Director, Legal – Employment

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United Kingdom, +1 more country.

📋 Description

• Deliver senior-level, practical employment-law guidance to team members and stakeholders throughout GitLab.

• Oversee matters related to the employment lifecycle, such as recruiting, onboarding, compensation, performance management, leave management, employee relations, works council processes, organizational changes, separation, and post-employment concerns.

• Negotiate and interact with works councils and employee representative organizations across EMEA jurisdictions.

• Lead consultation initiatives for organizational changes.

• Represent GitLab or coordinate external counsel appearances at labor courts, employment tribunals, and during agency investigations.

• Formulate case strategies, establish facts, prepare witnesses, and make settlement decisions.

• Advise People Business Partners, Team Member Relations partners, and business leaders on intricate team-member relations issues.

• Draft, review, negotiate, and uphold employment agreements, separation agreements, policies, templates, and associated documentation across various jurisdictions.

• Ensure employment compliance throughout EMEA.

• Monitor and evaluate changes in employment, privacy, and related laws, translating developments into actionable guidance.

• Spearhead the development and ongoing enhancement of scalable employment-law processes, systems, playbooks, templates, and documentation.

• Provide employment advice for regions outside of EMEA as required.

• Collaborate openly and work efficiently in GitLab’s asynchronous, globally distributed setting.

⛳️ Requirements

• A Juris Doctor (JD), Bachelor of Laws (LLB), or local equivalent, licensed to practice in at least one EMEA jurisdiction.

• Significant, direct experience advising a multinational company with works councils throughout EMEA, including hands-on negotiation and consultation experience.

• Proven track record of advocating for or managing outside counsel in labor courts, employment tribunals, and similar proceedings.

• In-depth knowledge of employment compliance requirements across EMEA.

• Experience advising People Business Partners, Team Member Relations partners, and business leaders on sensitive and complex employment issues, including works council strategies.

• Proficient in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating employment agreements, separation agreements, policies, templates, and related documentation across multiple jurisdictions.

• Familiarity with GDPR and other local privacy regulations pertaining to team-member data.

• Experience in constructing or significantly enhancing legal processes, systems, playbooks, templates, and documentation at scale.

• Strong skills in issue identification, risk assessment, and sound judgment.

• Capability to manage a high volume of complex legal matters autonomously and bring them to resolution.

• Excellent communication and relationship-building abilities.

• Practical and innovative problem-solving skills, sound business judgment, attention to detail, and capacity to work across functions, time zones, and cultures.

• Comfortable working in a remote, globally distributed, asynchronous environment.

• Eagerness to learn and utilize GitLab in daily tasks.

🏝️ Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits to support your health, finances, and overall well-being.

• Flexible Paid Time Off.

• Team Member Resource Groups.

• Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

• Growth and Development Fund.

• Parental Leave.

• Opportunity for remote work in a fully remote organization.