Employment Counsel

GFT•Philadelphia, PA

13d•$135,000 - $190,000•Remote

About The Position

GFT, a leading architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firm with over 5,000 employees across North America, seeks an experienced employment counsel to join its in-house legal team. This role provides strategic and practical legal guidance on employment-related matters. While reporting to Legal, the Employment Counsel will also partner closely with HR, supporting legal compliance, advising on employee relations issues, and counseling leadership on sensitive workforce matters.

Requirements

J.D. and admission to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
6–10 years of employment law experience, preferably a mix of law firm and in-house roles.
Strong knowledge of U.S. federal and multi-state employment laws; familiarity with Canadian (Ontario) employment law and cross border working arrangements highly desirable.
Demonstrated experience handling employee relations, workplace investigations, agency charges, and employment litigation.
Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with ability to provide practical, business-oriented advice.
Comfort flexing into general corporate and contract review work.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the AEC or professional services industry a plus.

Responsibilities

Research and interpret employment, labor, and human rights laws across the firm’s geographic footprint.
Develop and update company policies, handbooks, and practices to ensure compliance with applicable laws and evolving regulatory requirements.
Monitor legislative and regulatory developments affecting the company’s workforce.
Provide day-to-day legal advice to HR and managers on employee relations issues, including discipline, performance management, accommodations, and terminations.
Support HR with workforce planning, organizational changes, and employee communications, including severance agreements and releases.
Partner with HR to support and advise on employee complaints (harassment, discrimination, retaliation, workplace misconduct), with HR retaining primary responsibility for these processes prior to initiation of an EEOC claim or lawsuit.
Partner with HR to develop and deliver training programs for HR, managers, and leadership on employment law topics and best practices.
Manage responses to administrative charges (EEOC, state agencies, and Ontario Human Rights Tribunal), including drafting and coordinating position statements.
Oversee and coordinate employment litigation, working with outside counsel as needed.
Coordinate litigation holds and information gathering in partnership with HR and business leaders.
Draft, review, and negotiate executive employment agreements, severance packages, and restrictive covenant agreements.
Provide guidance and enforce restrictive covenant obligations, including non-compete, non-solicitation, and confidentiality agreements.
Advise on standard contract templates for talent acquisition agreements (retained search firms, staff augmentation agencies, direct hire referral agreements).
Manage and review employment-related NDAs, intellectual property agreements, and post-employment obligations related to data access and confidentiality.
Advise and contribute to policy development on privacy of employee data.
Review and advise on use of independent contractor agreements to avoid misclassification.
Advise on prevailing wage and similar requirements applicable to company projects.
Provide guidance on workers’ compensation and unemployment compensation issues.
Assist the CLO/Ethics Officer and Compliance Specialist with business ethics and compliance oversight, investigations, expense reviews, and policy improvements that align with employee policies.
Collaborate with the Legal team on broader corporate matters, including project-related contract review, commercial agreements, and compliance initiatives.
Provide general corporate support as needed; approximately 25–30% of this role may involve non-employment-related legal work, including project and vendor contract reviews, and corporate compliance.