Associate General Counsel- NorthStar Clean Energy

NorthStar Clean Energy decarbonizes the economy by providing clean energy and carbon management solutions to utility, municipal, commercial, and industrial customers enabling them to meet their sustainability and business goals. Additionally, we own and operate natural gas assets throughout the United States. To learn more about NorthStar Clean Energy, please visit www.northstarcleanenergy.com.

This position is with NorthStar Clean Energy, a CMS Energy company, and is not a position of employment with Consumers Energy.   

The Associate General Counsel of NorthStar Clean Energy will provide legal and risk advice and recommendations to NorthStar leaders regarding a variety of matters with varying complexity. They will be a core part of the NorthStar leadership team and will weigh in on legal and risk team hiring and managing the work of subordinate legal professionals.

The Associate General Counsel will be regarded as the Subject Matter Expert in applicable laws and regulations related to energy and/or have an extensive network of expertise. They will be responsible for ensuring appropriate outside counsel for regulatory and transactional matters are retained and consulted to ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. They will handle complex transactions in the energy or commodity space and be the primary liaison with outside counsel during transactions providing creativity and legal expertise on behalf of NorthStar Clean Energy. The types of transactions envisioned include PPAs, VPPAs, debt raises, equity raises, asset sales, and major equipment procurements.

Knowledge / Skills / and Abilities:

• Has demonstrated dependability characteristics of a Senior Attorney
• Expertise in energy contracts and/or complex commodity transactions
• Has the highest level of verbal and written communication ability
• Ability to handle multiple projects, and the ability to meet competing deadlines
• Knowledge of state and federal laws and regulations in legal specialty, including FERC
• Ability to analyze, and through appropriate inquiry, develop facts and provide advice on the applicable law
• General knowledge of regulatory requirements, including those of FERC
• Ability to handle legal work of the highest complexity and to analyze and advise on acceptable deviations from the routine in novel circumstances, including the demonstrated ability to form reasonable and defensible legal opinions, advice, and recommendations on issues lacking clear legal answers
• Standard-setter in their practice area and a leader of cases or projects at the highest level of complexity, including the ability to handle multiple critical projects without compromising deadlines or quality of representation
• Ability to advise clients on strategic decisions important to the client
• Expertise in risk management and risk management processes within specific contracts as well as across a business

We encourage you to apply if you have:

(an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered and reviewed)

• Experience as an attorney with a law firm and/or or in-house counsel, with demonstrated leadership, management skills, and/or experience in energy or commodity related businesses
• Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school
• Admission to Michigan's or other acceptable jurisdiction's state bar
• 10+ years of experience

In this role, you will:

• Build a team of 2-3 people to run the legal and risk function
• Provide expert legal advice to client groups by conducting legal research, interpreting rulings and analyzing difficult and novel legal questions. Keeps clients abreast of developments in the relevant legal practice area, explains legal concepts, develops strategies to mitigate legal risk
• Serve as an expert leader and advisor, providing legal counsel on a broad range of significant corporate and business matters of the highest complexity. Carries out assignments independently and makes final legal determinations in matters of critical importance to the Company. Drafts, reviews, and negotiates a wide variety of contracts and other legal documents, ensuring that the organization’s interests are protected
• Manage outside counsel and legal vendors
• Proactively identify, assess, and manage legal risks associated with the business's activities. Assist with the development and implementation of policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations in coordination with corporate legal
• Manage the overall risk processes for the business
• Act as the corporate secretary, capturing minutes from board meetings, drafting board resolutions, and managing the overall board of directors process
• Represent the company externally in matters such as negotiations, regulatory or court proceedings, or meetings with customers or other stakeholders
• Provide guidance to lower-level Attorneys and Paralegals to assist them in accomplishing their work. Oversees the work of other legal staff to provide support on active cases of greater complexity. Manages outside counsel and legal vendors
• Draft legal memoranda, opinions, and pleadings. Contributes to the development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations
• Handle the most complex matters within their area of legal expertise. Represents the company externally, on highly complex matters dealing with negotiations, regulatory, or court proceedings, or meetings with customers or other stakeholders
• Other non-essential duties as assigned or may be necessary

Why should you join our team?

At NorthStar Clean Energy, we offer more than just a place to work. We foster a culture that supports career development, growth, and stability, and we take pride in offering our co-workers excellent benefits and compensation packages. We are deliberately creating an inclusive culture that makes our diverse team of co-workers feel valued, supported, and empowered every day. We're a company made up of thousands of people, all with different stories to share and work to do, but we stand united in our company purpose: world class performance delivering hometown service.

What we offer:

• Competitive compensation packages
• Medical, Dental and Vision
• 401k with company match
• Paid parental leave
• Up to 13 paid Holidays
• Paid time off
• Educational Assistance Program

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: 

We, at NorthStar Clean Energy, value Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. It is part of our DNA. We treat our employees with respect, we treat each other fairly and we value the opinions of others. We are passionate about building and nurturing an environment where everyone feels included. We don’t discriminate. We seek to learn about each other and better understand our unique differences. Our uniqueness makes us authentic. We create safe spaces where everyone can be who they truly are. We invite difficult conversations and uncomfortable topics. We value diverse perspectives; this is what makes us great together. We harbor an inclusive environment where employees feel empowered to share their backgrounds, experiences, and ideas. Our Employee Resource Groups, Women’s Advisory Panel (WAP), Women’s in Energy (WE), Minority Advisory Panel (MAP), Pride Alliance of Consumers Energy (PACE), GENERGY, capable, Interfaith and Veterans Advisory Panel (VAP) are key enablers to living the values of our company culture: Caring, Empowered, Deliberate, Agility, and Ownership.

All qualified applicants will not be discriminated against and will receive consideration for employment without regard to protected veteran status, disability, race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.