Director, Legal - Critical Infrastructure (US)

Nscale; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 210,000 - 340,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus program

Equity

Retirement plan

Medical insurance

Dental"

Vision care

Parental leave

Job summary

Nscale is seeking a Director, Legal – Critical Infrastructure, US to lead end‑to‑end contracting for our US data center campuses. This hands‑on role negotiates major agreements with contractors and suppliers and coordinates with external counsel as needed.

The candidate will drive risk allocation, deliver consistent house positions, and work with finance, real estate, energy, and operations teams to keep projects moving at pace.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of construction and infrastructure legal experience.
• Experience negotiating major EPC, design-build, professional services, and equipment supply agreements.
• Ability to explain complex legal and commercial risk to non-lawyers and senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead negotiations of owner-contractor, EPC, and design-build agreements for US data center campus construction.
• Draft design-build and consultancy agreements with architects, engineers, and consultants including framework/work-order structures.
• Negotiate supply, installation, and O&M agreements for on-site power generation and critical equipment.
• Support site acquisition, development arrangements, and ground leases, and coordinate power procurement with regulators.
• Maintain infrastructure contract templates and playbooks; run counterparty comment rounds; align positions across projects.
• Manage contracts through delivery and closeout, including change orders, cost and schedule claims, and disputes avoidance.
• Coordinate insurance and bonding with the insurance team and align with lender requirements for project-financed sites.
• Manage US outside counsel; set budgets and quality of advice; collaborate with construction, procurement, finance, real estate, energy, and operations teams.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Construction law

EPC contracts

Education

Bar admission

Job description

About Nscale

Nscale is the GPU cloud engineered for AI. We provide cost-effective, high-performance infrastructure for AI start-ups and large enterprise customers. Nscale enables AI-focused companies to achieve superior results by reducing the complexity of AI development. Our GPU cloud bolsters technical capabilities and directly supports strategic business outcomes, including cost management, rapid innovation, and environmental responsibility.

Nscale is the GPU cloud engineered for AI. We provide cost-effective, high-performance infrastructure for AI start-ups and large enterprise customers. Nscale enables AI-focused companies to achieve superior results by reducing the complexity of AI development. Our GPU cloud bolsters technical capabilities and directly supports strategic business outcomes, including cost management, rapid innovation, and environmental responsibility.

We thrive on a culture of relentless innovation, ownership, and accountability, where every team member takes pride in their work and drives it with excellence and urgency. As an Nscaler, you'll build trust through openness and transparency, where everyone is inspired to do their best work. If you join our team, you'll be contributing to building the technology that powers the future.

About The Role

The Director, Legal – Critical Infrastructure, US is Nscale's dedicated US-based infrastructure counsel, reporting to the VP, Legal – Critical Infrastructure, Procurement, and Design. This is a hands‑on execution role covering the full contracting lifecycle for Nscale's US data center campuses: construction, design and consultancy, major equipment supply and O&M, real estate, and power, from term sheet through delivery and closeout. As Director, you will lead your own matters end‑to‑end, negotiate directly with major counterparties, and apply consistent commercial and legal positions across multiple jurisdictions. You will work closely with local external counsel where jurisdiction‑specific advice is required.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead the negotiation of owner-contractor, EPC, and design-build agreements for data center campus construction across the US.
• Draft and negotiate design and consultancy agreements with architects, engineers, and specialist consultants, including framework agreement and work order structures, ownership of deliverables, and professional liability.
• Negotiate supply, installation, and O&M agreements for on-site power generation and critical electrical and mechanical equipment, including performance guarantees, warranties, and service levels.
• Support site acquisition, development arrangements, and ground leases, as well as power procurement, utility, interconnection, and power purchase arrangements in coordination with regulatory and local counsel.
• Maintain and improve Nscale's infrastructure contract templates and playbooks.
• Run counterparty comment rounds and drive consistent house positions across projects, while adapting for local law and market practice.
• Manage contracts through delivery and closeout, including change orders, cost and schedule claims, payment and retention issues, defect correction, and dispute avoidance.
• Coordinate insurance 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.
• Partner closely with construction, procurement, finance, real estate, energy, and operations teams to support project delivery at pace.
  

About You

• 7+ years of construction and infrastructure legal experience, gained in-house and/or at a top-tier law firm.
• Strong track record negotiating major construction EPC, design-build, professional services, and equipment supply agreements for large-scale, mission‑critical, or industrial projects.
• Fluency in construction risk allocation, including pricing structures, delay remedies, warranties and defects, indemnity, insurance, liability, and dispute-resolution provisions.
• A confident first-chair negotiator, able 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.
• Comfortable working alongside project finance, power, insurance, and regulatory counterparts.
• Qualified attorney admitted in at least one US state and in good standing.
  

Nice to have

• Prior experience at a hyperscaler, colocation provider, data center developer, major contractor, or infrastructure investor.
• Energy and power project experience, including equipment supply, O&M, utility and interconnection, or power purchase arrangements.
• Construction claims and dispute resolution experience.
  

Equal Opportunity

Nscale is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If you require reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please let us know.

The range below reflects the base salary for the position. Actual compensation may vary based on job-related factors such as skill set, experience, education, and location.

Salary Range: $210,000 USD - $340,000 USD

Benefits

• In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for bonus, equity, and/or commission programs.
• Nscale may offer a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, flexible paid time off, parental leave, and retirement plan participation.

For information on how Nscale handles candidate personal data, please see our Employee & Candidate Privacy Notice: Here. Nscale does not accept unsolicited candidate submissions from recruitment agencies.