AVP, Employment Litigation & Consulting

Nationwide•Columbus, OH

1d•$175,000 - $326,000•Hybrid

About The Position

This role leads Nationwide’s Employment Consulting & Litigation team and is responsible for Nationwide’s employment law strategy and support across the enterprise. This role leads a trusted team of employment law professionals who provide practical, risk-balanced guidance to HR, business leaders, and other Legal partners on complex workforce issues across the associate lifecycle. You’ll oversee high-impact employment litigation and agency matters, guide the approach to sensitive investigations and disputes, and help design policies, processes, and tools that promote consistent, equitable, and legally compliant people practices. You’ll serve as a key strategic partner on major workforce initiatives, ensuring employment risks are proactively identified and managed in alignment with Nationwide’s values and risk appetite.

Requirements

Juris Doctorate from an American Bar Association-accredited law school.
Associates reporting within Nationwide’s Office of the Chief Legal Officer (OCLO) who are functioning in attorney roles must be fully licensed in accordance with OCLO policy, in good standing and in compliance with all continuing legal education requirements at all times in the state(s) in which they practice.
Typically 15 years of employment law experience, with a strong mix of law firm and in-house experience preferred.
Demonstrated experience counseling on complex employment matters, including discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wage and hour, accommodations, leaves, and discipline and termination issues.
Proven track record managing or overseeing employment litigation, agency charges, and high-risk internal investigations and pre-litigation disputes.
Prior experience leading or supervising attorneys or legal professionals and partnering closely with HR and business leaders in a large, complex organization is preferred.
Deep knowledge of U.S. employment laws and regulations, with the ability to apply them pragmatically to complex business situations.
Strong business acumen and judgment, with the ability to clearly articulate relative risks, options, and trade-offs to senior leaders and recommend a path forward.
Demonstrated ability to build and sustain trusted relationships up, down, and across the organization and influence outcomes through collaboration rather than positional authority.
Skilled at translating legal concepts into clear, concise guidance, tools, and processes that are easy for HR and leaders to use.
Strategic mindset for risk mitigation and continuous improvement, including identifying and reporting internal and external legal and regulatory trends and recommending strategic shifts.
Demonstrated ability to lead, develop, and retain high-performing, engaged legal teams.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, sound judgment, and the ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with discretion.
Regularly and consistently demonstrates the Nationwide Values.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with a multinational company on international employment law issues is a plus.

Responsibilities

Directly leads, oversees, and coordinates the provision of employment law services in support of HR and business partners across the enterprise.
Provides proactive and reactive advice and guidance on hiring, performance management, discipline and termination decisions, accommodations and leaves, wage and hour compliance, investigations, and other associate-related issues, including multi-jurisdictional matters.
Oversees strategy for employment litigation, agency charges, and high-risk pre-litigation disputes, including management of outside counsel and alignment on enterprise positions.
Monitors and interprets evolving federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations and translates them into practical policies, playbooks, decision frameworks, and guidance for client use.
Partners with senior HR leaders, business executives, and other Legal partners on major workforce initiatives such as reorganizations, new work models, acquisitions and divestitures, global employment matters, pay transparency and equity, and the responsible use of AI and analytics in HR tools and decisions.
Leads workforce strategy and organizational change for the Employment Consulting & Litigation team and contributes informed employment law perspectives to enterprise strategies affecting talent, culture, and risk posture.
Leads and develops attorneys and legal professionals by setting expectations, coaching performance, building succession capability, and fostering a culture of collaboration, integrity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Designs and continuously improves scalable, data-informed processes for service delivery, documentation standards, intake and triage, metrics and reporting, and decision-making.
Builds trusted relationships across HR, the business, and Legal and influences outcomes through sound judgment, collaboration, credibility, and clear communication of risk, options, and trade-offs.
Serves as a member of the broader legal leadership team to help drive strategic priorities and overall department execution.
May perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Benefits

medical/dental/vision
life insurance
short and long term disability coverage
paid time off with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days paid time off each full calendar year pro-rated quarterly based on hire date
nine paid holidays
8 hours of Lifetime paid time off
8 hours of Unity Day paid time off
401(k) with company match
company-paid pension plan
business casual attire