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Legal Counsel – Project Finance

Location: New York, NY

Department: Legal

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:

The successful candidate for the Counsel – Project Finance role will possess a strong transactional background with significant experience in renewable energy. Main responsibilities will include providing legal advice and support regarding (a) complex renewable energy transactions (project finance, tax equity, acquisitions and divestitures, and joint ventures) with a particular focus on corporate structure and M&A diligence activities, (b) the resulting long-term ownership, finance, and operation of assets, and (c) general corporate, compliance, and governance matters. The position provides legal support directly to the senior legal team and to the investment, finance, execution, and asset management departments. Additionally, this position will provide support as needed to other legal team members, while directly reporting to one of MN8’s Assistant General Counsels.

 

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

· Broad functional expertise in supporting M&A, debt/equity, and other strategic transactions, from inception to implementation, in coordination with key company stakeholders and cross-functional teams

· 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 business development, treasury, and other teams to assess and structure 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

. 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 for solar, wind, EV charging, hydrogen, and battery storage projects

· Perform other tasks as assigned

 

As the Counsel – Project Finance, 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 finance, development, and procurement 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, including strategic M&A transaction and SEC filings and disclosures
  • 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 for solar, wind, EV charging, hydrogen, and battery storage projects
  • 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 project finance 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 structured or project finance, including familiarity with sale-leaseback, partnership flip, inverted lease, and other major finance structures common in renewable energy/tax-based finance
  • 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.

Compensation: Base salary range $140,000-200,000 plus competitive bonus structure depending on experience level

 

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.

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