VP, Employment & Litigation Counsel

Overview

A leading specialty retailer of menswear is seeking a Vice President, Employment & Litigation Counsel to join their Legal team. This role involves leading employment law, labor relations, litigation, and pre-litigation strategy across the enterprise. The position serves as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, Human Resources, and business leaders on complex people-related legal matters, overseeing outside counsel and litigation management, and shaping practical, risk-based solutions that support the business while protecting the organization.

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop strategy for the overall litigation and pre-litigation portfolio, including claims, demand letters, agency charges, subpoenas, and other disputes from early risk assessment through resolution.
• Develop and present clear risk assessments and recommendations to senior leadership, including periodic portfolio updates, reserve discussions, and KPI reporting.
• Lead employment law strategy and provide practical legal advice on employee relations, workplace investigations, policy interpretation, wage and hour compliance, leave and accommodation matters, reductions in force, restrictive covenants, and separation issues.
• Provide counsel on operational and commercial issues by partnering closely with Human Resources, Employee Relations, Internal Audit, and departmental leaders to assess legal risk, support investigations, and guide decision-making on sensitive and high-impact matters.
• Collaborate with Finance on reserves, accruals, and reporting for litigated and pre-litigation matters, including insurer reporting requirements where applicable.
• Manage and coordinate insurance-related activities for applicable matters.
• Advise on labor and union-related issues, including union avoidance, collective activity, organizing responses, unfair labor practice risk, and strategy related to represented and non-represented workforces.
• Develop and maintain employment-related and certain consumer-facing policies, templates, trainings, and playbooks to improve consistency, strengthen compliance, and equip leaders to make informed decisions.
• Support transactions, reorganizations, and other business initiatives by identifying overall litigation and business risks.
• Build strong relationships across the organization and serve as a strategic thought partner on evolving legal developments, emerging risk areas, and the design of people practices aligned with business needs.
• Direct and manage outside counsel, including selection, staffing, budgeting, billing discipline, and guidelines to ensure high-quality legal work, sound case strategy, efficient spend management, and consistent positions across matters and jurisdictions.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in at least one state bar in good standing.
• 12+ years of combined employment law and litigation experience, including significant in-house and/or law firm experience advising multi-state employers.
• Strong litigation management experience, including complex litigation, oversight of outside counsel, case strategy, budgeting, discovery, mediation, settlement evaluation, and agency proceedings.
• Deep knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, including wage and hour, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, leave, disability accommodation, reductions in force, and workplace policy compliance.
• Experience advising Human Resources and senior business leaders on complex employee relations matters and high-judgment workplace decisions.
• Ability to balance legal risk with business realities and provide clear, practical, solution-oriented counsel in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong executive presence, sound judgment, and the ability to influence across functions while handling sensitive and confidential matters with discretion.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

• Ability to sit and work at a computer keyboard for extended periods.
• Ability to stoop, kneel, bend at the waist, and reach daily.
• Able to lift and move up to 25 pounds occasionally.
• Must utilize visual acuity, speech and hearing, hand and eye coordination, and manual dexterity necessary to operate a computer and office equipment.
• Regularly works 40 hours per week, with hours as work dictates.
• Work location is hybrid near corporate offices in New York, Texas, or California, or remote.

Compensation and Benefits

• Starting salary range: $186,596 - $248,747, with potential increase up to $310,897 based on merit, length of service, and other factors.
• Additional compensation may include a 30% Annual Incentive Plan (AIP) bonus and a 30% Long Term Incentive Plan bonus.
• Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance; prescription drug coverage; retirement savings plans (401k, employer-funded plans, deferred compensation, defined-benefit or defined-contribution plans); life insurance; accident and disability coverage; paid time off for sick leave, vacation, bereavement, jury duty, and holidays (9 days per year); wellbeing programs; commuter benefits; adoption assistance; legal services; and employee merchandise discounts.

Work-Life Balance

• Programs to support managing work, school, family, and personal responsibilities.
• Meeting-Free Fridays encouraged for focused work and self-development.
• Summer Fridays from Memorial Day to Labor Day to enjoy an early start to the weekend.
• Early departure on the business day before company-observed holidays.

Note: Candidates do not need to meet all requirements to be considered and are encouraged to apply if they meet most and are open to dialogue.