N

Director, Legal - ESG

Nscale • United Kingdom • Added on Jul 25, 2026
Apply →

We are seeking a high-level legal expert to build the regulatory and disclosure foundation for a rapidly scaling AI infrastructure provider. You will take full ownership of the legal architecture supporting sustainability claims, translating complex global regulations into practical business controls. Your remit covers everything from data governance and audit trails to the final sign-off on public technical reports and investor materials.

This role is critical because AI infrastructure sits at the heart of the global energy transition. By ensuring that environmental claims regarding power usage, heat recovery, and renewable energy are defensible and transparent, you protect the company from greenwashing risks while enabling legitimate innovation. You help define what responsible scaling looks like for the next generation of supercomputing.

This suits someone who is a qualified lawyer with deep experience in ESG reporting frameworks like CSRD or SEC rules. You should be comfortable moving between high-level board strategy and technical data verification in a fast-paced technology environment.

Job FAQs

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

The core of this role involves building a legal and disclosure architecture from the ground up to support ESG claims. You will be responsible for mapping global regulatory obligations, such as CSRD and SEC rules, into actionable business controls. This includes establishing policy suites and evidence standards that ensure all sustainability statements are audit-ready. Beyond framework creation, you will manage a rigorous legal review process for all external communications, mitigating risks associated with greenwashing. You will also lead the legal input for materiality assessments and ESG risk management, ensuring that data governance expectations are met across data centers, operations, and supply chain management.

Key learning opportunities for this job

Candidates will gain deep expertise in the regulatory nexus of AI and energy, a frontier field in sustainability. You will learn how to operationalize complex frameworks like the UK SDR and EU CSRD within a high-growth, high-performance computing environment. This provides a rare view into the energy and grid impacts of superintelligence infrastructure. There is also significant opportunity to master ESG data governance at scale. You will work with diverse operational data owners to build traceability systems, gaining hands-on experience in how to move from qualitative sustainability goals to quantitative, assured disclosure packs for institutional investors.

How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?

The ideal profile is a qualified lawyer (England & Wales or equivalent) with significant post-qualification experience specifically focused on sustainability and regulatory disclosure. You need a proven track record of building governance frameworks rather than just advising on them, showing you can move from ambiguity to structured policy. Technical knowledge of GRI, SASB, and SEC climate rules is essential, paired with a low-ego but high-accountability mindset. Experience in energy-intensive sectors like data centers or AI infrastructure is a major advantage, as is the commercial judgment needed to partner effectively with Finance and Corporate Affairs.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, demonstrate your ability to translate regulatory complexity into simple, actionable business advice. Avoid generic legal talk; instead, show how you have previously solved the specific challenge of backing up environmental claims with verifiable operational data. Highlight any experience you have with the Audit and Risk Committee level reporting. Given Nscale's focus on 'relentless innovation' and 'ownership', your application should reflect a proactive, builder-first approach rather than a passive advisory style. Emphasize your familiarity with the unique environmental footprint of data centers, such as water usage and e-waste, to show immediate industry relevance.

What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?

This role centers heavily on accountability and transparency in ESG communications. In the data center industry, the primary focus will be on energy efficiency, carbon accounting, renewable energy claims, and the circular economy regarding server hardware and e-waste. You will also tackle social and governance issues inherent in responsible AI. This includes supply chain due diligence for critical minerals used in GPUs and the community engagement aspects of siting large-scale physical infrastructure. Your work ensures that 'environmental responsibility' is a substantiated pillar of the brand, not just a marketing claim.

What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?

The biggest challenge is building structure at speed within a fast-scaling startup environment where data ownership might be fragmented. You will need to influence operational teams to adopt rigorous evidence-retention habits without slowing down their innovation cycles. Furthermore, the evolving regulatory landscape for AI and ESG means that the 'goalposts' are constantly moving. Balancing the pressure to make bold sustainability claims for investors with the strict legal necessity to avoid greenwashing requires a high degree of professional courage and clear communication with the executive team.

How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?

A typical day might begin with reviewing a draft sustainability report or investor presentation to ensure every environmental claim is mapped to a piece of verified data. You might then meet with the Operations or HSEQ teams to discuss the methodology for tracking renewable energy certificates across different global sites. In the afternoon, you could be drafting Board materials for the Risk Committee or advising the procurement team on upcoming supply chain due diligence requirements. The day often involves high-level coordination with Corporate Affairs to align on external narratives while maintaining your role as the final legal gatekeeper for disclosure accuracy.

What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?

As the first dedicated legal director for ESG, you have a clear path toward Chief Sustainability Officer or General Counsel roles. You are not just filling a slot; you are designing the department, which naturally positions you for leadership as the legal and ESG teams expand. You will also be managing high-visibility strategic projects that report directly to the Board and committees. Shaping the capital strategy through ESG investor engagement provides exposure to corporate finance and investor relations, broadening your career path beyond traditional legal work.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

You will sit at the crossroads of several departments, partnering most closely with Corporate Affairs for public disclosures and the CFO’s finance team for reporting controls. You will also act as a key advisor to Global HSEQ and the operational teams managing data centers. Externally, you will be the point of contact for auditors, ESG rating agencies, and potentially regulatory bodies. You will also support interactions with large enterprise customers and investors who require deep-dive sustainability diligence before committing to Nscale’s infrastructure.

CSR Jobs newsletter

Never miss the next opportunity

Get a curated selection of new CSR, ESG, and sustainability roles in your inbox. No daily noise, just useful opportunities.

Free to join. Unsubscribe anytime.