Lead Global Employment Counsel – San Francisco Bay Area (955-SLS)

Solutus Legal Search•San Francisco, CA

21h•Hybrid

About The Position

Our client, a rapidly growing, well-funded startup in stealth mode, is looking to hire a Lead Global Employment Counsel to serve as the primary legal partner for the company’s HR team and business stakeholders on employment and labor matters worldwide and across global affiliate companies. This is a high-impact, high-autonomy role for an attorney who thrives in a fast-paced, startup environment and can operate as both strategist and executor. In this role, you will own the employment legal function. You will build policies and scalable frameworks, handle day-to-day counseling across a complex, multi-jurisdictional workforce, and manage outside counsel. The ideal candidate brings deep US employment law expertise with meaningful international experience, a comfort level with ambiguity and rapid change, and a practical, business-oriented approach to legal risk. Experience in the defense technology sector, with government-contracted employers is highly valued, as is international employment law experience. You thrive in an environment where the priority list changes by noon, and you're just as comfortable deprioritizing yesterday's ask as you are executing on today's.

Requirements

J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with at least one US state bar
8-12+ years of employment law experience, with a strong mix of law firm and in-house experience
Deep expertise in US federal and multi-state employment law
Meaningful experience advising on international employment matters
Track record of drafting and implementing employment policies, agreements, and frameworks
Experience managing outside counsel across multiple jurisdictions
Experience conducting or overseeing workplace investigations, including safety incidents
Strong business judgment with the ability to assess risk practically and communicate clearly to non-legal stakeholders
Ability to work in office up to 5 days per week, ability to travel across the U.S. and Europe as needed

Nice To Haves

Prior in-house experience at a startup, a high-growth technology company, or a defense company
Familiarity with ITAR/EAR export control regulations and their employment implications
Experience with security clearance programs and associated personnel requirements
Background in federal contractor compliance (OFCCP, affirmative action, EEO-1)
Experience with employer-of-record (EOR/IOR) arrangements and international entity establishment
Comfort advising on equity/stock compensation matters across multiple jurisdictions
Familiarity with European, Middle East, and India employment frameworks

Responsibilities

Provide day-to-day legal advice on the full spectrum of US and global employment matters: hiring, employment contracts, performance management, terminations, accommodations, leaves of absence, wage and hour, workplace investigations, and employee relations
Draft, review, and negotiate employment agreements, offer letters, separation agreements, contractor agreements, secondment arrangements, and equity/stock-related employment terms
Develop scalable employment policies that can flex with rapid growth across jurisdictions, and ensure they comply with local laws and rapidly evolving regulatory frameworks
Reduce outside counsel spend on employment matters by building in-house processes and playbooks that eliminate routine escalations
Support compliance with federal contractor obligations
Issue spot and advise on employment implications of ITAR, export control, and security clearances
Conduct and oversee internal workplace investigations, including safety incidents, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and ethics complaints
Proactively identify and mitigate employment-related legal risks globally
Support HR on workforce planning, org restructuring, and employee engagement
Provide legal review and counsel on employee-facing programs such as patent reward programs, intern programs, equity/stock administration, and employee transfer processes