Legal Counsel

Welcome to the future of energyWe are both an electricity retailer and a tech platform and we think there is no better way to address our greatest challenge, climate change, than with the combination of those two.Through our proprietary tech platform, Kraken, we are changing the way people interact with their energy company - by making it approachable, low cost, easy-to-understand, and most importantly, 100% renewable.  We’ve distinguished ourselves by being named 2020’s Energy Provider of the Year, which highlights our commitment to exceptional customer service. In many markets we are a leading employer on Glassdoor for best places to work.We have an opportunity for an attorney to join our team in Houston. The attorney will provide local counsel around corporate initiates. This role will work in partnership with our legal team in the UK as well as our business leaders in the US. The role offers a challenging and exciting opportunity to work on a wide range of legal matters, from employment matters, marketing initiatives, new energy product compliance, vendor agreements – and everything else in-between. No two days are the same at Octopus Energy. Legal Counsel will be required to report to the Houston downtown office during the week with some work from home days allowed as necessary. 

What you'll do

You’ll lead the review, drafting and negotiation of various types of contracts and documentation to support our business. You’ll support our affiliate entitles and handle relationship with outside counsel.It’s hard to write a definitive list because as Octopus Energy evolves, so does the type of work we support. We’re looking for someone who is smart, versatile, and up for the challenge of working on a wide variety of different transactions. Some examples of the types of documents we often work with include:vendor agreements, partnership and energy sales agreements, licensing arrangements, financing documents,energy supply contracts,manage the employee handbook,contracts to support our electric vehicles business, goods and services, innovative trials, and collaboration agreements, support with our energy supply license obligations, all the usual day-to-day advice and queries that an in-house legal team can expect to support on, such as data protection, marketing terms and conditions, employment advice and intellectual property matters.We try and do as much work as we can in-house – it’s more fun that way. But for some of our larger transactions (such as acquisitions and investments) we use our panel of external law firms. The Legal team will always be closely involved in these transactions and you would help us to select, liaise with and manage our external counsel, building our relationships to ensure successful delivery & cost effectiveness. You’ll help monitor, manage, and mitigate legal risks associated with all areas of the Octopus Energy business. You’ll need to make sure that you stay on top of changing relevant legislation to support the business operating in a compliant way. You’ll provide counsel to business leaders so we can quickly understand legal risks and trade offs as we grow quickly and support customers to the best of our ability.  You’ll need to interact well with staff at PUCs across the country.We have a very flat, open structure at Octopus Energy. You’ll be reporting to our US CEO and will work closely with various members of the US team across all levels. You’ll be expected to be independent and run with your own projects with relatively light supervision.

What you'll need

You don’t have to be an energy lawyer - we are primarily a technology company in the energy industry, so we cover lots of different areas beyond just energy! Some experience of having worked in-house, or even experience in a business role would be a real benefit so that you’re familiar with the variety and fast paced nature of an in-house role at a rapidly expanding global business like Octopus Energy. Experience drafting contracts is preferred. To be a fully qualified US lawyer. We expect that you’ll have at least 2-3 years of experience and be capable of managing your own workloadBe comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment with direct exposure to senior management and stakeholdersBe excellent at prioritization and working proactively and efficiently. Happy to multi-task and manage a variety of transactions at any given timeA friendly approach with great organizational skills and attention to detailA desire to be part of a tight and ambitious team, willing to work hard and ‘muck in’ to help out other members of the teamComfortable asking the “stupid question” or challenging the status quoTo think outside the box and come up with innovative ways of doing things. Octopus Energy is made up of incredibly driven, smart and innovative people and so you’ll need a forward-thinking approach to keep up (there may not always be a ready-made precedent for what you’ve been asked to help with!)Be comfortable providing advice in a flexible, dynamic and entrepreneurial environment where priorities may be changeable and often have tight turnaround timesYou’ll need a sensible commercial approach to succeed here. We rotate through opportunities so each of us benefits from variety, diverse experiences and broader learning. Sometimes we divide things between us, sometimes we tag team with one "lead" and one "support". We’re flexible, but the principle is that we should all be interested, motivated and inspired when we come to workWe believe that the retail energy provider is in a natural position to be the change-agent for deep decarbonization and the electrification of everything.  You’ll be supporting to bring the legal foundation of these pieces together into one central customer experienceHave a genuine interest in Octopus Energy’s missionIf this sounds like you then we'd love to hear from you. Studies have shown that some groups of people, like women, are less likely to apply to a role unless they meet 100% of the job requirements. Whoever you are, if you like one of our jobs, we encourage you to apply as you might just be the candidate we hire. Across Octopus, we're looking for genuinely decent people who are honest and empathetic. Our people are our strongest asset and the unique skills and perspectives people bring to the team are the driving force of our success. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute. Our commitment is to provide equal opportunities, an inclusive work environment, and fairness for everyone.