Director, US Infrastructure Legal & Contracts

Nscale; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 340,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Flexible paid time off

Parental leave

Retirement plan participation

Job summary

Nscale is building a world-class AI cloud platform and seeks a Director, Legal - Critical Infrastructure to lead US data center contracting. You will own end-to-end negotiations for EPC, design-build, and related agreements, coordinate with internal teams, and align positions across jurisdictions.

Based in the US, you will report to the VP, Legal, manage outside counsel, and drive legal risk management for high-value infrastructure projects while supporting fast delivery and compliant

Qualifications

• 7+ years of construction and infrastructure legal experience, gained in-house and/or at a top-tier law firm.
• Strong track record negotiating major EPC, design-build, professional services, and equipment supply agreements for large-scale projects.
• Fluency in construction risk allocation, pricing structures, 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.

Responsibilities

• 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 consultants, including framework structures and ownership of deliverables.
• Negotiate supply, installation, and O&M agreements for power generation and critical equipment, including warranties and service levels.
• Support site acquisition, development arrangements, and ground leases, and power procurement in coordination with regulators and local counsel.
• Maintain and improve contract templates and playbooks.
• Run counterparty comment rounds and align positions across projects while adapting for local law.
• Manage contracts through delivery and closeout, including change orders, cost/schedule claims, payment and retention issues, defect correction, and dispute avoidance.
• Coordinate insurance and bonding requirements with the insurance team and liaise with Debt Capital Markets Legal on lender requirements.
• Manage US outside counsel, including scope, budgets, and quality of advice.
• Partner with construction, procurement, finance, real estate, energy, and operations teams to support rapid project delivery.

Skills

Construction law

Contract negotiation

Risk assessment

First-chair negotiation

Stakeholder communication

Education

J.D. licensed attorney (US)

Job description

Nscale is building a world-class AI cloud platform and seeks a Director, Legal - Critical Infrastructure to lead US data center contracting. You will own end-to-end negotiations for EPC, design-build, and related agreements, coordinate with internal teams, and align positions across jurisdictions.

Based in the US, you will report to the VP, Legal, manage outside counsel, and drive legal risk management for high-value infrastructure projects while supporting fast delivery and compliant