Sr Counsel - Employment

Overview

This role serves as a Senior Counsel, Employment within a Legal, Risk & Governance Department supporting a Fortune 500 retailer with over 60,000 associates nationwide. The position focuses on managing complex employment litigation, including individual cases, class and collective actions, and wage and hour matters across all 50 states. It also involves advising on enterprise-wide legal strategy related to workforce issues, risk mitigation, and policy development. The Senior Counsel acts as a trusted advisor to Leadership, People Success, and Operations teams.

The role operates in a hybrid environment, balancing remote work with regular on-site collaboration, and plays a critical role in supporting a dynamic, growing workforce while ensuring enterprise-level compliance and protection.

Responsibilities

• Lead response to employment litigation, including complex class and collective actions, PAGA claims, individual disputes, and government investigations.
• Strategically manage outside counsel across a national litigation portfolio, overseeing pleadings, discovery, depositions, mediations, trial preparation, case resolution, and litigation strategy.
• Collaborate with Legal, Risk & Governance colleagues and cross-functional teams to proactively reduce litigation risk through early intervention, internal investigations, and strategic policy updates.
• Provide deep employment law expertise to support business objectives and manage risks, particularly related to wage and hour matters.
• Work closely with People Success, Operations, and other business partners to align legal guidance with evolving business strategies.
• Offer business-focused and user-friendly counseling to support employment compliance.
• Conduct legal reviews of workforce-related technology and systems to foster compliance and advance business priorities.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide variety of employment-related documents.
• Mentor junior attorneys and legal professionals; contribute to team development, process optimization, and internal training initiatives.
• Support special projects as assigned by senior legal leadership.
• Drive cost discipline and operational excellence in executing initiatives aligned with key strategic imperatives.
• Provide legal services within established budgets and communicate project costs transparently to business partners.
• Deliver legal services using a consultative approach, modeling accountability and responsiveness through proactive communication and timely service.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree with excellent academic credentials.
• Licensed to practice law in Illinois; admission to practice in other states will be considered for remote candidates.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience focused on employment law and litigation, with a successful track record in-house or at a top law firm.
• Experience with public companies or in the retail/consumer sector is strongly preferred.
• Proven experience handling wage and hour litigation, employment class actions, and government audits/investigations; California experience preferred.
• Exceptional legal judgment, negotiation skills, and ability to translate legal risks into practical business guidance.
• Ability to manage multiple complex matters simultaneously with flexibility to shift priorities as business needs change, maintaining strong attention to detail and quality.
• Experience with cross-border employment issues or international jurisdictions is a plus.
• Strong leadership presence, excellent judgment, and proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and build trusted business relationships.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $200,000.00 - $250,000.00 per year.
• Eligible for additional compensation through a bonus plan.
• Exact pay will be based on education, qualifications, certifications, experience, level, shift, geographic location, and organizational needs.
• Full-time positions are eligible for paid time off, health, dental, vision, life, and disability benefits.
• Part-time positions are eligible for dental, vision, life, and disability benefits.

Location

• Position is based at corporate offices in Bolingbrook, Illinois.
• Remote candidates must be willing to travel monthly to the corporate office.