Country United States / US
City HOUSTON
AreaTexas
Workplace location HOUSTON-LOUISIANA STREET(USA)
Employer company TotalEnergies American Services, Inc.
Domain Legal & Compliance
Type of contract Regular position
Experience Minimum 6 years
Context & EnvironmentActivitiesThe Lead Counsel provides strategic legal support for commercial transactions, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, project development, financing, and operational activities across TotalEnergies' U.S. businesses. This role serves as a key legal partner to stakeholders across the organization, helping identify, mitigate, and manage legal, financial, regulatory, and reputational risks while supporting the company's growth and transformation objectives. The position also contributes to legal knowledge management initiatives, process improvements, and the implementation of innovative tools and practices that enhance legal service delivery.
Key Responsibilities: - Provide primary legal support to TotalEnergies U.S. affiliates across the full transaction and asset lifecycle, including mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, project development, financing activities, and operational assets.
- Lead, negotiate, draft, and review a broad range of complex commercial, project, financing, and transactional agreements, including acquisition and divestiture agreements, joint venture agreements, power purchase agreements (PPAs), EPC agreements, financing documents, real estate agreements, interconnection agreements, and other strategic commercial contracts.
- Support and lead M&A transactions, including due diligence, acquisitions, project sell-downs, divestitures, and strategic partnership opportunities.
- Serve as a trusted legal advisor and primary point of contact for business stakeholders, providing guidance on commercial, regulatory, compliance, and operational matters while managing legal risk across high-value transactions and projects.
- Partner with senior leadership to assess legal, financial, regulatory, and reputational risks and support business objectives through practical, commercially focused legal solutions.
- Manage outside counsel and legal budgets and support the development of policies, procedures, training materials, and legal best practices to enhance organizational effectiveness and compliance.
Candidate ProfileExperience & Qualifications Required: - Juris Doctor (JD) from an ABA-accredited law school or international equivalent; licensed and in good standing to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
- Minimum 8+ years of legal experience, including advising on complex regulatory, commercial, transactional, and litigation matters.
- Strong knowledge of U.S. legal and regulatory frameworks, with experience managing multi-jurisdictional and cross-border legal matters.
- Demonstrated ability to assess legal and business risks, provide practical legal guidance, and influence strategic decision-making.
- Experience leading complex projects, managing competing priorities, and collaborating across legal, commercial, and operational teams.
- Excellent written, verbal, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to effectively advise and influence senior leadership.
- Working knowledge of the energy industry and associated regulatory environments, including FERC, NERC, ERCOT, PJM, and state regulatory frameworks.
- Proven ability to work effectively within global, cross-functional, and matrixed organizations.
- Professional fluency in English required; French language skills are a plus.
- Demonstrated commitment to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and professional responsibility.
