Dir Senior Counsel

We are engineers, high line workers, power plant managers, accountants, electricians, project coordinators, risk analysts, customer service operators, community representatives, safety and security specialists, communicators, human resources partners, information technology technicians and more. Together, we are 3,500 people committed to enhancing the lives of the communities we serve.

About the Role

CPS Energy is seeking a Director, Senior Counsel to join the Legal Services team to provide legal advice on a wide variety of legal matters and manage assigned team member(s). The successful candidate will be a skilled lawyer who can provide proactive advice and strategic input to internal clients on complex issues, communicate effectively with clients, customers, and external stakeholders, and operate independently while coordinating closely with peers, clients, and upper management. This position reports to the VP & Deputy General Counsel (DGC).

Responsibilities

• Provide advice and strategic input to internal clients on complex issues, communicate effectively with internal business clients and external stakeholders, and operate independently while maintaining close internal coordination with peers, clients, and upper management.
• Develop solutions and guide internal business clients through implementation by performing structured legal analysis for each issue presented.
• Proactively identify and escalate key roadblocks to the DGC early in the process.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with business clients to assist in achieving business objectives in a high-volume, dynamic environment.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements.
• Represent the company in pre-litigation and litigation matters.
• Represent the company on legal matters as assigned.
• Engage and collaborate with other legal experts within the company and, at times, outside counsel.
• Apply critical thinking to review non-legal material for legal implications that may pose a risk to the organization.
• Prepare supporting legal documents, such as agreements, memoranda, policies and procedures, and other filings.
• Direct staff in the completion of tasks.
• Provide legal counsel and advice regarding organizational compliance with all applicable laws, statutes, policies, and procedures.
• Negotiate, review, and prepare documents for commercial transactions such as procurement of goods and services, financial agreements, real estate leases, etc.
• Oversee and manage complex business matters including litigation with responsibility for managing outside counsel and controlling costs.
• Advise clients concerning the effect of and guide their participation in state and federal regulatory proceedings, including contested cases and rulemaking proceedings.
• Advise clients concerning the applicability of and restrictions on business transactions arising from Texas law governing municipalities and municipally-owned utilities.
• Understand and provide advice to clients concerning legal and regulatory compliance issues and assist in preparing for audits by regulators.
• Research, advise, and prepare memoranda and reports to clients concerning legal issues, regulatory and market activities, and electric and gas operations in monopoly and competitive markets.
• Perform other duties as required.

Requirements

• Texas State Bar license (or ability to obtain such licensure within 12 months) and member in good standing with the applicable state bar.
• Demonstrated experience as a practicing lawyer.
• Legal experience counseling clients regarding employment law issues, preferably with a large law firm or a corporate legal department.
• Extensive knowledge of employment laws and experience giving advice and counsel to HR professionals on employment matters.
• Strong communication skills, particularly drafting, negotiation, and responsiveness.
• Unquestioned ethics and integrity.
• Ability to handle both long-term and short-term goals simultaneously.
• Ability to provide practical, creative advice and high-quality work product in a fast-moving business environment.
• Strong business acumen and ability to understand business consequences of legal advice.
• Ability to work with ambiguity about legal requirements under tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a team, including interfacing effectively with other members of the legal department, other departments, senior management, vendors, and external partners.
• Valid Class C Texas Driver’s License with ability to maintain license and a safe driving record history that complies with CPS Energy’s policies, procedures, safety standards, and applicable state laws and regulations.

Skills

• Excellent time management skills
• Effective analytical and organizational skills
• Strategic learning
• Speaking and instructing
• Active listening
• Coordination
• Critical thinking
• Active learning
• Management of personnel resources
• Monitoring
• Reading comprehension
• Social perceptiveness
• Complex problem solving
• Presentation skills

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school with strong academic credentials.
• Expertise and strength in an additional legal specialty including Commercial, Transactional, Litigation, State and Federal Regulatory, Environmental, Energy, and Privacy/Data Security.
• Strong preference for multi-skilled lawyers with knowledge of the Texas energy markets and municipal procurement in Texas.
• Knowledge of Texas energy markets and municipal procurement in Texas.
• Experience with the Texas Public Information Act (“Open Records”) and the Texas Open Meetings Act.

Competencies

• Demonstrating Initiative
• Communicates Effectively
• Evaluating and Implementing Ideas
• Delivering High Quality Work
• Learning Quickly
• Acting Decisively

Working Environment

• Indoor work, operating computer, manual dexterity, talking, hearing, repetitive motion.
• Use of personal computing equipment, telephone, multi-functioning printer, and calculator.
• Ability to travel to and from meetings, training sessions, or other business-related events.
• After-hours work may be required.

Physical Demands

• Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body.
• Sedentary work involving sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.