Commercial/Transactions Counsel

About 1st Avenue Power:

At 1st Avenue Power, we are on a mission to deliver simple, fast-to-deploy, customer-centric and intelligent power systems leveraging the abundance of solar to provide inexpensive and reliable clean energy to global customers from data centers to energy starved communities around the world. We envision a future where every community, business, and nation thrives on the limitless potential of clean energy, united in a shared commitment to a sustainable and equitable world.

You will be working with Dr. Tom Buttgenbach, a clean energy technology innovator and entrepreneur who has been a driving force in making solar-based energy solutions the cheapest and most reliable energy option. Tom founded and led Avantus (formerly known as “8minute Solar Energy”), to become one of the largest and most profitable solar and energy storage companies in the United States and the largest in California, including delivering over 10% of Los Angeles’ power.  When Tom sold his interest in Avantus’ development business to KKR in mid-2024, it had delivered over $1 billion in profit and secured over $10 Billion in power purchase agreements and project financings with a pipeline of over 30 GW of solar and 90 GWh of energy storage, capable of powering the homes of more than 20 million Americans day and night. Tom’s family office investment firm, 1st Avenue Capital, is building teams for the next generation of advanced solar power system architecture and AI to aggressively drive down the cost of and equitable access to clean and reliable energy.[1] 1st Avenue’s advanced large scale power systems are addressing the increasing inadequacy of the grid to meet the massively growing power demands of the digital economy, while its intelligent distributed solar utilities are leapfrogging the grid to provide equitable access to inexpensive, clean and reliable power to underserved communities around the world.

About the Role:

Join a groundbreaking team of proven leaders at the forefront of the clean energy transition. We are building a future where sustainable energy is accessible to all. The Commercial/Transactions Counsel will support our business in navigating complex regulatory, contractual, and corporate matters. The Commercial/Transactions Counsel will play a key role in advising on a wide range of legal issues, including contract negotiation, regulatory compliance, project acquisitions, and corporate governance. This individual will work closely with internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure legal alignment with our strategic goals—especially as they relate to renewable energy projects and technological innovation.

This role is ideal for a practical, solutions-oriented lawyer who can balance protecting the business with enabling speed, flexibility, and smart risk-taking.

What Makes This Job Unique:

• Leadership Impact: As Commercial/Transactions Counsel you will have significant influence on key strategic decisions and play a vital role in shaping the future of 1st Avenue Power' energy strategy.
• Growth Potential: 1st Avenue Power and the project pipeline is in high growth mode, offering excellent opportunities for career growth and professional development.
• Co-Founder Mindset: This is an opportunity for a passionate and driven individual to join a groundbreaking team and contribute significantly to our mission. We encourage candidates who bring a co-founder mindset, with a focus on ownership, innovation, and a deep commitment to building a sustainable and equitable energy future.

Job Responsibilities:

• Draft, review, and negotiate a variety of commercial contracts, including supplier agreements in the renewables space, including EPC contracts, solar equipment supply agreements (PV, BESS, power electronics), power purchase agreements, and permitting or interconnection documentation as well as other vendor agreements, service contracts, and strategic partnership agreements.
• Provide legal support for renewable energy project acquisitions.
• Collaborate with finance, business development, and operations teams to ensure legal risk is appropriately assessed and managed.
• Support the business develop teams with customer agreements, and work with M&A team on agreements to acquire projects or other strategic transactions.
• Monitor evolving energy regulations and assist in developing policies and procedures to ensure compliance.
• Help create scalable legal processes, playbooks, templates, and risk review frameworks.
• Partner and coordinate with outside counsel.
• Other duties as assigned.

1AI Energy, the employing entity for 1st Avenue Power, and 1st Avenue Power are committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee based on race (inclusive of traits associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding), age, veteran or military status, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, reproductive decision-making, or any other legally recognized protected class under federal, state, or local law.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.. Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), and local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on 1AI Energy or 1st Avenue Power. Please inform the company's personnel representative if you need assistance completing an application or to otherwise participate in the application process. 

Join our team and make a real difference in the world.

[1: Additionally, 1st Avenue is in the business of acquiring projects where there has been a final notice-to-proceed or financial close.]