Legal Counsel – Behind-The-Meter Power & Energy Agreements

Job Title: Legal Counsel – Behind-the-Meter Power & Energy Agreements

Department: Legal & Regulatory Affairs

Reports To: General Counsel / VP of Legal

Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Legal Counsel specializing in behind-the-meter (BTM) and onsite power generation transactions to join our growing legal team. In this role, you will serve as the primary legal advisor on structuring, negotiating, and executing agreements for onsite generation assets — primarily large-bore reciprocating engine gensets, with growing exposure to converted aeroderivative gas turbine assets (e.g., LM6000, SGT600) as that line of business scales — that supply power directly to data centers and other critical-load, commercial & industrial (C&I) hosts. You will work closely with our commercial, project development, finance, and regulatory teams to structure bankable, reliability-grade BTM power arrangements, distinct from traditional wholesale/grid-side PPA structures.

Key Responsibilities


- BTM Energy Agreement Drafting & Negotiation: Structure, draft, and negotiate Energy Services Agreements (ESAs), tolling agreements, capacity/energy sale agreements, and hosting arrangements between onsite generation asset owners and data center or C&I offtakers — as distinct from utility-facing physical/virtual PPA structures.
- Interconnection & Utility Tariff Strategy: Negotiate parallel generation and interconnection agreements with local distribution utilities, standby/backup power tariffs, buy-back and net metering arrangements, and self-generation exemption filings — governed by distribution-level utility tariffs and state PUC rules rather than RTO/ISO transmission-level interconnection queues.
- Fuel Supply & Transportation Agreements: Draft and negotiate natural gas supply, transportation, and pipeline interconnection agreements essential to fueling reciprocating engine genset fleets (and, as that scope expands, converted jet-engine turbine assets).
- Transactional Support Across the Project Lifecycle: Lead legal review of EPC contracts for genset packaging and balance-of-plant scope, Long-Term Service Agreements (LTSAs) and O&M agreements with engine OEMs/service providers, and equipment leasing or sale-leaseback financing documentation.
- Data Center Reliability & SLA Structuring: Partner with commercial teams to negotiate uptime/reliability SLAs, redundancy requirements (N+1, 2N), and critical-load risk allocation appropriate to mission-critical data center hosts.
- Regulatory Compliance & Strategy: Monitor state-level self-generation, distributed generation, and retail electric regulatory frameworks (state PUC rules, PURPA qualifying facility status) and advise executive leadership on air permitting and emissions compliance for reciprocating engine gensets (NSPS, NESHAP, Title V) — a materially different regulatory lane than ERCOT/PJM/MISO/CAISO wholesale market rules.
- Risk Management: Identify and mitigate risks specific to BTM structures — utility standby/curtailment exposure, fuel price and supply risk, performance guarantees on genset equipment, change-in-law, and force majeure.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work with originators, financial modelers, project developers, and risk officers to translate BTM commercial terms into enforceable agreements that are bankable for equipment/asset-based financing (rather than the tax-equity structures typical of utility-scale renewables).


Qualifications & Skills


- Education: Juris Doctor (J.D.) or equivalent legal degree from an accredited law school.
- Bar Admission: Active license in good standing to practice law in Missouri (or ability to obtain in-house counsel registration).
- Experience:
- 4–8+ years practicing energy law, with emphasis on behind-the-meter, distributed generation, or C&I self-generation transactions (utility-scale PPA experience is a plus but not the primary focus).
- Track record structuring EPC, O&M/LTSA, tolling, or ESA agreements for reciprocating engine genset assets; exposure to gas turbine or aeroderivative generation is a plus.
- Experience at a law firm energy practice, an engine/genset OEM or packager, a power generation lessor/financier, or in-house at a data center/colocation operator.
- Technical Knowledge:
- Strong grasp of distribution-level interconnection rules and utility tariffs (standby, parallel generation, buy-back), as distinct from RTO/ISO transmission-level rules.
- Familiarity with natural gas supply chain contracting (supply, transport, balancing).
- Solid understanding of equipment/project finance concepts relevant to leased or owned generation assets (leasing, sale-leaseback, asset-based lending).
- Soft Skills: Excellent negotiation skills, strategic business judgment, and the ability to explain complex legal and technical risk to non-lawyer executives and data center clients.


Preferred Qualifications


- Direct experience with large-bore reciprocating engine gensets (e.g., Caterpillar, Jenbacher, Wärtsilä, or similar) in BTM or distributed generation applications.
- Exposure to, or interest in, converted aeroderivative gas turbine generation (LM6000, LM5000, SGT600, or similar) as the business expands into that asset class.
- Experience negotiating data center/colocation hosting agreements or other critical-facility service agreements.
- Familiarity with equipment leasing, sale-leaseback, or asset-based lending structures for power generation equipment.
- Background in air quality/environmental permitting for combustion engines or turbines.