Employment Counsel

Adyen • San Francisco, CA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Adyen is seeking an Employment Counsel to join its global Legal team, based in New York or San Francisco. This is the only dedicated employment legal role in the US, with primary responsibility for US employment matters and a global perspective. The role owns US employment litigation and disputes, manages external counsel, and advises the business and HR colleagues on high-risk and escalated employment issues.

The Employment Counsel will build reusable frameworks, templates, playbooks, and trainings to help HR colleagues handle routine matters and identify issues requiring legal advice. The role partners with Employment Counsel in Amsterdam, the global Corporate Legal team, HR Business Partners, and colleagues across EMEA, APAC, and LATAM to shape employment legal strategy and develop approaches that can work across jurisdictions.

The position calls for practical judgment, comfort with unsettled law, and the ability to work autonomously. It is based in an Adyen office in New York or San Francisco; Adyen is an office-first company and does not offer remote-only roles. Periodic travel to other offices is required.

Requirements

• Around 7 or more years of employment law experience, in-house or at a law firm.
• Strong US employment litigation experience, including running matters through agencies and courts and directing external counsel.
• Employment law generalist comfortable advising where the law is unsettled and making clear recommendations.
• In-house mindset, with the ability to connect advice to business objectives and distinguish real risks from theoretical ones.
• Ability to work autonomously and build the employment legal function in the region.
• Global approach and ability to collaborate with legal and HR colleagues across the US, LATAM, EMEA, and APAC.
• Discretion and sound judgment with sensitive and confidential matters.
• Ability to structure and prioritize work in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
• Admitted to practice in the United States and in good standing.
• Available to work from the New York or San Francisco office and travel to other offices periodically.
• Fluent in written and spoken English.

Nice To Haves

• Additional language proficiency.

Responsibilities

• Own US employment disputes and litigation, aligning the company’s position with global strategy and managing matters through resolution.
• Instruct and manage external counsel, overseeing scope, budget, and quality and building a reliable panel across jurisdictions.
• Advise on legal risk while balancing exposure against practical business outcomes.
• Partner with HR colleagues on escalated employee matters, providing legal judgment and privilege where needed and enabling HR to handle routine matters.
• Partner with Employment Counsel in Amsterdam.
• Build frameworks and playbooks and provide legal review of important policies.
• Advise on wage and hour, discrimination and accommodation, classification, leave, and pay transparency matters.
• Develop frameworks that extend 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.

What This Job Offers

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