Assistant General Counsel

RWE Clean Energy, LLC

Functional area: Legal / Compliance

Remuneration: Exempt

The Assistant General Counsel provides legal support for the North American renewable energy business team (wind, battery, & solar) in connection with the development, construction of renewable energy projects in the U.S. and Canada.

Work will be dedicated to the provision of legal advice associated with real estate topics in connection with the preparation and negotiation of a wide variety of real estate documents required for the development, and construction of renewable energy projects, e.g., leases agreements, co-tenancy agreements, shared facilities agreements, crossing agreements.

Work includes review of title documents, resolution of title issues, negotiation of title insurance policies, and related topics, together with the ability to work with support staff and developers, collaboratively, utilizing a land management database software, including interface and providing support to the Company’s real estate developers in the acquisition of land rights in the development of renewable energy projects.

The position requires (a) close alignment and cooperation with the Company’s Legal Department’s teams in Austin, Texas, Valhalla, NY, Chicago, Illinois and San Francisco, California, (b) close alignment with the business partners that the Legal Department supports, and (c) demonstrated ability to apply a practical rather than theoretical focus to legal issues with a view to finding viable business solutions to those legal issues.

Responsibilities:

• Ability to see the big picture of project development timelines and open risk to provide leadership team feedback as to project readiness. This requires an understanding of a renewable project’s lifecycle related to all project inputs and not just real estate and permitting.
• Ability to provide solutions to real estate and permitting issues that arise rather than merely identifying the issues. This requires problem-solving and ability to identify practical solutions.
• Work with paralegals, real estate specialists, and administrative assistants to delegate and provide efficient distribution of work.
• Expertise working with title companies and surveyors to ensure projects moving through the development lifecycle have proforma and survey deliverables on a timely basis.
• Draft all kinds of real estate documents and be able to analyze areas of disagreement with counterparty and provide practical solutions that manage risk for RWECE.
• Purchase property for renewable project assets like substations, BESS sites, and O&M buildings.
• Identify curative items needed for projects and work with third-party utilities, banks, and other parties when projects need crossing agreements, SNDAs, or other curative items.
• Create alignment with other business units such as engineering, development, procurement, and transmission to ensure project development is on time. This involves attending weekly meetings for projects, providing updates and input on open risks with regard to real estate and permitting issues.
• Ensure projects have the permits needed to successfully be developed, constructed, and operated within multiple states. Ability to work with external counsel in local jurisdictions to identify permits needed and assist development team with procuring all permits on a timely basis.
• As project moves to construction, this position will work closely with legal leadership to identify and resolve risks and opine on whether a project should be approved for construction
• Ensure projects are ready for tax equity investor involvement, and work with the Structured Finance team to answer diligence questions, create datarooms, and provide inputs to transaction documents and disclosure schedules.
  
  

Qualifications:

• J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree from a U.S. university
• Admission to a state bar in the United States, with preference for membership in either the Illinois bar or Texas bar (either currently or by way of reciprocity)
• Minimum 5 years experience as a real estate lawyer in the renewable space. Successful candidates are (i) required to have specific legal knowledge and experience in solar, battery, and/or wind real estate matters, and (ii) preferably have experience in some of the following areas: energy transmission, interconnection agreements, local government permitting, negotiation of tax abatement agreements and special use permits
• Industry experience: energy-related businesses in the U.S., with particular emphasis on legal work associated with the development and construction of renewable energy and/or independent power projects
• Submission of a transmittal letter describing interest in the position is required
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to manage client relationships
• Demonstrated desire to learn about the Company and the renewables space
• Strong leadership and communication, and ability to meet deadlines
• Strong organization skills and ability to coordinate multiple tasks and deliverables
• Ability to multi-task, while working independently and as part of a team
• Motivated self-starter, goal-oriented, and strong problem-solving abilities
• Proven ability to empathize, build relationships, and effectively communicate with people from a diverse set of backgrounds
• Responds well to direction, is easy to challenge and develop, and is coachable
• Is detail-oriented, has strong business acumen, and a sound understanding of business concepts
  
  

Pay range: The annual base salary range for this position in California or New York is $156,000 - $234,000. The listed salary range represents our good faith estimate for this position and represents the range for new hire salaries across all U.S locations. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. RWE considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s education & work experience, training & certifications, and key skills as well as market and business considerations at the time of the offer.

Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays. Eligible employees also participate in short-term incentives, in addition to salary.

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We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. No matter who you are, we welcome your application irrespective of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

RWE Clean Energy is one of the biggest names in the US renewables industry – and No.2 in solar. With a 1,500-strong team, the business has over 15 years’ experience of developing, constructing and operating renewable energy facilities, and ambitious plans for the future.

As part of the RWE Group’s Growing Green strategy to expand globally its green portfolio to more than 65 GW of installed capacity and to invest globally more than EUR 55 billion gross by 2030, RWE Clean Energy is determined to significantly increase its operating asset base in the U.S. This is backed by a project pipeline of more than 24 GW in onshore wind, solar and battery storage which provides for one of the largest development platforms in the United States.

Every project brings constantly-evolving technical, practical and social challenges – and drives a culture where everybody thrives, has fun and feels excited by each day. Our financial stability also means you’ll have the freedom to act with conviction and courage as we pivot to new technologies – and continuously improve, together.