Lead Counsel - Projects

About the role

TotalEnergies is hiring a Lead Counsel for Projects in Houston, Texas. The role provides primary legal support to TotalEnergies' U.S. affiliates, focusing on project agreements from site control through commercial operation, financing and ongoing operations. It holds primary in-house accountability for project matters across U.S. branches and acts as the principal escalation point below the Deputy General Counsel.

Key responsibilities

• Negotiate, draft and review complex commercial agreements such as consulting, acquisition, joint venture, real property, interconnection, PPAs, feedstock, equipment supply, EPC, debt and tax equity financing, tax credit transfer and O&M agreements.
• Serve as the main legal point of contact for business units and manage day-to-day legal support for commercial transactions, development, offtake, feedstock, project execution and financing.
• Support M&A by conducting legal due diligence on target projects and assisting with partial and whole sell-down transactions.
• Advise, present to and influence senior management on legal, regulatory, policy and commercial matters, and lead enterprise-level legal issues.
• Identify, mitigate and manage legal, financial and reputational risk, and advise on regulatory compliance and tax credit principles.
• Develop and administer legal budgets, including those for outside counsel, and manage cross-border experts and external legal advice.
• Lead legal know-how initiatives, including templates, playbooks, training, process improvements and digital and AI-enabled legal solutions.

Required profile

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school or international equivalent, licensed and in good standing to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Minimum 8+ years of legal experience covering complex regulatory, commercial, transactional and litigation matters.
• Experience managing multi-jurisdictional and cross-border matters and leading complex projects.
• Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to advise senior leadership.
• Professional fluency in English; French is a plus.

Required skills

• Knowledge of U.S. legal and regulatory frameworks and the energy industry, including FERC, NERC, ERCOT, PJM and state regulations.
• Ability to assess legal and business risks and work in global, cross-functional, matrixed organizations.

What we offer

• Benefits available from day one: PTO, medical, dental and vision care, HSA with company contributions, health FSA, commuter benefits or paid parking, 401(k) with employer match, pension plan, life and accident insurance, parental leave, education assistance and fitness subsidy.
• Office-based employees collaborate three days a week and work from home two days a week.