Founded in 2020 and headquartered in the greater Washington, D.C., area, Chaberton Energy is a public benefit corporation focused on developing sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy projects. We focus on developing small to mid-sized solar power facilities (<10 MW) both for our own portfolio and on behalf of third parties. Chaberton has more than 140 solar projects under site control and a growing development pipeline of 1.5 gigawatts of opportunities under assessment or negotiation. Our work ranges from site conception to full operations, emphasizing distributed energy, community solar, and commercial and industrial initiatives.
We deeply value the communities we serve, including employees, landowners, neighbors, customers, regulatory agencies, development partners, investors, and partners. Rooted in creativity, excellence, and humanity, our team is dedicated to creating sustainable and renewable energy solutions. These projects not only support the transition to clean energy and reduce pollution but also economically benefit residents and businesses, leading the way in the energy transition.
We are looking for an exceptional individual to join our growing team. Grow with us! We are excited about the trajectory of the company and look forward to welcoming someone who shares our enthusiasm and enjoys a challenging but rewarding work opportunity!
ROLE OVERVIEW:
We are searching for an exceptional Director, Real Estate Title & Contracts to join our growing legal team. This position is a unique opportunity for someone with real estate transactional experience and/or renewable energy development and finance experience to join a growing and dynamic company. This position will provide a variety of experience and learning opportunities and will closely collaborate with our in-house legal team and internal development, commercial and finance teams. The ideal candidate will possess a high degree of professionalism and be detail and customer service-oriented, excited about leveraging technology to build and scale processes, able to work with a large volume of files and legal documents daily, and efficiently manage the regular interface with landowners, developers, surveyors, title companies, county clerks, and real estate counsel.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Title & Survey Lead
•Establish relationship and elevate communication with third-party vendors (including title companies and surveyors), financing parties, and other third parties in ordering, reviewing, and negotiating title commitments/pro formas and ALTA surveys, removal of title defects, and issuance of title insurance policies.
•Create and optimize processes with counsel, financing parties, and other third parties to remove title defects, including preparing any necessary documentation related thereto.
•Lead and leverage internal project managers and development leads, as well as external lenders, project buyers and investors, in order to finalize the documentation necessary to execute the issuance of title policies as part of financing or project sale transactions.
•Supervise detailed reviews of surveys, title reports, and underlying documents with an eye toward optimizing the review process and associated deliverables.
•Draft ancillary real estate documents, including lease amendments to further late-stage development.
•Leverage and adapt current contract management processes to streamline the legal team’s support of cross-functional teams.
•Create, analyze, and revise checklists for MIPSA or project financing closings.
•Develop detailed knowledge of types of title endorsements required by specific project buyers or project lenders.
•Analyze projects, identify title risks throughout the project life cycle, and develop a system of checks to empower the Chaberton team to identify title risks more readily throughout the development process.
•Lead and adapt an internal system for real estate document retention.
•Promote and advance collaboration with internal and external legal resources to deliver timely and accurate work products.
•Assist with special title projects as requested.
Real Estate Contract Management
•Independently review, draft, and negotiate a wide range of contracts and ancillary documents, including, without limitation, land leases, purchase agreements, easements, memorandums and other asset management-related documents.
•Develop detailed familiarity of Chaberton real estate contract templates and drive operational improvements and best practices for contract workflows and efficient contract handling using contract management and CRM software (SpotDraft, Salesforce, SiteTracker, etc.).
•Strategize with internal legal counsel in site control negotiations including drafting, revising, and managing updated versions of documents throughout the negotiation process .
•Own the management of real estate contract templates, knowledge databases, and clause libraries, identifying opportunities for improvement in each process.
•Prepare first draft of / review terminations, releases, extensions, exercises of options, amendments and other asset management-related documents.
•Coordinate signatures of appropriate signing authorities, ensuring contracts are fully executed by all parties, and collaborating with the legal and commercial operations teams to file drafts—as well as executed versions—of contracts in applicable locations.
•Promote and empower internal compliance with contract policies and approval workflows.
•Strategize with attorneys in developing and updating real estate training materials.
•Perform research, analysis, and other duties as assigned.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
•Undergraduate college degree from an accredited university
•8+ years of full-time experience handling title and survey for commercial real estate; experience in real estate is a prerequisite (specifically, experience in title and ALTA survey review), including experience with financial closings and/or acquisitions.
•5+ years of full-time, relevant project development experience with commercial real estate developer, cell tower developer, title company, or renewable energy developer as a contract manager or other relevant legal or paralegal experience
•5+ years of full-time experience with corporate and/or real estate-related contracts and transactions
•Strong contract drafting, review and negotiation skills (with the ability to clearly distill and synthesize complicated commercial concepts/structures and convert them into straightforward legal provisions)
•Strategic thinker with excellent judgment, issue-spotting abilities, and a solutions-oriented, accountable mindset
•Proven leadership in managing cross-functional initiatives, with strong project management skills and the ability to prioritize and deliver under tight deadlines
•Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the optimism and diplomacy to navigate stakeholders at all levels and build strong internal and external relationships
•Detail-oriented and highly organized, with a commitment to quality and accuracy in all work products
•Business-minded and client service–oriented, motivated to drive deals forward while balancing legal risk and commercial outcomes
•High integrity, discretion, and professionalism, with a strong sense of ethics and confidentiality
•Agile and collaborative, bringing curiosity, flexibility, and a positive, composed attitude to a dynamic, fast-paced environment
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
•5+ years of demonstrable experience independently negotiating and managing processes for complex commercial contracts.
•Strong understanding of commercial contracts.
•3+ years of full-time experience negotiating commercial real estate contracts.
LOCATION:
Flexible: remote work is possible for highly qualified candidates, but ideally, candidates will be located within a commutable distance of our Rockville, MD office.
SALARY & BENEFITS:
165k-185k, commensurate with experience and a comprehensive benefits package (see
https://www.chaberton.com/careers/
for more benefits details).
Chaberton provides a flexible schedule (compatible with work responsibilities), and the opportunity to work in a dynamic established environment.
Chaberton is an equal opportunity employer and promotes a diverse and inclusive workplace. We consider all applicants without regards to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation.