VP Legal Transmission

AEP; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 221,000 - 288,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base Salary

Annual Bonus

Long Term Incentive

401K

AEP Pension

Comprehensive Benefits Package

Job summary

American Electric Power (AEP) seeks a Vice President Legal, Transmission to serve as principal legal advisor to the President of Transmission and leadership team. You’ll provide strategic counsel on investments, risk, and key business priorities across complex transactions.

You’ll lead a small legal team focusing on real estate, easements, rights-of-way, procurement contracting, and outside counsel management, partnering with enterprise legal to align standards and support enterprise priorities.

Qualifications

• 14+ years of legal experience in private practice, corporate, government, or regulatory settings.
• Experience advising senior leaders on complex commercial and transactional matters.
• Strong background negotiating commercial agreements and strategic transactions.
• Experience in procurement, construction, real estate, energy, or capital-intensive operations.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the principal legal advisor to the President of Transmission and leadership team.
• Provide strategic counsel on business priorities, investments, risk, and organizational matters.
• Translate legal issues into practical business solutions.
• Lead legal support for complex transactions, partnerships, investments, and commercial initiatives.
• Structure, negotiate, and draft key commercial agreements.
• Advise business leaders throughout the transaction lifecycle, including due diligence, negotiation, and closing.
• Oversee procurement and contracting, including vendor and construction agreements.
• Lead real estate and property matters across acquisitions, easements, rights-of-way.
• Manage outside counsel and legal budgets.
• Develop and mentor a small legal team.

Skills

Executive leadership

Strategic counsel

Contract negotiation

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

Job Summary

The Vice President Legal, Transmission serves as the principal legal advisor to the President of Transmission and the Transmission leadership team. Reporting directly to the President of Transmission, this role provides strategic, practical, and business-focused legal counsel supporting Transmission operations, investments, growth initiatives, and overall business objectives.

The Vice President is responsible for leading legal strategy across commercial transactions, procurement and contracting, real estate matters, and other significant legal and business issues impacting the Transmission organization. This individual partners closely with executive leadership to structure and negotiate complex transactions, assess business opportunities, manage legal and commercial risk, and support informed decision-making.

The role leads a small, specialized legal team, expected to include two direct reports with primary responsibility for real estate, easements, rights-of-way, and procurement contracting matters. The Vice President also works closely with the company's broader legal organization and manages outside counsel as needed to ensure efficient, high-quality legal support and alignment with enterprise legal standards.

Job Description

What you’ll do:

Executive and Strategic Legal Counsel

• Serve as the principal legal advisor to the President of Transmission and leadership team.


• Provide strategic counsel on business priorities, investments, risk, and organizational matters.


• Translate legal issues into practical business solutions.


• Identify emerging risks and opportunities and recommend proactive strategies.

Commercial and Transactional Matters

• Lead legal support for complex transactions, partnerships, investments, and commercial initiatives.


• Structure, negotiate, and draft key commercial agreements.


• Advise business leaders throughout the transaction lifecycle, including due diligence, negotiation, and closing.


• Provide guidance on contract disputes, interpretation, and risk allocation.

Procurement and Contracting

• Advise on procurement strategies, sourcing activities, and commercial risk.


• Draft, review, and negotiate vendor, construction, supply, technology, and service agreements.


• Partner with business teams to support contract performance and risk management.


• Establish contracting standards and best practices.

Real Estate and Property Matters

• Oversee legal matters involving acquisitions, easements, rights-of-way, title, and land use.


• Advise on real estate issues related to projects, operations, and asset strategy.


• Lead resolution of significant property disputes and risks.


• Direct legal resources supporting real estate activities.

Legal Risk, Governance, and Compliance

• Lead legal risk identification, assessment, and mitigation efforts.


• Advise on regulatory, governance, compliance, and policy matters.


• Support executive decision-making, approvals, and risk acceptance processes.


• Promote ethical conduct and sound business judgment.

Disputes and Outside Counsel Management

• Advise on significant commercial, procurement, and real estate disputes.


• Develop dispute resolution strategies aligned with business objectives.


• Manage outside counsel, legal budgets, and specialized legal resources.


• Coordinate litigation and complex legal matters as needed.

Leadership and Team Management

• Lead and develop a small legal team supporting the Transmission business.


• Establish priorities, allocate resources, and ensure responsive legal support.


• Coach, mentor, and develop team members.


• Foster collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Enterprise Coordination

• Partner with enterprise legal teams to align strategy, policies, and standards.


• Collaborate with internal subject matter experts on complex matters.


• Leverage enterprise resources while supporting Transmission business priorities.


• Escalate matters with broader enterprise impact as appropriate.

What we’re looking for:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree.


• Juris Doctor or equivalent law degree from an accredited law school.

Licenses and Certifications

• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.


• Ability to obtain any additional licenses or authorizations required for the role.

Experience

• Minimum of 14 years of legal experience in private practice, corporate, government, or regulatory environments.


• Significant experience advising senior leaders on complex commercial, transactional, and business matters.


• Strong background in negotiating commercial agreements and supporting strategic transactions.


• Experience supporting procurement, construction, infrastructure, real estate, energy, or other capital-intensive operations.


• Proven leadership experience managing legal professionals and outside counsel.


• Ability to assess and communicate legal risk to support sound business decisions.


• Experience working effectively across legal, operational, financial, and commercial functions.

Required Skills and Capabilities

• Strategic legal and business judgment.


• Strong commercial, transactional, and contract negotiation experience.


• Ability to assess complex issues and deliver practical business solutions.


• Executive presence with strong communication and influencing skills.


• Proven leadership and team development capabilities.


• Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills.


• Ability to manage multiple priorities, outside counsel, and legal resources.


• Commitment to ethics, governance, compliance, and safety.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting utilities, energy, infrastructure, or other capital-intensive industries.


• Experience with transmission, major projects, or regulated operations.


• Experience with strategic transactions, procurement, construction, and real estate matters.


• Experience serving as lead counsel to a business unit and partnering with enterprise legal teams.


• Experience managing complex, cross-functional legal matters.


• Advanced degree in business, finance, public policy, or a related field.

Where You’ll Work:

• New Albany, OH or Austin, TX

What You’ll Get:

• Base Salary


• Annual Bonus


• Long Term Incentive


• 401K


• AEP Pension


• Comprehensive Benefits Package

At AEP, we’re more than just an energy company — we’re a team of dedicated professionals committed to delivering safe, reliable, and innovative energy solutions. Guided by our mission to put the customer first, we strive to exceed expectations by listening, responding, and continuously improving the way we serve our communities. If you're passionate about making a meaningful impact and being part of a forward-thinking organization, this is the company for you!

Compensation

$221,489.00 - $287,934.50

Physical Demands

The Physical Demand Level for this job is: S – Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally (Occasionally: activity or condition exists up to 1/3 of the time) and/or a negligible amount of force frequently ...

Equal Employment Opportunity

It is hereby reaffirmed that it is the policy of American Electric Power (AEP) to provide Equal Employment Opportunity in all respects of the employer-employee relationship including recruiting, hiring, upgrading and promotion, conditions and privileges ... without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, veteran or military status, disability, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. ...

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Details

AEP offers an outstanding group of people to be a part of. The AEP culture values your integrity and awards your hard work.

AEP offers generous time off, competitive pay, and educational opportunities to help employees advance their careers.

Our culture is purpose-driven and team-oriented: we combine innovation with a customer-first focus to deliver reliable energy and brighter futures.