Principal, Employment Counsel

Unlock Employer

Posted Oct 1, 2026

Remote · US Full Time

$175K – $190K/yr

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Overview

This role involves serving as Principal Employment Counsel, working closely with the People Team and business leaders to provide timely, solutions-focused advice on employment and employee relations matters. The position supports a global organization across complex and evolving employment issues, including advising on international disputes and investigations, developing scalable employment practices, and collaborating across functions and regions.

Responsibilities

Employment advice and counsel

Provide accurate and timely legal advice and counsel to internal clients on employment corporate matters, including recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and performance management.
Advise on sensitive and complex employee relations matters, balancing legal risk, employee experience, business objectives, and operational realities.
Translate complex legal requirements into clear, actionable guidance for People Team professionals, managers, and business leaders.
Build relationships with internal stakeholders and develop a deep understanding of the organization’s workforce, business priorities, and operating model.

Contract review and negotiation

Draft, review, and update employment-related documents, including:
- Offer letters and employment agreements
- Restrictive covenant, confidentiality, and intellectual property agreements
- Separation agreements and releases
- Commission, bonus, and incentive plan documents
- Performance management and disciplinary documentation
- Investigation plans, interview outlines, findings, and remediation documents
- Employee policies, handbooks, notices, acknowledgments, and consent forms
- Workforce transition materials
Review employment communications for legal risk, clarity, consistency, and alignment with company practices.
Develop practical templates, playbooks, checklists, and self-service resources for common employment matters.
Support periodic reviews of employment policies and practices to identify compliance gaps and opportunities for simplification or standardization.

Global employment compliance

Provide employment law counseling across the jurisdictions in which the organization operates, coordinating with local counsel and regional stakeholders as appropriate.
Monitor developments in global labor and employment laws and advise on changes needed to policies, practices, agreements, and processes.
Develop and maintain tools to help identify, prioritize, and manage employment-related legal and compliance risk, including support regarding employee training and compliance.

Investigations and employee relations

Advise on and conduct workplace investigations involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, misconduct, conflicts of interest, policy violations, and other sensitive employee matters.
Work with the People Team to define an appropriate investigation plan, privilege structure, interim measures, documentation approach, findings, remediation, and follow-up.
Provide clear and balanced recommendations regarding corrective action, remediation, process improvements, and retaliation monitoring.

Dispute management

Manage employment litigation, administrative charges, labor proceedings, pre-litigation disputes, demand letters, and settlement negotiations in the United States and internationally.
Develop case strategy in partnership with internal stakeholders and external counsel, including review of factual records, assessment of exposure, preservation and discovery strategy, and evaluation of settlement options.
Engage and supervise counsel as needed.

General compliance

Support the enterprise compliance program, including ERM, ESG, and other regulatory compliance areas.
Strengthen compliance program infrastructure by maintaining policies, controls, and documentation that feed ERM and Audit Committee oversight.
Partner with Legal Operations to reduce key-person dependency across compliance readiness.

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Requirements

8+ years of professional experience as a corporate attorney, preferably in a similar internal role or with a reputable law firm.
Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
Active membership in the bar association.
Strong experience and knowledge of United States employment law, including the ability to advise on global or multi-jurisdictional employment and other regulatory matters and manage local counsel.
Experience advising on 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 documents.
Experience supporting corporate compliance programs, including policy governance, risk assessments, compliance training, internal controls, investigations, and regulatory compliance initiatives.
Familiarity with enterprise risk management (ERM), ESG-related compliance considerations, audit and compliance governance processes, and partnering with cross-functional teams to develop scalable compliance frameworks and controls.
Ability to identify emerging legal and regulatory risks, develop practical compliance solutions, and implement sustainable processes supporting business objectives while promoting integrity and accountability.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to align practical legal advice to legal risk management and business objectives.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex employment law concepts to non-legal stakeholders.
Ability to collaborate with the People Team and cross-functional stakeholders, and independently prioritize tasks while managing multiple matters simultaneously.
Ability to be agile, take initiative, and recognize opportunities to develop practical, scalable, and productive ways to support the business.
Demonstrated emotional intelligence and sound judgment; ability to navigate sensitive and high-stakes issues professionally while maintaining perspective.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment with a positive, pragmatic mindset.