Counsel, Development

Company Overview:

Copia Power (“Copia”) is an energy transition company committed to developing, constructing, and owning large-scale infrastructure assets in the U.S. Copia is actively developing more than 15 GW of renewable energy generation and storage capacity and 12 GW of data center and industrial load. Copia is backed by Carlyle, one of the world’s largest global investment firms.

At Copia, we pride ourselves on a culture where sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. We are dedicated to making a meaningful impact on the environment, and we believe that achieving this goal requires not just hard work but also enjoying the journey. Our team thrives on connectivity, fostering strong relationships across all levels of the organization. Together, we combine passion and playfulness to drive progress and make a difference.

Job Description:

Copia is seeking a Counsel, Development to support Copia’s mission to develop, construct, and operate gigawatt-scale campuses that include power and digital assets. This key team member will work closely with Copia’s development and real estate teams to deliver solar, energy storage, thermal and digital grid-connected projects. The ideal candidate has significant experience with complex issues in early-stage development and financing for power generation projects and data center development, including M&A, permitting, interconnection, and real estate matters.

The Counsel, Development will report directly to the Deputy General Counsel in an individual contributor capacity.

Key Responsibilities::
• Partner with the development and real estate teams and oversee outside counsel in structuring and derisking projects during project development, including managing regulatory, permitting, interconnection and real estate matters.
• Act as internal legal lead on M&A transactions, particularly for pre-NTP project acquisitions.
• Negotiate material project contracts for renewable energy projects and digital campuses, including shared facility and co-tenancy agreements, water supply agreements, tax abatement and other local community contracts.
• Support the permitting strategy and execution for development assets, including local land use entitlements, zoning approvals, and state and federal siting authorities and coordinate with permitting consultants and advisors on permitting requirements.
• Manage legal workstreams on interconnection matters such as negotiation of interconnection agreements and affected systems issues.
• Provide legal and strategic advice on real estate matters, including drafting and negotiating various real estate agreements
• Support the negotiation of power purchase and energy supply agreements.
• Support financing transactions for development assets.
• Support other legal matters and questions presented to the legal team, such as reviewing and analyzing due diligence requests, routine contracts such as MSAs and NDAs related to scope, governance and compliance, and other matters.
• Interface with the executive leadership team and investment committee for approvals based on communication of key issues and risks/mitigants.
• Support legal operations by improving templates and processes for efficiency and compliance.

What We Look For::
• Experience negotiating and managing development contracts and matters for renewable energy projects, natural gas plants and/or digital infrastructure and assets.
• Ability to evaluate risks throughout all stages of project development and communicate those risks internally and externally, while ensuring regulatory compliance and implementing risk mitigation strategies.
• Problem-solver that enjoys structuring complex projects with various shared facilities and with a pragmatic approach to satisfactorily address legal issues in relation to commercial objectives.
• Ability to focus, direct and manage the efforts of external legal counsel and other resources.
• Interest in being a part of a small legal team with frequent touch points with Deputy General Counsel and General Counsel and working with internal and external stakeholders on a range of legal matters.

Minimum Qualifications:
• Minimum 5-7 years of relevant energy experience, in-house counsel experience preferred.
• JD from an accredited law school with a current license to practice law in a U.S. state
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an emphasis on succinctness and clarity
• Ability to work in a hybrid schedule in office a minimum of 3 days per week.
• Ability to travel up to 10%
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.

We are partnering with select search firms for this role and are not accepting inquiries or candidates from additional third-party agencies or recruiters.

Compensation:

At Copia, we carefully consider a wide range of factors when determining compensation, including your skills, qualifications, location, and experience. This role may also be eligible for benefits, performance bonuses, and other perks. We encourage all interested candidates to apply.   

Our Benefits:

We work hard to embrace diversity and inclusion and encourage everyone at Copia to bring their authentic selves to work every day. We offer flexible work hours and generous benefits to all of our employees that include:

- Medical, Dental & Vision coverage with no premiums
- Company contribution to 401(k) plans
- Annual bonus eligibility
- Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO)
- Paid company holidays
- Wellness and cell phone credits
- Life and AD&D Insurance
- Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for community and support
- Opportunities for professional development to grow and thrive within the company

About Copia:

Copia Power (“Copia”), is a wholly owned portfolio company of the global investment firm, The Carlyle Group. Copia’s platform is focused on developing, owning, and operating utility-scale sustainable infrastructure in the United States. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. For more information, visit www.copiapower.com.

At Copia, we value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally for employment & do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.