Deputy General Counsel

The Nuclear Company; Washington; On-site; USD 242,000 - 274,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

401k with company match

Medical, dental, vision plans

Generous vacation policy

Job summary

The Nuclear Company is seeking an experienced Deputy General Counsel to join the legal leadership team. You will guide strategic legal decisions for a fast‑growing, highly regulated energy infrastructure startup and partner with executive leadership to scale the legal function.

You will help shape corporate governance, negotiate complex deals, manage litigation, and oversee compliance programs across development, operations, and financing.

Qualifications

• Must hold a JD from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in at least one U.S. state bar is required.
• Significant in-house or top-tier firm experience in corporate, commercial, governance, and enterprise risk matters.

Responsibilities

• Serve as strategic advisor to the Chief Legal and Administration Officer and senior leadership on legal, regulatory, compliance, governance, and risk matters.
• Lead development and execution of the legal department strategy and roadmap.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate enterprise-level risks with business leaders.
• Draft, negotiate, and manage complex commercial agreements and strategic partnerships.
• Support financing, M&A, joint ventures, and other corporate transactions.
• Provide guidance on governance, entity management, and policy development.
• Manage litigation, investigations, and coordination with outside counsel.
• Develop scalable legal processes, templates, and playbooks for growth.
• Oversee outside counsel relationships and legal spend.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Contract negotiation

Regulatory compliance

Risk management

Executive advisory

Communication

Team building

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Active state bar membership

Job description

The Nuclear Company is the fastest growing AI tech-enabled startup in the nuclear and energy space, pioneering a fleet-scale approach to building the next generation of nuclear reactors. Through our design-once, build-many model, we're accelerating the deployment of safe, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy.

We operate with an AI-first mindset. Every employee is expected to leverage AI, technology, and the Nuclear Operating System (NOS) as integral components of their role to improve the quality, speed, and impact of their work. We expect every team member to continuously identify opportunities to automate workflows, enhance decision-making, improve processes, and contribute to the ongoing evolution of NOS as a strategic operating capability that enables The Nuclear Company to scale with excellence.

We hire people who are driven by purpose, thrive in ambiguity, and are energized by building what has never been built before. Our team combines intellectual curiosity with high agency, embraces candid feedback and continuous learning, and holds themselves and others to exceptional standards. Our values—Trust, Responsibility, Unity, Scrappiness, and Tenacity—guide how we hire, collaborate, and make decisions every day. They are not words on a wall; they are the standard by which we operate. Trust is the foundation of our safety culture, fostering intellectual honesty, accountability, and open communication, while our values challenge every team member to execute with urgency, humility, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to our mission.

About the role

The Nuclear Company is seeking an experienced and highly strategic Deputy General Counsel to serve as a key member of the legal leadership team. Reporting directly to the General Counsel, this role will help support the continued growth of one of the most ambitious energy infrastructure companies in the world.

The Deputy General Counsel will partner closely with executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders across development, nuclear operations, engineering, finance, government affairs, human resources, and corporate functions to provide practical legal guidance that enables business objectives while managing risk. This individual will play a critical role in helping build and scale the legal function and support the company's project development, commercial, financing, and strategic initiatives.

The ideal candidate combines exceptional legal judgment with strong business acumen, thrives in a fast-paced startup environment, and is motivated by building systems, processes, and teams that can support rapid growth in a highly regulated industry.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Chief Legal and Administration Officer, executive leadership team, and business stakeholders on legal, regulatory, compliance, governance, and risk management matters.
• Support the development and execution of the company's overall legal strategy and legal department roadmap.
• Partner with business leaders to identify, assess, and mitigate legal, regulatory, operational, and enterprise risks.
• Oversee the drafting, negotiation, and management of complex commercial agreements, strategic partnerships, development agreements, procurement contracts, consulting agreements, and other business-critical transactions.
• Support financing activities, strategic investments, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other corporate transactions.
• Advise on corporate governance matters, including board support, corporate policies, entity management, and governance best practices.
• Assist in managing litigation, disputes, investigations, and claims, including coordination with outside counsel.
• Develop and implement scalable legal processes, policies, templates, and playbooks to improve efficiency and support company growth.
• Evaluate and manage outside counsel relationships, legal spend, and alternative legal service providers.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting the company and provide proactive guidance to leadership.
• Support the continued development of the legal organization through mentoring, process improvement, and operational excellence initiatives.
• Foster a culture of integrity, accountability, compliance, and sound risk management across the organization.

Experience

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar.
• 12+ years of legal experience, including significant experience in-house, at a leading law firm, or a combination of both.
• Demonstrated experience advising executive leadership teams on complex legal, regulatory, commercial, and strategic matters.
• Strong background in corporate law, commercial transactions, governance, compliance, and enterprise risk management.
• Experience supporting large-scale infrastructure, energy, industrial, construction, manufacturing, technology, or other highly regulated industries.
• Proven ability to negotiate and manage complex transactions and commercial relationships.
• Experience developing legal processes, policies, and operational frameworks within a growing organization.
• Experience managing litigation, investigations, and outside counsel relationships.
• Strong business judgment with the ability to balance legal risk and commercial objectives.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, leadership, and relationship‑building skills.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a fast‑paced, entrepreneurial, and mission‑driven environment.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation packages
• 401k with company match
• Medical, dental, vision plans
• Generous vacation policy, plus holidays

Estimated Starting Salary Range

The estimated starting salary range for this role is $242,000 - $274,000 annually less applicable withholdings and deductions, paid on a bi-weekly basis. The actual salary offered may vary based on relevant factors as determined in the Company’s discretion, which may include experience, qualifications, tenure, skill set, availability of qualified candidates, geographic location, certifications held, and other criteria deemed pertinent to the particular role.

EEO Statement

The Nuclear Company is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an environment of inclusion in the workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We prohibit discrimination in all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, demotion, transfer, compensation, and termination.

Export Control

Certain positions at The Nuclear Company may involve access to information and technology subject to export controls under U.S. law. Compliance with these export controls may result in The Nuclear Company limiting its consideration of certain applicants.

Recruiting Fraud Alert

Your safety is our priority. We want to ensure your job search stays secure. Please note that the team at The Nuclear Company only communicates through official @thenuclearcompany.com email addresses. We will never ask for payments or sensitive financial information at any stage of our recruitment process. For your peace of mind, please verify all openings and submit your applications directly through our official careers page.