Sr. Counsel - Construction - Houston, TX

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Primary Purpose

Provides expert legal support on construction matters for large-scale energy infrastructure projects. Develops, coordinates, supervises, and administers complex legal services, including negotiation support, while partnering with commercial managers. Requires strong communication and collaboration with stakeholders in the U.S. and Mexico to manage complex projects efficiently and effectively.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Creates innovative legal solutions to facilitate business growth while managing compliance and risk exposure.
• Leads the provision of legal advice on aspects of corporate development and strategic initiatives while driving cross-functional alignment.
• Resolves disputes with regulatory agencies, ensuring compliance while minimizing financial penalties and reputational damage.
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  Develop contract templates and negotiation strategies for standard and high-risk business agreements specific to. construction agreements (including turnkey EPC, cost-reimbursable, and other arrangements) and the purchase of major equipment packages for various energy projects. Provides legal support related to all phases of development project life cycle, from the FEED stage, through bidding and contractor selection, construction contract award, contract management, to project completion and ongoing operational support, and including litigation support for any disputes.

  
  
• Manages pre-litigation risks, and if litigation arises, develops litigation strategies and coordinates with external counsel to resolve disputes.
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  Provides significant updates to law department management and/or business unit leadership to stay regularly informed regarding matters assigned.

  
  
• Implements a structured system for contract storage, renewals, and compliance tracking.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Requires a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree and active membership in the bar of the state in which the position is based.

Experience

• Typically requires 8 years of related experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

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  Ability to coordinate and lead a large commercial and engineering team through all phases of the drafting and negotiation of large-scale EPC type contract negotiations.

  
  
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  Ability to analyze complex business situations and develop recommendations which meet the company's legal and business needs.

  
  
• Legal Drafting - Prepares written legal documents, including a motion, a letter, a brief, a memo, or a contract.
• Contract Management - Streamlining the creation, execution, storage or renewal of contracts, with a focus on compliance, often via software or other automated means.
• Legal Research - The process of identifying and retrieving information necessary to support legal decision-making.
• Legal Advisory - Providing an opinion regarding the substance or procedure of the law in relation to a particular factual situation.
• Regulatory Compliance - Ensuring an organization's adherence to laws, regulations, guidelines and specifications relevant to its business processes.
• Litigation Management - The act, process, or practice of settling a dispute in a court of law.
• Corporate Governance - Corporate governance is the collection of mechanisms, processes and relations used by various parties to control and to operate a corporation.
• Legal Due Diligence - Conducting an assessment of legal risks associated with a business transaction, such as a merger or acquisition. It involves reviewing relevant documents, contracts, and agreements to identify any potential liabilities, obligations, or issues that could impact the outcome of the transaction.
• Documentation & Records Management - Creating, distributing, using, maintaining and disposition of recorded information maintained as evidence of business activities and transactions.
• Commercial Negotiation - The planning, reviewing, analysis and other activities that a buyer and seller conduct to reach an agreement.

HYBRID: Work a combination of onsite and remote days each week, typically 4 days per week onsite.

Legal

Full-time

Note: The Company strives to ensure that employees are paid equitably and competitively. Starting salaries may vary based on factors such as relevant experience, qualifications, and education.

Sempra Infrastructure offers a competitive total rewards package that goes beyond base salary. This position is eligible for an annual performance-based incentive (bonus) as well as merit-based recognition. Company benefits include health and welfare (medical, dental, vision), employer contributions to retirement benefits, life insurance, paid time off, as well as other company offerings such as tuition reimbursement, paid parental leave, and employee assistance programs.

Houston Center of Excellence-TXHS

Pay Range Pay Range

The estimated pay range for this job. Disclosing pay information promotes competitive and equitable pay.

The actual pay rate will depend on the person's qualifications and experience.

$173,500.00 - $305,500.00 / year

In order to support the Fair Compensation Strategy by the US Govt., HR Dept., clients are required to adhere to "Pay Transparency Law"; in the impacted states; that have mandated the employers to list the salary ranges in Job advertisements or postings for job opportunities and Job promotions.