Director, Regulatory

Mainspring Energy, Inc.; Menlo Park (CA); Remote; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RSU equity and benefits

Job summary

Mainspring Energy is seeking an experienced legal or regulatory professional to lead the Company's strategy on environmental, energy, and regulatory matters. Reporting to the General Counsel, this individual will drive regulatory strategy, policy engagement, and compliance initiatives affecting operations, grid integration, and growth.

A J.D. and experience advising energy, utility, or environmental law are strongly preferred.

Qualifications

• J.D. required with active U.S. state bar membership.
• 15+ years as Director or 20+ years as Senior Director in regulatory law for energy/environmental matters.
• Strong knowledge of environmental permitting and energy regulation.
• Familiarity with Inflation Reduction Act ITC, FEOC, and domestic content requirements.
• Experience advising technology, manufacturing, infrastructure, or energy companies.
• Ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead regulatory legal strategy to support commercialization, manufacturing expansion, project deployment, and market growth.
• Advise on state and federal environmental laws and permitting, including EPA regulations and related requirements.
• Provide legal support for air permitting and environmental approvals for facilities and deployments.
• Lead product regulatory strategy, certifications, and emissions standards.
• Advise on utility regulation, interconnection, tariffs, and energy market rules.
• Support project development by identifying regulatory risks and permitting needs.
• Monitor federal, state, and local legislation affecting distributed energy resources and advise leaders.
• Coordinate FEOC, domestic content, and supply chain regulatory matters with Government Affairs.
• Manage outside counsel and consultants as needed.

Skills

Regulatory strategy

Environmental law

Energy regulation

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Education

J.D. with bar admission

Job description

Mainspring Energy manufactures and delivers fuel-flexible, low-emissions local power solutions that rapidly add new capacity and deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable electric power. The company began commercial shipments of its Mainspring Linear Generators in 2020 and today has hundreds of megawatts in advanced development and field operations for leading Fortune 500 companies, data centers, and utilities. Mainspring also partners with global energy leaders including AEP, NextEra Energy Resources, Schneider Electric, and more.

The core values that ground our work, guide our decisions, and connect us together:

• Pragmatic Optimism
• Excellence without Ego

About Mainspring

Mainspring Energy manufactures and delivers fuel-flexible, low-emissions local power solutions that rapidly add new capacity and deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable electric power. The company began commercial shipments of its Mainspring Linear Generators in 2020 and today has hundreds of megawatts in advanced development and field operations for leading Fortune 500 companies, data centers, and utilities. Mainspring also partners with global energy leaders including AEP, NextEra Energy Resources, Schneider Electric, and more.

• Pragmatic Optimism
• Excellence without Ego
• Proactive Collaboration

Job Overview

Mainspring Energy is seeking an experienced legal or regulatory professional to lead the Company's strategy on environmental, energy, and regulatory matters. Reporting to the General Counsel, this individual will drive regulatory strategy, policy engagement, and compliance initiatives affecting the Company's operations, grid integration, and growth objectives. A J.D. and experience practicing or advising on energy, utility, or environmental law are strongly preferred. The role partners closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Commercial, Project Development, Finance, and Government Affairs to proactively manage legal and regulatory risk, market access, and support strategic scaling.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the Company's regulatory legal strategy to support further commercialization, manufacturing expansion, project deployment, and market growth, while proactively identifying and mitigating regulatory risks and influencing emerging policy developments
• Advise the Company on state and federal environmental laws and regulatory compliance applicable to manufacturing operations, including U.S. EPA regulations, air quality, hazardous materials, waste, and related permitting requirements
• Provide legal support for air permitting and environmental approvals for manufacturing facilities and customer deployments
• Lead legal strategy relating to product regulatory requirements, certifications, emissions standards, and evolving regulatory frameworks (e.g., NERC)
• Advise on utility regulation, interconnection requirements, tariffs, and energy market rules affecting distributed generation projects
• Support project development and siting by identifying regulatory risks and permitting requirements
• Monitor and interpret federal, state, and local legislation, regulations, and policy developments affecting distributed energy resources and advise business leaders on legal implications
• Serve as the legal lead on Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC), domestic content, and other supply chain regulatory requirements
• Coordinate with Government Affairs on legislative and regulatory advocacy and engagement with agencies, policymakers, and industry organizations
• Manage outside counsel and consultants as needed

Qualifications

• J.D. preferred with an active membership in at least one U.S. state bar
• Director: 15+ / Senior Director: 20+ years of legal experience, including significant experience advising on environmental, energy, utility, or regulatory law
• Strong knowledge of environmental permitting, energy regulation, and administrative law
• Familiarity with the Inflation Reduction Act, including ITC, FEOC, and domestic content requirements
• Experience advising technology, manufacturing, infrastructure, or energy companies preferred
• Excellent judgment, business acumen, and ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment

Does your experience not meet all of our posted requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to positions unless they meet every listed requirement. At Mainspring, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, flexible, and collaborative environment, so if you want to help us transition the world to clean and affordable electricity, and don’t meet all posted requirements for a particular role, we’d still love to hear from you. Mainspring can sometimes be flexible enough to shift responsibilities for the right person, or otherwise identify open or upcoming roles that may better fit your professional background.

In more traditional words, Mainspring Energy, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

This compensation and benefits information is based on Mainspring Energy's estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future. We generally do not negotiate on salary once we have made an offer. The level of pay within the range will depend on a variety of job-related factors that may include location, relevant prior experience and/or education, or particular skills and expertise. New hires joining the company tend to be paid within the starting base pay range noted above, with opportunities to increase pay over time based on development of additional skills, competencies, and company-specific knowledge.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

This position is remote . The salary will be adjusted to reflect local market conditions based on employee location as well as the experience of the employee. Along with base salary, Mainspring offers pre-IPO company equity through Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) + benefits.