Senior Counsel, Commercial Transactions -- IT

Requisition ID # 175288 

Job Category: Legal 

Job Level: Attorney

Business Unit: Gen Counsel, Ethics, Risk & Compliance

Work Type: Hybrid

Job Location: Oakland

Department Overview

The Law Department provides timely, efficient, and business-focused legal services to the company.  The Law Department’s substantive legal activities fall into a number of categories, including litigation, regulatory, transactions, and corporate services. The Commercial Law team provides strategic and transactional legal support to clients across a broad spectrum of matters, touching on all aspects of the business.  While the work is primarily transactional in nature, there may be project development and regulatory aspects, as well as contract dispute advice and counsel, to the role.

Position Summary

The Senior Counsel is responsible for providing legal support to Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Supply Chain organization, including assisting in the development and negotiation of commercial contracts that support PG&E’s utility operations.  In particular, the Senior Counsel will support the review, drafting, and negotiation of information technology (IT) – related requests for proposals and contracts.  This role will also include negotiating and providing advice and counsel for large strategic transactions, as well as assisting with contractual disputes and other contract administration advice and counsel.

The IT contracting process is a fast-paced environment requiring a responsive, thoughtful, and detail-oriented individual capable of identifying critical risks, prioritizing work, and collaborating with groups across the company. The Senior Counsel will work with other functional areas within the company when the transactions call for the necessary expertise, such as insurance, cybersecurity, AI, privacy, tax, and business and commercial requirements.

This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and your assigned work location based on business need. The assigned work location will be within the PG&E Service Territory.

Reporting

The Senior Counsel, Commercial Transactionsreports to the Managing Counsel for Commercial Law within the PG&E Law Department.  This role is a high level individual contributor role that requires the ability to influence leaders and peers; and successfully communicating highly complex transactions.

Job Responsibilities 

• Primary legal reviewer for IT-related contracts, including software (SaaS and on-premise), managed services, staff augmentation, and hardware procurement and maintenance agreements.
• Provide counsel to PG&E’s Supply Chain organization and other business units on technology procurement, strategic sourcing, vendor performance, and other forms of key commercial agreements. 
• Develop and maintain ongoing relationships with external supply chain vendors, including leading negotiations with external partners and suppliers.
• Draft and maintain forms/templates for a variety of supply chain agreements including detailed negotiation position documents.
• Develop processes and procedures for utility requirements impacting supply chain and other business unit activities.
• Provide training to internal customers on contract drafting, negotiation, management issues and best practices.
• Support legal operations and processes, including template agreements, playbooks and back-stop negotiating and drafting positions.
• Provide practical legal advice and sound business judgment on a range of relevant supply chain legal and operational matters, including supplier risk management, corporate social responsibility, and the various requirements that impact utility supply chain activities.
• Support contract management teams with identified legal issues in connection with ongoing or completed projects and assist contract management and litigation team members with complex commercial disputes and other dispute resolution processes with general guidance.
• Coordinate with outside counsel supporting specific legal issues.

Background Qualifications

Minimum

• Bachelor's degree and Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school
• Law Bar admission, US
• US state bar active member in good standing
• Ten (10) years of legal experience (post J.D.) or other industry experience relevant to the position, of which at least 7 years must be experience working as a transactional attorney.

Desired

• Licensed to practice law in California or Registered In-House Counsel permit, CA
• Experience in the energy sector
• Experience advising on commercial and transactional legal matters in the IT area.
• Competence in drafting and negotiating commercial transactional agreements in the IT area.
• Experience directly advising clients and ability to provide a high level of client service.
• Ability to represent PG&E as a lead counsel internally and with external partners, vendors and suppliers.
• Ability to provide a high level of client service, build consensus, and influence across lines of business.
• Ability to set priorities and to respond to changing demands from multiple internal and external sources.
• Detail-oriented
• Capable of working independently and as a team member.
• Business acumen and excellent business judgment
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written).
• Strong academic record.

Leadership Qualities

PG&E expects its leaders to conduct themselves with the highest ethics and integrity and to embody specific leadership qualities.

Strategic Mindset

• Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies.
• Operates effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear.

A Leader in the Community and Industry

• Effectively builds formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization.
• Anticipates and balances the needs of multiple stakeholders.

Demonstrates Safety Leadership

• A safety champion in words and deeds with respect to both employee and public safety.
• Creating and maintaining a speak up culture free of retaliation.

Influences and Inspires

• Using various- communications that convey a clear understanding of the needs of different audiences.
• Maneuvering comfortably through complex policy, process, and people-related dynamics.

Optimizes Team Performance

• Building teams with a strong identity that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.
• Creating a climate where people are developed and motivated to do their best to help the organization.

Values Inclusion and Respects Individual Differences

• Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.

Fiscally Responsible

• Interpreting and applying understanding of key financial indicators to make better business decisions.
• Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals.

Leads Ethically and in a Compliant Manner

• Sponsoring and sustaining a high integrity speak-up corporate culture which prioritizes safety, compliance, and ethics.
• Building on necessary level of industry, company, and subject-matter expertise, including laws and regulations.

Provides a High Level of Customer Service

• Building strong customer relationships and delivering hometown, customer-centric solutions.

Compensation

PG&E is providing the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual salary paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, and internal equity. 

We estimate the successful candidate hired into this role will be placed within the reasonable compensation range of $213K – $306K.  The decision will be made on a case-by-case basis.  This leadership role is also eligible for an annual Short Term Incentive Plan (STIP) award, as well as the Long Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) grant.