Director, Employment Law

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Direct the strategy for employment litigation, encompassing wage-and-hour class actions, PAGA issues, individual claims, and arbitration cases.

• Oversee external legal counsel, manage legal budgets, adhere to billing guidelines, and evaluate case outcomes.

• Supervise responses to EEOC and state agency complaints, investigations, and information requests.

• Provide management for workplace investigations and workers' compensation litigation.

• Recognize litigation trends and formulate effective risk-mitigation strategies.

• Act as the principal subject-matter expert on California employment legislation while ensuring compliance in additional states.

• Offer guidance to HR and Operations on terminations, performance management, severance, restrictive covenants, employee relations, and workplace safety.

• Monitor federal, state, and local legal developments and advise on necessary policy and process updates.

• Assist with labor relations strategy as required.

• Spearhead proactive wage-and-hour audits and manage responses to governmental inquiries.

• Provide counsel on California overtime, double time, meal and rest breaks, premium pay, commissions, bonuses, and varying pay rates.

• Ensure legally compliant worker classifications.

• Collaborate with HR, Payroll, Finance, and IT to enhance timekeeping, pay statements, payroll calculations, and incentive-plan design.

• Advise the Benefits and Leave Administration teams regarding FMLA, state and local leave, and workers' compensation issues.

• Set legal standards for ADA and California FEHA interactive-process and accommodation criteria.

• Counsel on return-to-work strategies, light-duty assignments, fitness-for-duty assessments, and leave exhaustion matters.

• Standardize leave documentation, medical certification processes, and employee communications.

• Manage and develop the Senior Manager of HR Compliance.

• Oversee employment policies, handbooks, state addenda, compliance procedures, and the employee hotline.

• Collaborate with senior executives to efficiently and consistently resolve high-risk employment issues.

⛳️ Requirements

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.

• Active bar membership in good standing.

• 8–12+ years of experience in labor and employment law, including law firm training and in-house leadership.

• Profound, up-to-date, and practical understanding of California employment law.

• Experience supporting a multi-state, multi-location workforce.

• Specialized knowledge in wage-and-hour compliance, PAGA, leave administration, ADA/FEHA accommodations, worker classification, and technical pay calculations.

• Experience in managing employment litigation, external counsel, and legal expenditures.

• Capability to advise senior leadership and translate legal requirements into practical business solutions.

• People-management experience.

• Familiarity with HRIS, payroll, and leave-management systems.

🏝️ Benefits

• Annual bonus.

• Medical coverage.

• 401(k) plan.

• Paid time off.

• Employee discounts.

• Reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

• Limited travel for investigations, hearings, agency proceedings, or company meetings.