The Managing Counsel, Environmental and Regulatory reports to the Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Litigation, Employment, Environmental and Regulatory, and leads a team of attorneys and legal professionals within a large corporate law department at a publicly traded, international energy company.
This role carries responsibility for the full scope of Phillips 66's environmental, health, safety, and regulatory legal function - spanning refining, midstream, and energy transition operations across multiple states and jurisdictions. The successful candidate brings deep substantive expertise and the business acumen to serve as a proactive advisor who anticipates risk, engages early, and helps the business get ahead of problems before they become disputes.
At Phillips 66, Lead Forward is our leadership approach. It defines how leaders show up, make decisions, and support their teams while delivering results in a complex, fast-changing environment. Leaders who lead other leaders are expected to scale strong leadership across teams. This includes coaching leaders, aligning work to strategy, and breaking down barriers so teams can work together effectively. You'll guide others through change, encourage sound decision making, and ensure accountability for results.
What You'll DoTeam Leadership and Talent Development- Lead, manage, and develop a team of environmental and regulatory attorneys and legal professionals, setting priorities, allocating workload, and fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
- Collaborate with senior legal leadership on team structure, succession planning, and the development of lawyers with strong business acumen who can serve as genuine business partners.
- Direct the work of both in-house attorneys and outside counsel across a broad and active docket, driving quality, efficiency, and value.
Enforcement, Compliance, and Regulatory Counseling- Lead strategy on significant multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional enforcement matters, including defense of federal and state regulatory inspections, administrative proceedings, consent decrees, deferred prosecution agreements, and penalty negotiations with EPA, DOJ, and state environmental agencies.
- Oversee compliance with existing consent decrees and settlement obligations, including coordination with third-party auditors, compliance monitors, and agency counterparts.
- Serve as senior legal advisor to Refining, Midstream, and other operational business units on complex environmental and regulatory compliance matters, including during facility idling, operational transitions, and incident response.
- Monitor and advise on legal and regulatory developments, emerging enforcement trends, and evolving policy changes that may affect Phillips 66 operations.
- Partner closely with HSE, Operations, Compliance, and other stakeholders to anticipate regulatory developments and support consistent decision-making across the enterprise.
- Serve as a senior legal resource in environmental crisis management situations, directing incident response strategy, agency communications, and post-incident compliance integration.
- Expertise and experience with procuring environmental and land use permits in California and other jurisdictions, including processes, procedures, and documents specifically utilized for California Environmental Quality Act compliance.
- Expertise and experience with the California air pollution regulatory regime, including local air quality management districts and the Air Resources Board.
- Expertise and experience with other California HSE agencies, including CalEPA, DTSC, CalOSHA, and Regional Water Quality Control Boards.
Transactions, Projects, and External Engagement- Provide strategic legal guidance on environmental aspects of facility redevelopment, remediation, water rights, permitting, and engagement with regulatory agencies in connection with reuse or divestiture of industrial properties.
- Support environmental aspects of business development transactions and major infrastructure projects, including due diligence, liability allocation, NEPA and CEQA review, and coordination with outside permitting counsel.
- Advise and coordinate with Government Affairs on environmental regulatory developments at the federal and state levels, including climate change policy and renewable fuels regulation.
- Represent Phillips 66 through engagement with trade associations on regulatory and litigation strategy, policy positions, and working groups.
What You'll Bring - Required- Legally authorized to work in the job posting country
- J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association
- Member in good standing of any U.S. bar
- 15 or more years as a lawyer with substantial environmental, health, safety, and regulatory experience in energy, refining, midstream, or petrochemical industries
- Experience leading or managing teams of attorneys and legal professionals, with a track record of developing talent and building high-performing groups
What Makes You Stand Out - Preferred- Experience negotiating resolutions with EPA, DOJ, and state agencies in consent decree, deferred prosecution agreement, or administrative settlement contexts
- Familiarity with NEPA, CEQA, and federal and state permitting frameworks applicable to pipeline and energy infrastructure projects
- Experience with environmental considerations in SEC disclosure and federal and state financial assurance programs
- Experience providing advice to clients in crisis management situations
- Broad working knowledge of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, RCRA, PHMSA, RMP regulations, Endangered Species Act, Oil Pollution Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and USACE permitting requirements
- Experience advising on facility redevelopment, remediation, and asset transactions in complex industrial environments
- Experience with analysis and reconciliation of conflicting international regulations and standards as well as asset disposition abroad
- Reputation as a proactive, solutions-oriented business partner; strong ability to build trust and alignment with senior business stakeholders across functions
- Superior negotiation, advocacy, and judgment in high-stakes regulatory and enforcement settings
- Comprehensive analytical, conceptual, problem-solving, planning, evaluation, and legal project management skills
- Demonstrated ability to use AI-enabled tools and technologies responsibly and effectively to improve work quality, speed, and decision-making
- Demonstrated experience managing significant, multi-jurisdictional environmental enforcement and compliance matters with strategic independence and sound judgment
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to counsel senior business leaders and engage effectively with regulators, opposing counsel, and non-lawyer audiences
- Ability to operate with substantial autonomy, take ownership across a broad portfolio, and drive work to resolution
- Managing or participating in cross functional project teams, with the ability to lead by both persuasion and authority
Compensation Range This position has a base salary range of $295,200- $360,800.
At Phillips 66, we are committed to pay transparency and competitive, equitable compensation. Each role is assigned a salary grade with a defined pay range, benchmarked against industry peers. Where a candidate offer falls within the posted range depends on the candidate's experience, skills, and alignment with the role's requirements. Offers are made to ensure internal equity and market competitiveness. Our compensation programs are designed to reward performance and support career growth.
Total RewardsAt Phillips 66, providing access to high quality programs and care for you and your family is important to us. Maintaining a culture of well-being - physical, emotional, social, and financial - is essential for a high-performing organization. When we are at our best, we are poised to deliver exceptional results - personally and professionally. Benefits for certain eligible, full-time employees include:
- Annual Variable Cash Incentive Program (VCIP) bonus
- 8% 401k company match
- Cash Balance Account pension
- Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits with an annual company contribution to a Health Savings Account for employees on HDHP
- Total well-being programs and incentives, including Employee Assistance Plan, well-being reimbursement, and backup family care services
Learn more about
Phillips 66 Total Rewards.
