Deputy General Counsel - Remote, Canada

About Us

FirstLight is a leading clean power producer, developer, and energy storage company serving North America. With a diversified portfolio that includes over 1.65 GW of operating renewable energy and energy storage technologies and a development pipeline with 4+ GW of solar, battery, hydro, onshore wind and offshore wind projects, FirstLight specializes in hybrid solutions that pair hydroelectric, pumped-hydro storage (including Northfield Mountain, the largest energy storage facility in New England), utility-scale solar, large-scale battery, and wind assets. The company’s mission is to accelerate the decarbonization of the electric grid by supporting the development, operation, and integration of renewable energy and storage to meet the world’s growing clean energy needs and deliver an electric system that is clean, reliable, affordable, and equitable. Based in Burlington, MA, FirstLight is a steward of more than 14,000 acres and hundreds of miles of shoreline along some of the most beautiful rivers and lakes in North America.

In Canada, FirstLight operates through its subsidiaries H2O Power and the recently acquired Hydroméga which is headquartered in Montréal. We operate 18 hydroelectric generating stations located in Ontario and Quebec and we are one of the largest providers of hydroelectric power in these provinces. FirstLight is wholly owned by PSP Investments, one of Canada’s largest pension investment managers and we have over 200 employees in Canada and the US.

We proudly serve our host communities and beyond through our clean energy assets, the recreation spaces we steward, the jobs we produce, and the economic benefit we deliver through our operations and charitable actions.

We are a team of caring, passionate professionals who are driven to deliver positive climate impact and to have fun while doing it! We value diversity, equity and inclusion and encourage people with diverse perspectives, skills and experiences to apply.

Position Detail:

We are looking for an experienced Deputy General Counsel to join our Legal team for this remote role in the US or Canada.

In this newly created position, the Deputy General Counsel will strengthen and bring greater efficiency to FirstLight’s efforts to develop a more robust legal group. Our ideal candidate will have a broad range of skills that supports deliverables across all legal functions in both the United States and Canada.

The Deputy General Counsel will report to the General Counsel and will work across FirstLight’s business units including the Operations, Finance, Business Development, Government Relations, Communications and Commercial teams, among others, and must be able to forge partnerships with colleagues across the organization, as well as outside legal counsel.

The Deputy General Counsel will manage two lawyers and a paralegal and will work directly with company executive leadership, with an opportunity to grow professionally as the company expands. The company is therefore focused on finding candidates with the requisite experience, commitment and energy to be a key participant in FirstLight’s ongoing evolution to accelerate the decarbonization of the electric grid to meet the clean energy needs of tomorrow.

Key Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To:

Corporate Activities

• Providing general legal and business advice and assistance to key business units (e.g., finance, operations, commercial, business development, government relations, communications and human resources) in connection with day-to-day operations, contract interpretation and enforcement, and regulatory matters
• Negotiating and drafting complex commercial contracts, e.g., power purchase agreements, renewable energy certificate agreements, vendor/supplier agreements
• Ensuring contractual and regulatory compliance by suppliers, landowners and offtake customers
• Negotiating, drafting and managing intercompany agreements and complex credit and debt facilities across multiple corporate entities
• Managing Board and entity governance across the organization
• Assisting with employment/HR/labor issues and policies

Transactions

• Work with senior team members on potential acquisition, expansion and investment opportunities
• Assisting with due diligence including reviewing data room materials and disclosure schedules
• Drafting and reviewing transaction documents, including NDAs, asset purchase agreements, stock/membership purchase agreements, merger agreements, joint venture agreements, partnership agreements, financing agreements
• Overseeing and drafting deliverables for closings and post-closing matters
• Working with all business units to ensure smooth integration of new business units and assets

Project Development

• Assisting with due diligence, including real estate, regulatory and tax matters
• Drafting and reviewing project-related documents, including power purchase/offtake agreements, site control agreements, EPC agreements, OEM agreements, state and provincial incentive program applications, debt and equity project financing agreements, operations and maintenance agreements

Real Estate and Tax matters

• Managing portfolio of 14,000+ acres of real estate and hundreds of miles of shoreline
• Assisting with annual property tax filings, abatement filings, documents and processes
• Negotiating and drafting land management and land use contracts, licenses and settlements with outside parties

Operational and other business matters

• Overseeing federal, state, provincial and local regulatory matters, including filings with federal, state, provincial and local environmental and public utility agencies
• Managing litigation matters and dispute resolution processes
• Assisting with various operational matters, including contract and policy review, drafting and implementation
• Developing, maintaining and updating forms for commercial documentation
• Assessing and improving business processes
• Managing outside legal counsel

Complies with all FirstLight policies and procedures.

Carries out other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Job Qualifications / Skills

• Law degree from accredited university, required
• Bar member in at least one US state or Canadian province
• 15+ years of experience in law firms and/or in-house legal departments working directly with operations, commercial and finance departments, business development teams and suppliers, customers, vendors and partners
• Bilingual - English/French, highly preferred
• Substantial experience with federal and provincial corporate and energy law and markets in Canada
• Project development and/or project finance experience in the US and/or Canada, preferred
• Ability to identify practical solutions to complex problems
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex concepts to stakeholders
• Track record of developing strong working relationships based on trust and transparency
• Flexibility and organizational skills to manage numerous competing responsibilities of varying urgency and criticality within a fast-paced work environment
• Unyielding attention to detail while keeping an eye on the bigger picture
• Eagerness to join a growing, fast-paced, dynamic renewable energy company and determined to address climate issues and accelerate the clean energy transition
• Comfort with ambiguity and a willingness to build, experiment, and iterate when the path forward is undefined
• Nimble and relaxed sense of humor
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office
• Ability to travel within the US and Canada, approximately 5-10%.

Why Work for FirstLight?

We consider our employees to be our most valuable resource and we strive to provide a challenging, collegial, and rewarding workplace. FirstLight embraces a company-wide commitment to recruit, develop, and retain a dedicated, diverse, and engaged workforce that is motivated to be ever better both professionally and personally.

Joining the FirstLight Team is an opportunity to experience a unique and exciting culture. We offer a competitive benefits package.

FirstLight is an Equal Opportunity Employer; promoting accessibility and inclusivity at work and offering accommodation for applicants as required and requested.

FirstLight’s values are: Respect – Integrity – Safety – Excellence – Innovation - Team

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