Principal, Employment Counsel

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Principal, Employment Counsel based in United States. As a Principal, Employment Counsel, you’ll serve as a trusted legal advisor to People teams and business leaders on complex employment and employee relations matters. You’ll provide practical, solutions-focused guidance across the full employee lifecycle, balancing legal risk, business priorities, employee experience, and operational realities. The role spans U.S. and international employment matters, including investigations, disputes, litigation, compliance, contracts, and workforce transitions. You’ll work closely with cross-functional stakeholders and local counsel to navigate evolving employment laws across multiple jurisdictions. You’ll also help develop scalable policies, processes, templates, and compliance frameworks that strengthen the organization’s legal and risk infrastructure. This is a highly collaborative role requiring strong judgment, emotional intelligence, independence, and the ability to communicate complex legal issues clearly. The position offers meaningful exposure to enterprise compliance, risk management, and strategic business initiatives in a fast-paced global environment.

Provide timely and practical legal advice to internal stakeholders on employment matters across recruiting, hiring, onboarding, performance management, employee relations, and workforce transitions. Advise People teams, managers, and business leaders on sensitive and complex employee relations matters while balancing legal risk, employee experience, business objectives, and operational considerations. Translate complex employment laws and regulatory requirements into clear, actionable guidance for non-legal stakeholders. Build strong relationships with internal partners and develop a deep understanding of workforce needs, business priorities, and operational practices. Draft, review, and negotiate employment-related documents, including offer letters, employment agreements, restrictive covenant agreements, confidentiality and intellectual property agreements, separation agreements, releases, incentive plans, and workforce transition materials. Review employment communications for legal risk, clarity, consistency, and alignment with established practices. Develop practical templates, playbooks, checklists, and self-service resources to support common employment matters and improve legal efficiency. Periodically review employment policies and practices to identify compliance gaps, standardization opportunities, and areas for process improvement. Provide employment law guidance across multiple jurisdictions, working with local counsel and regional stakeholders where appropriate. Monitor developments in global labor and employment laws and recommend updates to policies, agreements, practices, and processes. Develop and maintain tools to identify, prioritize, and manage employment-related legal and compliance risks, including employee training and compliance support. Advise on and conduct workplace investigations involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, misconduct, conflicts of interest, policy violations, and other sensitive matters. Partner with People teams to establish appropriate investigation plans, privilege structures, interim measures, documentation approaches, findings, remediation, and follow-up. Provide balanced recommendations on corrective action, remediation, process improvements, and retaliation monitoring. Manage employment litigation, administrative charges, labor proceedings, pre-litigation disputes, demand letters, and settlement negotiations in the U.S. and internationally. Develop case strategy with internal stakeholders and external counsel, including factual analysis, exposure assessment, preservation and discovery strategy, and settlement evaluation. Engage and supervise external counsel as needed. Support broader enterprise compliance initiatives, including enterprise risk management, ESG, and other regulatory compliance programs. Strengthen compliance infrastructure through effective policies, controls, documentation, risk assessments, and governance processes while partnering with Legal Operations to improve scalability and reduce key-person dependency. Requirements: 8+ years of professional experience as a corporate attorney, preferably in an in-house employment counsel role or at a reputable law firm. Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school and active membership in a state bar association. Strong knowledge and practical experience in U.S. employment law, with demonstrated ability to advise on global or multi-jurisdictional employment matters and coordinate with local counsel. Experience handling workplace investigations, employee relations matters, employment disputes, administrative proceedings, and employment litigation. Strong drafting and review experience involving employment agreements, separation documents, policies, handbooks, investigation materials, and other employment-related documentation. Experience supporting corporate compliance programs, including policy governance, risk assessments, compliance training, internal controls, investigations, and regulatory initiatives. Familiarity with enterprise risk management, ESG-related compliance considerations, audit and compliance governance, and the development of scalable compliance frameworks and controls. Ability to identify emerging legal and regulatory risks and develop practical, sustainable solutions that support business objectives while strengthening a culture of integrity and accountability. Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to balance legal risk management and commercial priorities. Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex employment law concepts clearly to non-legal stakeholders. Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively with People teams, business leaders, Legal colleagues, and other cross-functional stakeholders. Ability to work independently, prioritize competing matters, and manage multiple high-priority issues simultaneously. Proactive, agile, and solutions-oriented approach, with the initiative to identify opportunities and implement practical, scalable improvements. Strong emotional intelligence, sound judgment, humility, and professionalism when navigating sensitive and high-stakes matters. Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment while maintaining a pragmatic, positive, and high-performance mindset. Benefits: Target base salary range of approximately $175,000–$190,000 per year. Medical insurance. Dental insurance. Vision insurance. Paid time off. Enterprise benefits designed to support employees’ health and well-being. Opportunity to advise a global organization on complex U.S. and international employment matters. Exposure to enterprise risk management, compliance, governance, and strategic business initiatives. Opportunity to develop scalable legal processes, policies, and compliance frameworks. Collaborative, cross-functional environment with People teams, business leaders, Legal colleagues, and regional stakeholders. Meaningful opportunity to influence employment practices and support responsible business growth.

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