Contracts Counsel

Work Location/Schedule: Hybrid in office 3 days per week, commutable distance to one of our offices Arlington VA, Alpharetta, GA or Houston, TX.

ABOUT FLUENCE

Fluence, a Siemens and AES company, is the global market leader in energy storage technology solutions and services, combining the agility of a technology company with the expertise, vision and financial backing of two well-established and respected industry giants. Building on the pioneering work of AES Energy Storage and Siemens energy storage, our goal is to create a more sustainable future by transforming the way we power our world. Providing design, delivery and integration, Fluence offers proven energy storage technology solutions that address the diverse needs and challenges of customers in a rapidly transforming energy landscape. 

Do others come to you for your subject matter expertise? Are you excited by the challenge of working in a start-up atmosphere with a purpose? Do you enjoy building positive working relationships with business stakeholders and enjoy teaching them how to improve their processes by embracing a controls-oriented mindset? 

Fluence is defined by its unwavering commitment to safety, quality, and integrity. We take personal ownership in what we do, developing trust in our relationships with internal and external stakeholders. We firmly believe in having honest, forthcoming, and fair communications. 

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Contracts Counsel will have a front-line role in negotiating, drafting and administering Fluence’s contracts with customers and suppliers. This position offers an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the complex commercial arrangements of a global organization and the growing Americas Legal Department.

Responsibilities

As Contracts Counsel you will have the following responsibilities on any given day:

1. In collaboration with Sales and Commercial Finance Management, you will help negotiate equipment sale agreements, EPC contracts, long-term services agreements, software agreements (SaaS), procurement agreements, and a variety of other commercial arrangements.

2. You will have a lead role in drafting the aforementioned contracts, with assistance from the commercial, technical and other legal personnel involved in each project.

3. You will provide support for the documentation involved in making commercial offers and RFP responses.

4. You will help to create, manage and update the company’s contract templates and provide input to risk profiles.

5. You will assist in the handover of projects from the contracting team to the implementation team, by properly assembling, archiving and summarizing the documents.

6. Most Fluence people wear multiple hats. On any given day you might provide overflow legal support on a variety of topics including claims and disputes. Nobody at Fluence says “that’s not my job!”

What will the ideal candidate bring to Fluence:

• You are responsible, agile, leading and fun. (Hint: these are Fluence’s core values, and we mean it. Seriously.)
• You have a minimum of 5 years (preferably 7+ years) experience as a front-line negotiator of complex commercial transactions. A meaningful of amount of that experience has involved sitting “first chair” in contract negotiations. You enjoy boring your family and friends with your vast knowledge of payment terms, logistics, warranty clauses and liability limitations.
• You have a minimum of 5 years (preferably 7+ years) experience drafting complex commercial contracts. You eat contracts for breakfast and can write them in your sleep.
• Are licensed to practice law and eligible to legally work in the location where you live.
• You preferably bring experience in industrial equipment, construction or utility projects. If your experience comes from the renewable energy or energy storage sector including any experience with EPC contracts, we might think you are very fancy indeed. However, we care more about your ninja-like contracting skills than what industry or position you come from.
• You have excellent judgment, both in business and interpersonal matters, except you like lawyers. People sometimes tell you “Wow, I didn’t know lawyers could be cool.”
• You have impeccable ethics and a commitment to compliance and safety. (We don’t make jokes about compliance or safety.)
• You exude strong interpersonal skills, flexibility and a highly self-motivated work style. In a room full of industrial-grade rock stars, you’ll blend in like a chameleon.