Sr. Counsel, Datacenter Development & Infrastructure

United States Digital Space LLC; Brownsville (FL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

United States Digital Space LLC in Bastrop, TX seeks a Senior Counsel for Datacenter Development and Infrastructure to guide legal strategy for large-scale projects including land acquisition, permitting, EPC contracts, and interconnections with regulators.

You will draft and negotiate complex real estate and power contracts, advise on federal and state requirements, coordinate with regulators, and support spaceport and industrial initiatives; minimum JD and 7+ years' experience required.

Qualifications

• JD or foreign equivalent from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Active licensed attorney.
• 7+ years of legal experience.
• 7+ years of experience with real estate, land use, and/or large-scale power and utility infrastructure development.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal guidance on large-scale datacenter infrastructure development, land acquisition, construction, and on-site power generation.
• Draft and negotiate land purchases, easements, leases, PPAs, interconnection agreements, and other real estate documents.
• Advise on municipal, county, state, and federal regulatory requirements for zoning, permitting, environmental reviews, and interconnections.
• Negotiate complex construction contracts, EPC agreements, vendor contracts, and fuel supply agreements for datacenter projects.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Real estate law

Land use

Regulatory compliance

Drafting expertise

Education

JD or foreign equivalent from ABA-accredited law school

Job description

the company was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today the company is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal ofenabling human life on Mars.

SR. COUNSEL, DATACENTER DEVELOPMENT & INFRASTRUCTURE

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide expert legal guidance on matters related to developing large-scale datacenter infrastructure and supporting utilities — acquisition and development of land, construction of datacenters and associated facilities, on-site power generation (including gas turbines and backup systems), electrical transmission and distribution infrastructure, gas pipelines and fuel supply systems, water supply and wastewater treatment (especially for high-density cooling), communications/fiber infrastructure, transportation access, and worker accommodations. This role also supports spaceport and other advanced critical infrastructure development projects as needed.
• Draft and negotiate land purchases, easements (including power line, gas pipeline, and utility rights-of-way), rights-of-way, leases, power purchase agreements (PPAs), interconnection agreements, fuel supply contracts, pipeline capacity agreements, and other real estate and commercial transaction documents required to bring datacenter and infrastructure projects fully online.
• Advise on municipal, county, State, and Federal requirements related to zoning, building and construction permitting, environmental reviews, power generation and utility interconnections, gas pipeline development and safety, water rights and wastewater treatment, air permitting for turbines/generation, and related infrastructure for datacenters and large industrial projects.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to brief county, State, and Federal regulators on applicable matters, including public utility commissions, environmental agencies, pipeline safety regulators, and permitting authorities.
• Negotiate complex construction contracts, engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) agreements, vendor and supply contracts related to datacenter buildout, power generation facilities (turbines, substations, switchgear), utility infrastructure (gas pipelines, high-voltage power lines, water systems), fuel procurement and delivery, and spaceport development.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• JD or foreign equivalent from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Active licensed attorney.
• 7+ years of legal experience.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• 7+ years of experience with real estate, land use, and/or large-scale power and utility infrastructure development issues, preferably including hyperscale datacenter or major industrial project development.
• Knowledge and/or experience with natural gas project development, power generation contracts and operations (including on-site turbine generation), gas pipeline and fuel supply agreements, power purchase agreements (PPAs), utility interconnection processes, transmission planning, and mineral rights or surface use agreements.
• Familiarity with Texas regulatory environment, including Public Utility Commission requirements, Texas Railroad Commission rules for oil and gas operations, and air/water permitting for power generation facilities is highly desirable.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Must be admitted to the bar, in good standing, in at least one U.S. state.
• Willingness to travel occasionally to project sites and different offices for a week at a time.
• Must be willing to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed.
• This position is based in Bastrop, TX and requires being onsite – remote work not considered.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

the company is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with the company is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of the company’s Aff… or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out [e-mail].