Employment & Litigation Counsel

CHAOS Industries•El Segundo, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com . Role Overview: CHAOS is hiring its first dedicated Employment lawyer, a role that combines deep subject-matter ownership of employment law with oversight of the company's litigation portfolio. You'll be the go-to internal expert on everything from hiring and terminations to leave policy and workplace investigations, while also serving as the company's primary point of contact for outside litigation counsel across all matters (not just employment-related ones). This is a high-autonomy, high-trust role, reporting directly to the General Counsel, for someone who wants to build the employment law function from the ground up and be a strategic partner to the People team and business leaders.

Requirements

5+ years of employment law experience at a leading law firm or in-house at a multi-national company
Deep knowledge of applicable state and federal employment laws
Licensed to practice law in CA or DC
What we have to do next won’t always be obvious; you’re comfortable figuring out what is needed and then doing it
Experience managing outside counsel and litigation budgets
Excellent written and oral communication skills
S. Person status is required as this position needs to access export-controlled data

Nice To Haves

In-house experience at a defense or aerospace company
Experience supporting an international workforce
Experience with manufacturing
Familiarity with HRIS platforms and employment law compliance tools

Responsibilities

Provide legal advice and guidance on all employment-related issues, including recruiting, hiring, termination, wage and hour, accommodations, benefits and compensation, and immigration.
Partner with the People Team and provide day-to-day support on discrete employee matters such as investigations into misconduct, performance management issues, and addressing potential conflicts-of-interest.
Draft, review, and maintain global employment policies and standard operating procedures to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Own all employment agreements, both domestic and international, such as offer letters, invention assignment agreements, and contractor/advisor agreements.
Monitor and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws (FLSA, FMLA, ADA, Title VII, state-specific leave and pay transparency laws, etc.) across all jurisdictions where the company has employees
Design and deliver manager/employee training on employment policies and compliance topics
Partner with the People Team to build and refine employment policies, performance management processes, and disciplinary frameworks
Advise on employment law implications of new markets, M&A, reorgs, and workforce changes
Help manage the company’s litigation docket as it evolves, including intake, strategy, and resolution.
Set litigation strategy and budgets in collaboration with outside counsel and the General Counsel
Manage the litigation hold process and coordinate internally