Director, Legal - Development and Operations

About Us

Highland Electric Fleets’ electrification-as-a-service (EaaS) model aims to make electric school buses and other clean heavy duty vehicles attainable for every district across the US and Canada. Our turnkey solution tackles financing, vehicle procurement, infrastructure upgrade and maintenance to create a reliable and affordable fleet for our customers.

We know that cleaner buses create healthier communities and it’s our mission to eliminate the barriers to better student health and cleaner air - just 10 electric buses will reduce the pediatric asthma risk for 1,500 students!*

We are looking for candidates that want to help support this mission…

*Source: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Based on estimates for Highland customer with large fleet

We are hiring an attorney to lead all legal aspects of supporting our Operations business unit in the development, construction, and ongoing operations of charging stations, related infrastructure, and electric vehicle fleets.

The ideal candidate has at least 6 years of relevant legal experience, which may include law firm, and/or in-house experience. Experience in renewable energy projects, real estate development, public infrastructure, or fleet leasing is preferred. The candidate must have experience in all facets of construction contracting and management, as well as related areas including real estate, permitting and entitlements, and risk management.

This role is also customer-facing to negotiate customer contract change orders, amendments, and contract interpretation. We operate in a fast-paced startup environment and the candidate should be willing to take on an array of matters and, when necessary, pitch in on matters where the candidate has less experience or that are outside of the candidate’s designated area of responsibility.

• Develop a suite of forms that support scale and efficiency in build out and management of electric vehicle depots, including design, engineering, equipment procurement, construction, operations and maintenance agreements;

• Draft and negotiate construction contracts (including through AIA forms) for non-standard projects such as micro-grids, solar carport and support Operations business unit in ongoing management of contracts;

• Construction agreement change order management and negotiations;
• Negotiate vendor supply and purchase agreements, and related warranty and service level terms, for EVSE, electric vehicles, charge management software, and other material products and services;

• Support procurement team on program agreements and volume purchase arrangements;
• Coordinate with finance team on closing of draws on construction and warehouse debt facilities, including responding to finance party due diligence;

• Coordinate with the finance team and on vehicle registration and titling matters;
• Support development team on entitlement matters, including use and storm water permits, and site control agreements including licenses, easements, leases and purchases;

• Analyze and mitigate environmental risks, including risks associated with underground storage tanks at vehicle depots;

• Support customer success with questions relating to billing matters and contract interpretation generally;

• Negotiate change orders and amendments to transportation equipment services agreement with customers to reflect project design changes and fleet operational goals;

• Support risk management function, including monitoring and making recommendations for adjustments to Highland’s insurance portfolio, advising on operational risks and mitigations, and evaluating risks in light of applicable laws and regulatory regimes;
• Manage disputes, dispute resolution, and litigation concerning infrastructure development and fleet operations;

• Concisely summarize key legal and risk items as well as other elements of transaction terms for executive team, Operations, and legal team members;

• Support and mentor junior legal team members across all areas of work;
• Coordinate with team members to ensure alignment between various business teams and ensure alignment in execution and delivery of scalable solutions;

• Ensure project contracts and delivery conform to applicable compliance regimes, including applicable safety laws, customer requirements, and local, state, and federal incentive requirements;

• Manage outside counsel, as needed, to achieve the desired outcomes;
• Provide pragmatic, business-minded guidance to internal team members; and
• Manage or assist with special projects, including capital markets transactions, M&A, and joint ventures.

• Draft and negotiate transportation equipment service agreements, our primary revenue contract; and

• Support finance in legal team members in negotiating and closing project financings; and
• Develop, and assist Operations in development of, educational tools for our customer success team members in customer-facing communications.

• At least 6 years as practicing attorney in relevant fields
• Broad functional understanding of infrastructure project development and construction
• Excellent business and legal judgment and the ability to work flexibly with a variety of internal and external stakeholders

• Ability to provide sound advice that considers both short and long-term business objectives
• Ability and availability to work at least two (2) days a week in-office at the company’s Beverly, MA headquarters (for highly qualified candidates, fully remote work may be considered)

• JD, with membership in at least one U.S. state bar
• Eligible to work in the United States (visa support not provided)

What You Can Expect from Highland:

· Competitive base salary and performance-based bonus program

· A supportive, highly collaborative, team-oriented environment

· Opportunities to make a difference, be heard, add value, and be recognized

· Growth and development with a leader in this new and exciting industry

· Ability to work with bright, innovative, and forward-thinking colleagues

· Health, Vision, and Dental coverage for employees & their dependents

· Life insurance, public transportation assistance

· Generous Paid Time Off

· 401(k) program and company match

Highland Electric Fleets provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Highland Electric Fleets complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.