Director of Commercial

Vaulted Deep; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaulted Deep, a Houston‑based waste management company, seeks a Director of Commercial to own revenue‑generating and site‑securing agreements for multi‑project deployments. You will lead end‑to‑end negotiations on waste and water supply, landowner rights, royalties, and related long‑term arrangements, translating terms into robust project economics.

This senior role requires 15–20 years of commercial experience, a proven track record negotiating complex infrastructure deals, and a BS in science

Qualifications

• 15–20 years of commercial experience in long‑term infrastructure contracts.
• Senior negotiator capable of leading deals end‑to‑end.
• Experience negotiating revenue‑generating agreements (waste, water, landowner, royalties).
• Understanding of project economics and how terms affect value.

Responsibilities

• Negotiate definitive long‑term commercial agreements end to end — waste supply, water supply, landowner, royalty, and related arrangements
• Own commercial term‑sheet development with Project Developers and translate terms into project economics
• Lead negotiations from first contact through signed, enforceable definitive agreement
• Structure agreements to protect project value, allocate risk, and preserve optionality
• Defend commercial assumptions to management, the Investment Committee, and lenders' advisors
• Support business development on origination and counterparty engagement as needed
• Coordinate with Legal on agreement drafting and with Land on site‑securing terms
• Own the commercial risk register and key‑terms tracking through FID

Skills

Senior negotiator

Contract negotiation

Business development

Project economics

Risk assessment

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor of Science degree

Engineering degree + MBA preferred

Job description

Vaulted is a waste management company that removes carbon. We take organic waste that can pollute our environment above ground and safely inject it ultra deep underground—permanently removing carbon from the atmosphere while protecting local land, air, and water. Vaulted is based in Houston, San Francisco, and Kansas.

With a growing team of 70+ people across the country, Vaulted signed the second largest carbon removal offtake ever with Microsoft in July 2025 and is rapidly expanding to new sites.

Vaulted's proprietary technology builds on decades of expertise to deliver safe, durable carbon and waste management solutions now, at scale.

Director of Commercial

Reports to: EVP | Location: Houston, TX | Level: Director

Position Summary

Vaulted Deep develops, constructs, owns, and operates deep well injection facilities that permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere by injecting organic waste — manure, treated sewage, paper sludge, and agricultural byproducts — below confining geology. The Director of Commercial owns the revenue-generating and site‑securing agreements that make a project viable: waste‑supply and water‑supply contracts, landowner and pore‑space agreements, royalties, and related long‑term arrangements. The role negotiates definitive infrastructure agreements end to end and translates commercial terms into project value.

This is a senior contract‑negotiation role, not a procurement function. The Director of Commercial is accountable for the terms that determine project revenue and cost — negotiated from first term sheet to signed definitive agreement, not assembled from standard templates.

Why This Role Matters

Commercial terms set the ceiling on project value. Waste‑supply price, water cost, landowner economics, and contract structure determine whether a site clears its return threshold. This role negotiates those terms to a defensible position across a growing, multi‑project pipeline: 10+ opportunities in origination, 3 in active development, targeting three‑plus projects under construction within two years.

Definitive long‑term agreements are the deliverable that unlocks Final Investment Decision.

Primary Responsibilities

• Negotiate definitive long‑term commercial agreements end to end — waste supply, water supply, landowner, royalty, and related arrangements
• Own commercial term‑sheet development with Project Developers and translate terms into project economics
• Lead negotiations from first contact through signed, enforceable definitive agreement
• Structure agreements to protect project value, allocate risk, and preserve optionality
• Defend commercial assumptions to management, the Investment Committee, and lenders' advisors
• Support business development on origination and counterparty engagement as needed
• Coordinate with Legal on agreement drafting and with Land on site‑securing terms
• Own the commercial risk register and key‑terms tracking through FID

Leadership Responsibilities

Reports directly to the EVP. May manage one direct report, including a Landman, scaling with the portfolio. Works closely with Project Developers to develop commercial term sheets, with Finance on project economics, and with Legal on definitive‑agreement drafting. Presents commercial readiness and key terms at the Final Investment Decision gate.

Required Experience

• 15–20 years of commercial experience with a demonstrated record negotiating definitive long‑term infrastructure agreements from start to finish
• Senior negotiator experience — leading deals, not filling in standard templates; M&A due diligence experience helpful, but not sufficient on its own
• Experience negotiating revenue‑generating agreements such as waste supply, water supply, landowner agreements, or royalties
• Familiarity with basic technical principles and operational considerations (e.g. maintenance, technical minimum volume requirements) for long‑term infrastructure contracting
• Strong understanding of project economics and how commercial terms influence project value
• Bachelor of Science degree required; Bachelor's degree in Engineering with MBA preferred

Preferred Experience

• Experience in infrastructure, oil & gas, chemicals, power, renewables, or utilities
• Business development experience (desirable, secondary to depth of contract‑negotiation expertise)
• Experience negotiating alongside Finance and Legal on complex, multi‑party agreements
• Exposure to permitting‑or regulatory-driven commercial structures

Technical Competencies

• Long‑term contract structuring: pricing, term, volume, risk allocation, and termination
• Commercial term sheets and their translation into definitive agreements
• Familiarity with the subsurface and infrastructure being contracted (injection, water, waste handling)
• Understanding of how commercial terms flow through project economics
• Multi‑party negotiation and counterparty management

Commercial & Business Competencies

• Negotiates definitive agreements start to finish, not from fixed templates
• Quantifies how commercial terms move project value, IRR, and risk
• Defends commercial assumptions to a board or a lender's technical advisor
• Balances deal speed against value protection across a multi‑project pipeline