Senior Counsel
Overview
A leading organization specializing in refrigeration, air conditioning, heating, engineering, and energy management is seeking a Senior Counsel to provide legal support focused on commercial contracts within the HVAC, refrigeration, and construction industries. The organization serves over 45,000 customer locations across various sectors including retail, food service, commercial, data centers, industrial, and pharmaceuticals.
Responsibilities
- Lead the commercial contracting function from contract intake through execution.
- Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts such as master services agreements, construction contracts, AIA agreements, subcontracts, equipment sale contracts, statements of work, SaaS agreements, and real estate leases.
- Develop and maintain internal processes for contract review, approvals, and record-keeping.
- Review and update contract templates to reflect evolving business and legal requirements.
- Advise on best practices related to mechanics liens, UCC liens, and related instruments.
- Collaborate closely with sales, operations, finance, and management teams to support project execution and resolve legal issues.
- Provide practical, business-oriented legal advice on contract interpretation, risk allocation, indemnity, limitation of liability, insurance requirements, warranties, payment terms, and dispute resolution.
- Communicate legal risks and requirements clearly to non-legal stakeholders.
- Advise leadership on regulatory developments impacting construction and commercial operations.
- Ensure company practices comply with applicable laws, regulations, and ethical standards.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school.
- Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. state.
- 7-10+ years of transactional legal experience; significant in-house experience preferred.
- Strong expertise in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating various commercial contracts, including construction contracts, AIA agreements, master services agreements, and subcontracts.
- Working knowledge of liens preferred.
- Experience negotiating equipment sale contracts preferred.
- Ability to manage a substantial workload and prioritize competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain legal concepts in simple, actionable terms.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.
- Solid business acumen with the ability to balance legal risk and operational goals.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and willingness to learn new systems.
- Demonstrated problem-solving and conflict-management skills.
- High integrity and sound professional judgment.
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive salary ranging from $160,000 to $200,000 annually, depending on experience, plus bonus opportunities.
- Medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage.
- Paid vacation, holidays, and floating holiday.
- 401(k) plan with company match.
- Company-sponsored life insurance, with optional AD&D, short-term and long-term disability coverage.
- Tuition reimbursement.
- Employee discounts on vehicles, hotels, theme parks, select cell phone bills, and more.
- Pet insurance.
- Legal plan and identity theft protection.
Location
This position is based in the United States. Specific location details will be provided during the hiring process.
Additional Information
Pre-employment background screening (criminal and motor vehicle record for driving positions) and drug testing are required for all positions. The organization is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and encourages applications from all qualified individuals regardless of age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, or other characteristics.