Employment Counsel

Experian • Costa Mesa, CA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

Experian is seeking an Employment Counsel to combine deep employment law expertise with strong relationship skills. This role involves balancing legal risk, employee experience, and operational goals to help the business move forward thoughtfully. The position reports to the VP, Litigation Director and operates in a hybrid capacity, requiring at least one day per week at Experian's North America Headquarters in Costa Mesa, CA.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) and active bar membership; California bar membership preferred.
• 7+ years of employment law experience, combining law firm and in-house experience or advising complex, multi-state employers.
• Background in employment litigation, agency charges, workplace investigations, compliance audits, policy development, and practical risk management.
• Experience advising on employee relations, performance management, leaves and accommodations, terminations, employment claims, and high-risk workplace matters.
• Experience supporting large, matrixed, multinational, or high-growth organizations.
• Translate complex legal concepts into clear, practical guidance for HR partners and business leaders.
• Experience developing training, strengthening manager capability, and improving enterprise processes, and ways of working.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting North America or broader Americas employment matters, including Canada, Costa Rica, and Chile, preferred.

Responsibilities

• Advise HR, Employee Relations, and business leaders on a broad range of employee relations and employment law matters, including performance management, accommodations, leaves, separations, workplace conduct, and organizational change.
• Provide guidance on sensitive workplace matters, helping leaders make defensible, and values-aligned decisions.
• Support the full employment lifecycle, including recruiting, onboarding, job classification, background checks, contingent workforce matters, performance issues, and separation documentation.
• Partner on or oversee complex employee relations investigations and advise on investigation strategy, documentation, findings, remediation, and defensible record-building.
• Manage employment-related claims, agency charges, demand letters, mediations, audits, and litigation, including coordination with outside counsel.
• Draft, review, interpret, and update employment-related policies, handbooks, templates, communications, and manager guidance to align with federal, state/provincial, and local legal requirements.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments across North America and translate changes into practical, scalable guidance, training, and policy updates.
• Support compliance programs involving accommodations, leaves, wage and hour, pay practices, equal employment obligations, handbook governance, and other workplace compliance requirements.
• Build trusted relationships with People/HR, Employee Relations, Compliance, Benefits, Security, Investigations, Legal, and business leaders to provide coordinated support.
• Deliver practical training for HR, employee relations practitioners, and people leaders on employment law, workplace investigations, accommodations, respectful workplace conduct, documentation, and related topics.
• Strengthen manager and HR capability through tools, guides, templates, issue-spotting guidance, standard operating procedures and process simplification.
• Use data, technology, and efficient ways of working to improve legal service delivery, identify trends, and reduce workplace risk.

Benefits

• Great compensation package and bonus plan
• Core benefits including medical, dental, vision, and matching 401K
• Flexible work environment, ability to work remote, hybrid or in-office
• Flexible time off including volunteer time off, vacation, sick and 12-paid holidays

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree