Senior Counsel, Partnerships & Transactions

Vaulted Deep; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaulted Deep in Houston, TX is seeking an experienced senior in-house counsel to own the legal workstream for partnership transactions. You will lead a two-person legal team and negotiate directly with sophisticated counterparties, ensuring deals are papered in-house.

You will draft JV and related agreements, structure multi-entity transactions, and own the term sheet process from business points to durable contracts. This role requires a J.D.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and license in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 8–12 years of transactional experience in energy, infrastructure, environmental/waste, or project development.
• Demonstrated first-chair experience drafting and negotiating JV agreements or comparable complex commercial arrangements without outside counsel support.
• Fluency in commercial risk allocation: indemnities, limitations of liability, insurance requirements, force majeure, default and termination mechanics.
• Comfort negotiating against large, sophisticated counterparties and their Big Law counsel.
• Experience managing and reviewing the work of junior attorneys and/or paralegals, with the judgment to delegate effectively and the willingness to remain hands-on in documents.
• Ability to operate independently in a lean, fast-moving company — you and your team are the legal function for this workstream.

Responsibilities

• Draft and negotiate JV agreements, LLC operating agreements, site host and lease agreements, feedstock supply agreements, tipping fee arrangements, and O&M agreements with partners.
• Structure deals across our multi-entity architecture ensuring JV terms are compatible with existing financing and offtake contracts.
• Own the term sheet process: translate commercial deal points from the business development team into structures that survive diligence, financing, and audit.
• Manage and develop a team of two direct reports: a Corporate Counsel and a Contract Specialist / paralegal.
• Allocate deal work across the team — first-chair the complex JV negotiations yourself while delegating routine agreements, diligence, and contract lifecycle work with appropriate supervision.
• Set quality standards, review the team’s work product, and build the team’s capability so more of the deal pipeline can be handled below your level over time.
• Manage outside counsel on matters that require specialist support (tax, permitting, regulatory, litigation).
• Continue build out of template library and negotiation playbook so deal velocity increases as the partnership pipeline scales.
• Support diligence workstreams for financings and equity raises as they touch partnership agreements.

Skills

First-chair drafting & negotiation

JV agreements experience

Commercial risk allocation

Team leadership

In-house counsel experience

Independent operator in lean env

Education

J.D. from an accredited law school

Licensed in Texas or eligible for in-house counsel

Job description

Vaulted Deep in Houston, TX is seeking an experienced senior in-house counsel to own the legal workstream for partnership transactions. You will lead a two-person legal team and negotiate directly with sophisticated counterparties, ensuring deals are papered in-house.

You will draft JV and related agreements, structure multi-entity transactions, and own the term sheet process from business points to durable contracts. This role requires a J.D.