OverviewPosition Summary:
The Vice President of Legal and Head of Regulatory Affairs will serve as Patriot Hydro's senior in-house legal advisor and lead the company's regulatory affairs function. The position will support the full hydroelectric portfolio on commercial contracts, corporate matters, regulatory compliance, FERC licensing, policy, disputes, and strategic transactions. The role will advise the CEO and other senior leaders, manage outside counsel, and supervise or coordinate the personnel and consultants responsible for regulatory matters.
The successful candidate will combine practical legal judgment with the ability to manage long-term regulatory processes and stakeholder relationships. Direct hydropower and regulatory experience is preferred, but candidates with strong experience in regulated energy or infrastructure will also be considered.
Responsibilities
Key Responsibilities:
- Act as the principal in-house legal advisor to the CEO, senior management, and business functions on matters affecting the company and its assets.
- Draft, review, and negotiate power purchase agreements, renewable attribute agreements, hedging and trading documents, interconnection agreements, equipment and service contracts, operations and maintenance agreements, real estate documents, easements, access agreements, confidentiality agreements, and other commercial contracts.
- Develop and oversee legal and regulatory strategies for FERC licenses, relicensing proceedings, license amendments, exemptions, compliance matters, and related federal and state approvals.
- Coordinate environmental and natural-resource regulatory matters, including Clean Water Act Section 401 certifications, endangered species and fisheries matters, cultural and historic resources, shoreline management, and other license-related obligations.
- Oversee compliance with applicable FERC requirements, ISO and RTO tariffs, market-based rate authority, state utility requirements, and other laws and regulations affecting the fleet.
- Manage relationships with federal and state agencies, tribal representatives, municipalities, landowners, nongovernmental organizations, industry groups, and other stakeholders involved in licensing and facility operations.
- Lead or support settlement discussions, public proceedings, comments, advocacy, legislative initiatives, and industry engagement on matters affecting hydropower and the portfolio.
- Maintain practical legal and regulatory controls, including responsibility matrices, filing calendars, contract standards, delegated authority procedures, compliance training, and escalation protocols.
- Manage disputes, claims, investigations, and litigation in coordination with management, insurers, and outside counsel.
- Advise on corporate governance, entity management, financings, insurance matters, and other corporate legal needs in coordination with the finance team.
- Support acquisitions, divestitures, financings, and other strategic transactions through due diligence, risk assessment, contract negotiation, closing, and integration.
- Select and manage outside counsel and consultants, establish scopes and budgets, and ensure that external advice is timely and commercially practical.
- Lead, develop, and coordinate the regulatory affairs team and promote consistent practices across the fleet while accounting for site-specific license and stakeholder requirements.
Qualifications
Qualifications:
- Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school and active bar membership in at least one United States jurisdiction, with the ability to satisfy applicable in-house counsel requirements.
- Five or more years of relevant legal experience, including meaningful responsibility for energy, utility, infrastructure, environmental, or other regulated businesses.
- Sound judgment and a record of providing clear, practical advice to senior executives on matters involving legal, commercial, regulatory, and reputational risk.
- Experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial contracts and managing matters from initial issue identification through resolution.
- Experience with FERC licensing, hydropower, federal energy regulation, environmental permitting, ISO and RTO matters, or utility regulation is strongly preferred.
- Ability to manage multi-year proceedings, competing deadlines, outside counsel, consultants, and internal contributors across a geographically dispersed portfolio.
- Strong written advocacy, negotiation, stakeholder-management, and executive communication skills.
- Prior leadership experience in a law firm, corporate legal department, regulatory organization, government agency, or comparable setting is preferred.
Success in the role:
Success will be measured by the quality and responsiveness of legal support, reliable execution of licensing and compliance obligations, constructive agency and stakeholder relationships, effective management of legal and regulatory risk, and the development of a consistent portfolio-wide legal and regulatory framework.
