Director, Employment and Litigation Counsel

Menarini Group•,

13h•$220,000 - $277,843•Remote

About The Position

The Director, Employment & Litigation Counsel will serve as a key legal advisor to Human Resources, Business Leaders, and cross-functional partners across the organization. Reporting directly to the Assistant General Counsel, this role is responsible for providing practical, solution-oriented legal advice on a broad range of employment matters, managing general commercial and employment litigation, directly engaging with adverse parties, overseeing workplace investigations, and supporting global workforce growth in the biopharmaceutical sector. This role will offer preventive advice and solutions to the HR team for a range of topics from employee relations (“ER”) perspective, including, but not limited to, recruitment, compensation and benefits, retention, discrimination, harassment, performance, discipline and separations. This role will also provide advice on employee data-related matters. The geographic coverage of this role is primarily U.S. and may be expanded with the growth of the business.

Requirements

J.D. is required
Active license to practice law in at least one US State
Minimum of 7 years HR experience in the US experience in private practice and/or in-house at high growth companies
Substantial hands-on experience directly negotiating and communicating with adverse parties, opposing counsel, and agency investigators to resolve pre-litigation disputes and commercial claims
Comprehensive knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws (e.g., Title VII, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, ADEA, state wage-and-hour laws), as well as general civil procedure
Demonstrated experience managing workplace investigations, administrative agency charges, and commercial disputes
Experience advising on employee data collection, process and protection
Hands-on, solution-oriented, and ability to provide actionable solutions
Strategic thinker, knowledgeable on best practices
Ability to recognize trends and identify systemic approaches to solving problems
Excellent interpersonal skills to communicate with teams of all levels with different culture and education backgrounds
Proficient multi-tasking, with strong attention to detail
Team-oriented person with excellent follow-up skills
Passion for learning, self-motivated, energetic, and enthusiastic
A proactive, entrepreneurial mindset

Nice To Haves

Global experience a plus, but not required

Responsibilities

Serve as a primary Legal Business Partner to HR, Talent Acquisition, and Total Rewards teams on employment compliance, worker classification (FLSA), performance management, accommodations, leaves of absence, executive compensation, and separations
Draft, review, and update employment-related agreements, restrictive covenants, separation packages, and workforce policies to align with federal, state, and local laws
Provide strategic counsel on immigration, OFCCP/EEOC compliance, global mobility, and contingent workforce management
Monitor evolving employment legislation and industry trends in the biotech/pharma space to proactively implement risk mitigation strategies
Lead or supervise complex internal investigations into whistleblower allegations, harassment, discrimination, and code-of-conduct violations
Formulate standardized investigation workflows, ensure objective documentation, and partner with HR to implement corrective actions and remediations
Design and deliver interactive legal training programs for managers and HR professionals on employment compliance, internal investigations, and anti-harassment standards
Engage external counsel support as needed
Act as a primary legal point of contact for external disputes, directly communicating and negotiating with adverse parties, opposing counsel, regulatory agencies, and third-party claimants across a variety of pre-litigation and active dispute matters
Direct and manage strategy for general commercial litigation, breach of contract claims, vendor disputes, IP-adjacent matters, and employment-related administrative charges (EEOC/state agencies)
Select, manage, and supervise outside counsel to ensure high-quality, cost-effective representation and strategic alignment on litigation proceedings
Oversee e-discovery, litigation holds, document collection, subpoena responses, and witness preparation for depositions and hearings