Employment Counsel

Adyen • New York, NY

3d • $160,000 - $212,500 • Onsite

About The Position

Adyen is seeking an Employment Counsel for its global Legal team, based in New York. The role owns US employment litigation and disputes, manages external counsel, and advises the business and HR colleagues on high-risk employment issues. It is the company’s only dedicated US employment legal role, so the successful candidate will also build reusable frameworks, templates, playbooks, policies, and training that help HR handle routine matters and escalate complex issues appropriately. The role collaborates with Employment Counsel in Amsterdam, the global Corporate Legal team, and HR Business Partners worldwide, and contributes to global employment legal strategy across the US, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM.

The position calls for practical judgment in unsettled areas of law, an in-house, business-oriented approach, and the ability to operate autonomously in a high-volume, fast-paced environment. The role is based in Adyen’s New York office. Adyen is office-first, values in-person collaboration, and does not offer remote-only roles; periodic travel to other offices is expected.

Requirements

• Around 7 or more years of employment law experience, in-house or at a law firm.
• Strong US employment litigation experience, including managing matters through agencies and courts and directing external counsel.
• Employment law generalist who can make clear recommendations in unsettled areas, explain accepted risks, and take ownership of decisions.
• In-house mindset, with the ability to connect legal advice to business objectives and distinguish material risks from theoretical ones.
• Ability to work autonomously, manage the role independently, and build the US employment legal function.
• Global approach and ability to collaborate with Legal and HR colleagues across the US, LATAM, EMEA, and APAC.
• Discretion and sound judgment when handling sensitive and confidential matters.
• Ability to structure and prioritize work in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
• Admission to practice in the United States and in good standing.
• Availability to work from the New York office and travel to other offices periodically.
• Fluent written and spoken English.

Nice To Haves

• Additional language skills.

Responsibilities

• Own US employment disputes and litigation, aligning positions with global strategy and managing matters through resolution.
• Instruct and manage external counsel, overseeing scope, budget, and quality, and build a reliable counsel panel across jurisdictions.
• Advise on legal risk while balancing exposure with practical business outcomes.
• Partner with HR colleagues on escalated employee matters, providing legal judgment and privilege where appropriate and enabling HR to handle routine matters.
• Partner with Employment Counsel in Amsterdam to build frameworks and playbooks and provide legal review of key policies.
• Advise on employment matters including wage and hour, discrimination and accommodation, classification, leave, and pay transparency.
• Develop frameworks that can be used beyond the US and help shape global employment legal strategy with colleagues in EMEA, APAC, and LATAM.
• Train and upskill HR colleagues, people leads, and managers to embed good employment practices.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed