VP, Legal – Employment

Provide advice and counsel to executive leadership and people team professionals on a broad range of employment issues including recruiting; hiring; employee relations; discipline and terminations; internal investigations; leaves of absence; wage and hour compliance; EEO compliance; restrictive covenants; and contingent worker issues. Act as a strategic advisor on complex/sensitive employee relations and workplace relations matters and help resolve matters through pre-dispute resolution and/or positioning the company for potential employment litigation. Draft and negotiate employment, settlement and termination agreements. Review and provide guidance on drafting and development of people policies and procedures globally. Lead and/or provide guidance to internal investigators on internal people/compliance investigations. Defend, supervise and manage employment-related claims and litigation, including managing outside counsel and responding to administrative charges, complaints, attorney's letters, settlement demands and claims globally. Negotiate appropriate resolutions to claims and other pending matters. Manage the legal budget associated with supporting this vertical and select and manage outside counsel, where necessary. The successful candidate must bring a proven track record of addressing complex legal and business matters across a spectrum of areas including general employment, workplace relations, and immigration. The successful candidate will be known for their judgement and pragmatic approach to problem solving. Experience in working as a trusted advisor to the executive team on sensitive legal issues and business strategies is important. The ability to develop strong rapport with leaders internally and externally will be particularly important. The successful candidate will be agile, forward-thinking, strategic yet pragmatic. He/she must be creative, innovative and solutions oriented and be able to thrive in a fast-paced and transparent working environment. He/she will be an outstanding communicator, able to articulate concisely complex legal and business matters, listening and working collaboratively with the ability to stand by their convictions and challenge constructively. The ability to deliver effectively in a global matrixed organization will be key. In-depth knowledge of employment law gained from law firm or in-house experience. Experience representing companies in employment law matters before state and federal agencies/courts. Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and to tolerate change and ambiguity. Responsible and pragmatic style with a passion to solve complex problems in a creative and effective way and able to translate legal and regulatory requirements into actionable policies, processes and programs that enable business objectives. Facility with a team-based approach to subject matter management and knowledge sharing, and comfort with a flexible, agile environment that emphasizes collaboration and team performance over management hierarchy. 15+ years of experience practicing either in-house (or in an equivalent setting) or at a reputable law firm. Juris Doctor or equivalent degree. Admitted to/member of a state bar. Excellent knowledge of federal and state employment laws and regulations (including ADA, ADEA, FMLA, CFRA, FLSA, etc.) with a particular emphasis on California employment law. Exceptional writing skills, with attention to detail and ability to generate creative original drafted documents. Excellent communication and presentation skills; ability to communicate and help non-experts understand applicable regulations and requirement S/he will be hands-on and detail oriented, outward and forward looking, with an inclusive, cross- functional, non-bureaucratic approach S/he will have experience managing geographically dispersed teams across wide geographies and numerous time zones The successful candidate must be a keen listener, who is patient, diplomatic, globally aware, culturally sensitive and open-minded. He/she will be optimistic by nature with strong interpersonal skills to forge relationships and alliances, internally and externally.