Legal Counsel – Commercial Transactions

Company Summary:

MN8 Energy is one of the largest independent solar energy and energy storage owner-operators in the U.S., serving enterprise customers with clean energy and complementary solutions, such as battery storage and EV Charging, to enable an electrified, decarbonized world. Originally founded inside of Goldman Sachs in 2017, our fleet has grown to nearly 3-gigawatts of solar, including 850 projects across 27 states, and over 270 megawatts of battery storage projects, with each project tailored to achieve the bold decarbonization targets and goals of our more than 200 blue-chip customers. MN8 is headquartered in New York with offices in Boca Raton, Florida and Madrid.

About the position:

MN8 is continuing to build its internal legal team, providing a significant opportunity for the right individuals to help shape the department. The successful candidate for the Counsel – Commercial Transactions role will possess a strong commercial background including negotiation of a variety of contract types. Main responsibilities will include providing legal advice and support regarding (a) procurement/vendor transactions, (b) commercial dispute resolution, and (c) general corporate, compliance, and governance matters. The position provides legal support directly to senior and other legal team members and to nearly every other company department. The position will directly report to one of MN8’s Assistant General Counsels

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Broad functional expertise in supporting commercial activities, from inception to implementation, in coordination with key company stakeholders and cross-functional teams, particularly procurement
• Reliable ability to identify and resolve legal and business issues, appropriately identifying risks and proactively proposing alternative risk-mitigating strategies in accomplishing project and company objectives
• Experience working with procurement, finance, and other teams to structure commercial transactions
• High capacity to successfully balance competing and fluid priorities and deadlines and exercise solid business judgment consistently
• Consummate professionalism evidenced by self-motivation, independence, and comfort working with a diverse group of individuals, including senior representatives of external and internal organizations on complex and high-value/risk matters
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including solid drafting and consistent attention to detail
• Exceptional organizational, planning, analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent presentation, facilitation, communication, and project management skills
• Desire for coaching and/or mentoring relationships with both senior and junior team members
• Strong interpersonal skills, teamwork orientation, and capability to effectively share subject matter expertise
• Ethical mindset and willingness to raise concerns to internal team members when appropriate

As the Counsel – Commercial Transactions, you will:

Provide legal expertise and commercial support to all functional groups of the company (including review and negotiating commercial contracts, preparing and reviewing proposals and terms sheet, devising new revenue, performance, and real property agreements, ensuring internal compliance with project agreements, monitoring post-closing obligations including borrower compliance with payments and loan covenants, and assisting with post-closing amendments to transaction documents including related waivers and consents) in the development, execution, administration, and operation of utility-scale renewable energy projects

• Collaborate with origination, development, execution, procurement, treasury, tax, asset management, and O&M teams to prioritize and execute on requests for legal support from each different department
• Manage negotiation and drafting of procurement, development, and finance agreements and applications
• Support and, upon demonstrated ability, lead all phases of renewable energy transactions from inception through integration, particularly through due diligence process and transaction structuring, including drafting and negotiating term sheets, due diligence review, maintenance of virtual data rooms, drafting and negotiating transaction documents, and ensuring compliance with post-closing obligations
• Advise on negotiating positions relating to insurance coverage and bankability
• Develop, review, and recommend changes to company form documents
• Assist with auditing and document compliance by preparing and reviewing document summaries as requested
• Support efforts to comply with regulatory requirements and secure regulatory approvals
• Support company’s project documentation and compliance functions, including general post-closing support
• Support management of external legal resources to ensure efficient, timely, and effective completion of tasks in compliance with project and legal department budgets during transaction/project life cycle
• Coordinate efforts with other legal and management staff regarding corporate and project requirements to ensure maximum value and appropriate risk management for company and its stakeholders
• Achieve and maintain industry knowledge and strategy expertise
• Perform other tasks as assigned

Our ideal candidate will have:

• Bachelor’s degree and J.D. from an accredited law school
• Member in good standing of at least one U.S. state bar, preferably New York, California, or Florida
• 3-6 years legal experience at a law firm or in-house working directly on commercial transactions
• Knowledge of a wide variety of contract formats relevant to the renewable energy industry
• Demonstrated experience in the development and finance of renewable energy and energy efficiency infrastructure projects for both public and private sectors
• Proven record of managing multiple projects while meeting deadlines
• Ability to build stakeholder consensus and balance legal and business risk in support of business goals
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Team-orientation with demonstrated initiative and ability to work in a fast-paced business environment, handling varied and shifting priorities and deadlines as needed
• Strong work ethic, detail oriented, business savvy, flexible schedule when necessary

Preferred Qualifications:

• Significant transactional experience in renewable energy
• Strong interpersonal skills, including a sense of kindness and humor (and preference for the Oxford comma)
• Smart, decisive, organized, and innovative problem solver comfortable developing methods to think beyond existing solutions and possessing a willingness and ability to influence company culture and strategy

Location / Travel: New York, NY or Boca Raton, FL with limited domestic and international travel. Current company policy requires Tuesday-Thursday in office for this position.

How we set you up for success:

At MN8, we cultivate a culture of equity, through transparency and accessibility, where everyone thrives. We know our most valuable resource is our people. That’s why we offer the following benefits. By investing in you, we know we are investing in the clean energy of tomorrow.

• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance beginning the 1st of the month following your date of hire
• Paid Time Off
• Paid holidays and floating holidays
• 401(k) with competitive employer match
• Hybrid work schedule including a “work from anywhere” allocation
• Parental leave

MN8 Energy is an Equal Opportunity Employer and fully subscribes to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity to ensure that all applicants and employees are considered for hire, promotion, and job status without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital or familial status.