Director, Commercial Contracts

Job Overview

Net Power Inc., a Houston‑based energy technology and project development company, is seeking a Director, Commercial Contracts. The role owns the operational backbone of the contracting process—from first drafts and signature routing through post‑execution obligation management. The Director works closely with General Counsel, Commercial, Operations, Finance, Project Management, and Supply Chain stakeholders to ensure project agreements move efficiently from negotiation to execution and that all obligations, deadlines, and milestones are tracked and met. A law degree is not required; the Director does not provide legal advice, and legal‑risk determinations rest with counsel. This position is based on‑site in Houston, TX.

Key Responsibilities

• Contract Execution & Lifecycle Management
  • Own end‑to‑end contract execution across project agreements, including final redline coordination, verification of signature authority, routing, execution, and filing.
  • Maintain and administer the contract lifecycle management (CLM) system and repository, ensuring executed agreements, amendments, and ancillary documents are properly filed, version‑controlled, and accessible.
  • Coordinate approval and signature routing across Commercial, Operations, Finance, and Legal in line with delegations of authority.
  • Prepare and maintain diligence trackers, closing checklists, and signature packages for project and financing transactions.
  • Coordinate counterparty and supplier onboarding, including diligence, insurance certificates, and system records.
• Obligation Management
  • Build and maintain obligation‑tracking and compliance calendars covering conditions precedent, notice deadlines, performance milestones, long‑lead procurement dates, consent rights, renewal/termination windows, reporting obligations, and insurance/credit support requirements.
  • Monitor internal and counterparty compliance, administer contract notices and change‑order logs during construction, flag upcoming deadlines, and escalate potential breaches to General Counsel and relevant business owners.
  • Maintain a master contract status tracker and report regularly to General Counsel, executive leadership, and, as requested, the Board on execution status, obligation compliance, and negotiation pipeline.
• Drafting & Negotiation
  • Prepare first drafts and negotiate NDAs, letters of intent, vendor and services agreements, and other recurring commercial documents using approved templates and playbooks; escalate deviations to General Counsel.
  • Support negotiation of project agreements under the direction of General Counsel and alongside outside counsel by preparing markups, tracking open issues and redline logs, and coordinating input from Commercial, Operations, and Finance stakeholders.
  • Maintain standard contract templates, playbooks, fallback positions, and the delegation of authority matrix in partnership with General Counsel.
  • Serve as day‑to‑day liaison between Legal, business stakeholders, and outside counsel to keep negotiations moving and ensure business terms are accurately reflected.
• Legal Operations & Cross‑Functional Coordination
  • Partner with outside counsel on contract drafting and negotiation logistics; track outside counsel scope, budgets, and invoices against agreed rates and staffing.
  • Support broader legal‑operations processes, including matter intake, workflow tools, and continuous improvement of contracting processes.

Required Qualifications

• Eight or more years of professional experience in energy, power, or infrastructure, including at least four years with direct responsibility for negotiating and closing commercial agreements.
• Demonstrated ownership of at least one executed utility‑scale power purchase agreement or comparable long‑term commercial agreement.
• Strong process discipline and organizational skills, with experience tracking post‑execution obligations across a portfolio of agreements.
• Comfort operating in a small organization with high transaction volume, compressed timelines, and direct interaction with senior stakeholders in Commercial, Operations, Finance, and outside counsel.
• Excellent drafting, markup, and redlining skills on commercial terms; meticulous attention to detail; ability to work from templates and playbooks with limited supervision.
• Bachelor’s degree.
• Ability to work on‑site in Houston, Texas, and travel to project sites as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with behind‑the‑meter or co‑located load, large‑load interconnection, or data‑center power supply.
• ERCOT market experience.
• Exposure to gas‑fired generation, EPC contracting, or long‑lead equipment procurement.
• Ability to read, interrogate, and stress‑test project financial models.
• Experience implementing or administering a contract lifecycle management system.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to operate a computer and sit for long periods of time.
• Ability to repeat motions that may include the wrists, hands, or fingers.

Schedule

Net Power offers a hybrid work schedule: three days in the office and two days remote. Occasional travel to project sites and Board meetings is expected. Project site visits require completion of site‑safety orientation and use of personal protective equipment.