Senior M&A Attorney

Net Zero Search is partnering exclusively with a well-capitalised US power and energy infrastructure business to appoint its first dedicated Senior M&A Attorney .

This is a newly created, high-impact role that will take ownership of M&A activity across the platform, while also supporting associated financing and other complex transactional matters.

The successful attorney will work closely with senior legal and business leadership across finance, development and asset management, supporting acquisitions, divestitures, strategic investments and portfolio transactions involving power and energy infrastructure assets.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and support acquisitions, divestitures and strategic investments involving power and energy infrastructure assets.
• Draft, review and negotiate LOIs, purchase and sale agreements, equity investment agreements, joint venture agreements and other transaction documents.
• Manage legal due diligence and advise on transaction structuring, legal risk and risk mitigation.
• Take transactions from initial structuring and term sheet through negotiation, signing and closing.
• Support financing and refinancing activity associated with acquisitions and operating assets.
• Review and negotiate credit agreements, security documents, intercreditor arrangements and equity contribution agreements.
• Support portfolio optimisation and asset-sale transactions.
• Manage and direct external counsel where appropriate.
• Partner closely with finance, development, asset management, tax and senior executive stakeholders.
• Provide practical, commercially focused legal advice that balances risk, speed and business objectives.

Candidate Profile

The business is focused primarily on finding an attorney with strong transactional capability and the confidence to independently execute complex deals.

Candidates should ideally have:

• A J.D. from an accredited US law school.
• Active membership in good standing in at least one US jurisdiction.
• Strong M&A experience, ideally involving power, energy, infrastructure or other asset-intensive businesses.
• Experience negotiating acquisition, investment and joint venture documentation.
• Exposure to project finance, acquisition finance or other complex financing transactions.
• The ability to independently manage transactions rather than simply coordinate external counsel.
• Strong commercial judgement and risk-assessment skills.
• Experience working with senior investment, finance and operating professionals.
• Strong executive-level communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• A collaborative, commercially minded and low-ego approach.

Experience within power generation or the broader energy industry is highly desirable. Candidates may come from an IPP, utility, infrastructure investor, private equity or infrastructure fund, energy company or leading law firm with significant energy and power transactional experience.

Previous in-house power-generation experience would be attractive but is not essential where the candidate has sufficiently strong M&A and sector credentials.

Working Environment

This is an individual-contributor position with no direct reports and significant exposure to senior legal and business leadership.

The role is based in Princeton, New Jersey, with the current working pattern requiring employees to be in the office Tuesday through Thursday.

Candidates should therefore be within realistic commuting distance of Princeton, including relevant locations across New Jersey, New York and the Greater Philadelphia area.

Travel is limited, although occasional work outside normal business hours may be required during active transactions.