Job DescriptionAbout the OpportunityThis is a position with FirstEnergy Service Co., a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp.
The Legal Department provides strategic counsel that enables FirstEnergy to advance business outcomes while managing legal, regulatory, and commercial risk across the company's operating environment.
The position will serve as a primary commercial legal advisor to business units, with a focus on transactions supporting data center customers, other large-load customers, and related economic development and infrastructure initiatives.
The successful candidate will partner directly with business leaders, subject-matter experts within the Legal Department, outside counsel, and cross-functional stakeholders to structure, negotiate, draft, and manage sophisticated commercial agreements and related projects.
The position reports to the Vice President, Associate General Counsel (Securities, Corporate, Finance, M&A, Commercial, Environmental, Benefits), who is located at the corporate headquarters in Akron, Ohio.
Key Responsibilities include:- Lead and independently manage the negotiation, drafting, review, interpretation, and administration of customer-facing commercial agreements with a primary focus on data center and other large-load customers.
- Support a broad range of commercial agreements, including electric service agreements, confidentiality agreements, letters of intent, memoranda of understanding, construction-related agreements, and related transactional documents.
- Advise business clients on commercial, legal, operational, and reputational risk, and translate legal issues into practical solutions that support business objectives while protecting the company's interests.
- Partner with internal stakeholders to structure and close strategic transactions involving large customer load growth, utility service extensions, infrastructure buildouts, and economic development initiatives.
- Work closely with regulatory, engineering, operations, customer, finance, construction, procurement, and executive teams to align contract terms with technical requirements, commercial goals, and risk tolerance.
- Develop and maintain contract templates, negotiation playbooks, standard forms, approval frameworks, and contracting processes that improve consistency, speed, and scalability across large-load transactions.
- Monitor emerging legal, regulatory, market, and operational developments affecting data centers, hyperscale growth, interconnection, power procurement, infrastructure delivery, and large-load customer contracting, and advise the business proactively.
- Manage specialized outside counsel as needed to support construction, real estate, financing, regulatory, and other transaction-specific matters efficiently and strategically.
- Support the company's broader strategic growth and economic development efforts by helping create legally sound, business-friendly structures that support reliable service and long-term customer relationships.
- Provide training, guidance, and thought leadership to internal clients on contracting standards, negotiation strategy, legal risk, and best practices for commercial execution.
Required Qualifications- Juris Doctor from an accredited law school.
- Active license to practice law in the United States and good standing with at least one state bar; ability to qualify for Ohio bar admission or corporate counsel registration in Ohio within six months.
- Five or more years of legal experience, or equivalent experience, with a strong concentration in commercial transactions, customer agreements, or complex contracting.
- Significant experience negotiating and drafting sophisticated commercial agreements, preferably in a business-facing in-house environment, a top-tier law firm, or both.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain legal issues clearly to non-lawyers and negotiate effectively with customers and counterparties.
- Strong business judgment, analytical ability, and decision-making skills, with the maturity to exercise independent judgment on complex matters.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment, deliver high-quality work under deadline, and collaborate effectively across functions and levels of the organization. Experience working with all levels of the organization, including senior management, is preferred.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience in one or more of the following areas: utility industry, energy sector, infrastructure development, data centers, technology transactions, commercial contracting, construction and engineering agreements, economic development projects, corporate transactions, or large customer/key account support.
- Experience supporting customer-facing commercial transactions involving electric service, power procurement, interconnection, infrastructure delivery, or other large-load arrangements.
- Experience negotiating high-value agreements with sophisticated counterparties and balancing legal protection with business velocity.
- Experience partnering with cross-functional business teams such as sales, customer/account management, development, operations, engineering, finance, procurement, and project delivery.
- Familiarity with contract lifecycle management tools, template development, playbooks, and legal process improvement.
- Exposure to regulated environments or legal issues tied to utility service, energy procurement, interconnection, infrastructure projects, or data center development.
Additional Qualifications- Ability to provide sound legal advice that is responsive to the business needs of FirstEnergy.
- Ability to respond to clients' needs consistent with corporate values, strategies, risks, and objectives.
- Manages outside counsel to deliver quality and cost-effective expert legal guidance on legal matters as necessary.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office tools, including Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Copilot, and Word.
Benefits, Compensation & Workforce DiversityAt FirstEnergy, employees are key to our success. We depend on their talents to meet the challenges of our changing business environment. We are committed to rewarding individual and team efforts through our total rewards philosophy which includes competitive pay plus incentive compensation, a company-sponsored pension plan, 401(k) savings plan with matching employer contribution, a choice of medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, and life insurance programs, as well as skills development training with tuition reimbursement. Please visit our website at www.firstenergycorp.com to learn more about all of our employee rewards programs. FirstEnergy proudly supports workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with a disability. No recruiters or agencies without a previously signed contract. Unable to sponsor or transfer H-1B visas at this time.
SafetySafety is a core value for FirstEnergy and is essential to all of our business activities. We ensure employees have the tools, information, and processes to perform their duties in a manner that assures safety for themselves, their co-workers, our customers and the public. Our goals are to provide a safe work environment, to maintain an accident-free, injury-free workplace, and to promote and maintain public safety. To meet these goals, we dedicate ourselves to achieving world-class safety standards.
