 + 25-30% STI + Equity

A rapidly growing energy company is seeking a Deputy General Counsel to serve as the day-to-day leader of its legal department, partnering closely with the Chief Legal Officer (“CLO”) to oversee the company’s legal and risk management functions.

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, project finance, and broader corporate matters**.

The Deputy General Counsel will drive the continued development and scalability of the legal function and risk management framework. The successful candidate will be a trusted business advisor who can operate with significant autonomy, exercise sound commercial judgment, and build strong relationships across Development, Commercial, Finance, Operations, and other business functions to deliver timely, practical, and strategic legal support.

The Deputy General Counsel will report directly to the Chief Legal Officer.

Role Requirements:

Education:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school. Must be licensed to practice law in at least one U.S. state and be a member in good standing of a state bar.

Experience:

• 10+ years of progressive legal experience, including substantial experience supporting **energy, renewable energy, infrastructure, or adjacent sectors**, together with demonstrated leadership of legal teams and complex transactions.

Skills & Qualifications

• Strong expertise in structuring, drafting, and negotiating complex commercial agreements, strategic partnerships, financing arrangements, and/or M&A transactions.
• Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop legal professionals while fostering a high-performance and collaborative team environment.
• Demonstrated success providing strategic legal guidance and practical solutions on company-critical or novel legal issues.
• Strong executive presence and credibility when advising senior leadership and representing the legal function across the organization.
• Experience managing the intake, review, and negotiation of commercial agreements, as well as developing and implementing contract templates, playbooks, and approval workflows.
• Experience drafting and negotiating a broad range of energy and infrastructure agreements, including **site control, EPC, O&M, supply, services, financing, and offtake arrangements**.
• Strong commercial judgment and the ability to translate legal requirements and risks into clear business options and actionable recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage complex legal matters with disciplined follow-through, clear documentation, and strong project management.
• Experience leading M&A, strategic transactions, and legal diligence, including coordinating deal teams and advising senior legal leadership on transaction strategy.
• Working knowledge of entity management, corporate governance, and board-related documentation.
• Ability to strategically manage outside counsel relationships, including firm selection, matter staffing, budget oversight, and performance evaluation.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to identify and escalation.
• Proactive approach to improving legal processes, templates, documentation, knowledge management, and operational efficiency.
• Ability to thrive in a lean, growth-oriented environment and balance legal risk with commercial objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the day-to-day leader of the legal department, partnering with the CLO on department strategy and priorities while driving execution across business, project, and operational teams.
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex commercial agreements while developing and improving contract standards, templates, and playbooks.
• Serve as the primary legal advisor on assigned complex, novel, or business-critical matters, providing strategic advice and recommendations with significant independence.
• Provide commercially focused legal advice, translating legal requirements and risks into clear recommendations and practical business solutions.
• Lead, mentor, and develop members of the legal team, including providing feedback, supporting professional development, and contributing to hiring and performance management.
• Identify and implement improvements to legal, compliance, contract management, and risk management processes to support long-term scalability and efficiency.
• Coordinate matter intake, tracking, documentation, and reporting to ensure transparency, consistency, and effective legal risk management.
• Manage external counsel relationships, including selection, budget oversight, work quality, staffing, and performance evaluation.
• Support the management of legal risk relating to claims, disputes, and litigation, with an emphasis on early resolution and effective coordination with outside counsel.
• Develop and implement legal policies, procedures, and compliance initiatives, including supporting training and organization-wide policy rollouts.
• Partner with the CLO on significant legal risks, strategic decisions, transactions, and enterprise-wide legal matters.
• Support other legal and business initiatives as required.