Legal Head of US Labor & Employee Law

Philips•Cambridge, MA

5d•$244,000 - $389,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Head of US Employment Law will serve as the enterprise leader for US Employment and Labor Law team, reporting to the Head of Legal, North America, and acting as a key advisor to senior executive leadership, including the Chief People Officer and business leaders. Your role: Enterprise Leadership & Strategy: Lead and develop a high-performing employment law team supporting the People Function (HR), Labor, Benefits, Immigration and Global Mobility. Define and execute a forward-looking employment and labor law strategy aligned with workforce transformation, innovation and regulatory evolution, advising executive leadership on complex workforce risk, organizational change and reputational considerations. Drive proactive risk mitigation through strong governance frameworks, scalable processes and performance metrics, informed by active engagement with trade associations, industry groups and peer benchmarking to ensure alignment with evolving best practices. Champion the thoughtful adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and legal technology—both within the employment law team and across the People Function (HR)—to enhance quality, efficiency and compliant workforce decision-making. Strategic Employment Advisory: Provide counsel across the full employee lifecycle, including hiring, performance management, discipline, termination, compensation and benefits. Oversee and guide strategy in employment disputes, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wage and hour matters. Support and lead sensitive internal investigations under the General Business Principles (GBP) (Philips’ Code of Conduct) and related governance frameworks and work closely with Compliance team. Provide executive-level guidance regarding Care & Well-being initiatives (including inclusion and engagement programs), with informed awareness of evolving US Executive Orders and regulatory scrutiny impacting workplace programs. Labor Strategy: Lead labor relations strategy, including collective bargaining negotiations and arbitration oversight. Develop enterprise-level preventative labor strategies, including organizing risk assessments and executive preparedness. Litigation, Fiduciary & Risk Oversight: Oversee employment litigation and administrative proceedings, aligning dispute strategy with enterprise risk tolerance and financial objectives. Manage outside counsel performance, budgets and outcomes including alternative fee arrangements. Oversee team support for ERISA‑governed retirement and health & welfare committees, guiding fiduciary compliance, plan governance, and litigation‑risk strategy. Ensure employment-related governance aligns with global compliance standards and enterprise risk frameworks. Corporate Transactions, Transformations and Governance: Lead employment diligence and workforce strategy in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and reorganizations. Advise on reductions in force, workforce redesign initiatives, workforce-related disclosures, public communications and regulatory positioning. Provide guidance on global mobility, expatriate assignments and immigration matters. Partner closely with Compliance, Privacy and Communications leadership within a global matrix environment. Provide strategic oversight of the compliant deployment of AI-enabled tools within the People Function (HR), ensuring alignment with privacy, data governance and evolving regulatory standards and partner with Privacy and Compliance teams. You're the right fit if: Education: Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited US law school and active bar membership. 15+ years of progressive labor and employment law experience, ideally within a global, regulated or healthcare/medical technology organization. Demonstrated success leading an employment law function at scale. Strong network across the global HealthTech industry. Deep expertise in US employment law; familiarity with California law as a plus. Experience managing complex labor strategy and high-impact litigation. Experience advising across global jurisdictions; familiarity with Works Councils and international union environments is a plus. Executive presence with the ability to influence C-suite and Board-level stakeholders. Demonstrated fluency in emerging legal technologies and AI applications in employment decision-making and legal operations. Proven ability to lead within a complex global matrix and mentor senior legal talent. You must be able to successfully perform the following minimum Physical, Cognitive and Environmental job requirements with or without accommodation for this position. How we work together We believe that we are better together than apart. This role is office-based and this means working in person at least 3 days per week. About Philips We are a health technology company. We built our entire company around the belief that every human matters, and we won't stop until everybody everywhere has access to the quality healthcare that we all deserve. Do the work of your life to help improve the lives of others. Learn more about our business. Discover our rich and exciting history. Learn more about our purpose. Learn more about our culture. If you’re interested in this role and have many, but not all, of the experiences needed, we encourage you to apply. You may still be the right candidate for this or other opportunities at Philips. Learn more about our culture of impact with care here. Philips Transparency Details for Cambridge, MA, USA location The pay range for this position in Massachusetts (MA) is $244,000 to $389,000. The actual base pay offered may vary within the posted ranges depending on multiple factors, including job-related knowledge/skills, experience, business needs, geographical location, and internal equity. In addition, other compensation, such as an annual incentive bonus, sales commission or long-term incentives may be offered. Employees are eligible to participate in our comprehensive Philips Total Rewards benefits program, which includes a generous PTO, 401k (up to 7% match), HSA (with company contribution), stock purchase plan, education reimbursement and much more. Details about our benefits can be found here. At Philips, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top end of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each case. Additional Information US work authorization is a precondition of employment. The company will not consider candidates who require sponsorship for a work-authorized visa, now or in the future. This requisition is expected to stay active for 45 days but may close earlier if a successful candidate is selected or business necessity dictates. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to ensure consideration. Philips is an Equal Employment and Opportunity Employer including Disability/Vets and maintains a drug-free workplace. At Philips, we believe that every human matters. As a global health-tech leader, we focus on improving people’s health and wellbeing through meaningful innovation. The people who work here share our passion and are motivated to bring this purpose to life. For more than 130 years, we have been creating technologies and innovations that improve people's lives and support healthcare practitioners. Headquartered in the Netherlands and operating in more than 100 countries globally, we focus our advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights on Precision Diagnosis, Image Guided Therapy, Enterprise Informatics, Monitoring/ Connected Care, Sleep & Respiratory Care and Personal Health. Together, we deliver better care for more people because we believe that every human matters. That's why we're taking steps to create an environment where we acknowledge and embrace our differences and uniqueness and listen to and value each other's views. When people feel cared for and listened to, they bring their best qualities to work, leading to better collaboration, communication, innovation and success. It is the policy of Philips to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy/childbirth or related medical conditions, age, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, genetic information, citizenship status, veteran or military status, marital or domestic partner status or any other characteristic protected by law. As an equal opportunity employer, Philips is committed to fostering a culture where all are treated with respect and professionalism. To ensure reasonable accommodations for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veterans' Readjustment Act of 1974 and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants that require accommodation in the job application process may contact 888-367-7223, option 5, for assistance. Philips is an Equal Employment and Opportunity Employer including Disability/Vets and maintains a drug-free workplace. Know Your Rights

Requirements

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited US law school and active bar membership.
15+ years of progressive labor and employment law experience, ideally within a global, regulated or healthcare/medical technology organization.
Demonstrated success leading an employment law function at scale.
Strong network across the global HealthTech industry.
Deep expertise in US employment law; familiarity with California law as a plus.
Experience managing complex labor strategy and high-impact litigation.
Executive presence with the ability to influence C-suite and Board-level stakeholders.
Demonstrated fluency in emerging legal technologies and AI applications in employment decision-making and legal operations.
Proven ability to lead within a complex global matrix and mentor senior legal talent.

Nice To Haves

Experience advising across global jurisdictions; familiarity with Works Councils and international union environments is a plus.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop a high-performing employment law team supporting the People Function (HR), Labor, Benefits, Immigration and Global Mobility.
Define and execute a forward-looking employment and labor law strategy aligned with workforce transformation, innovation and regulatory evolution, advising executive leadership on complex workforce risk, organizational change and reputational considerations.
Drive proactive risk mitigation through strong governance frameworks, scalable processes and performance metrics, informed by active engagement with trade associations, industry groups and peer benchmarking to ensure alignment with evolving best practices.
Champion the thoughtful adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and legal technology—both within the employment law team and across the People Function (HR)—to enhance quality, efficiency and compliant workforce decision-making.
Provide counsel across the full employee lifecycle, including hiring, performance management, discipline, termination, compensation and benefits.
Oversee and guide strategy in employment disputes, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wage and hour matters.
Support and lead sensitive internal investigations under the General Business Principles (GBP) (Philips’ Code of Conduct) and related governance frameworks and work closely with Compliance team.
Provide executive-level guidance regarding Care & Well-being initiatives (including inclusion and engagement programs), with informed awareness of evolving US Executive Orders and regulatory scrutiny impacting workplace programs.
Lead labor relations strategy, including collective bargaining negotiations and arbitration oversight.
Develop enterprise-level preventative labor strategies, including organizing risk assessments and executive preparedness.
Oversee employment litigation and administrative proceedings, aligning dispute strategy with enterprise risk tolerance and financial objectives.
Manage outside counsel performance, budgets and outcomes including alternative fee arrangements.
Oversee team support for ERISA‑governed retirement and health & welfare committees, guiding fiduciary compliance, plan governance, and litigation‑risk strategy.
Ensure employment-related governance aligns with global compliance standards and enterprise risk frameworks.
Lead employment diligence and workforce strategy in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and reorganizations.
Advise on reductions in force, workforce redesign initiatives, workforce-related disclosures, public communications and regulatory positioning.
Provide guidance on global mobility, expatriate assignments and immigration matters.
Partner closely with Compliance, Privacy and Communications leadership within a global matrix environment.
Provide strategic oversight of the compliant deployment of AI-enabled tools within the People Function (HR), ensuring alignment with privacy, data governance and evolving regulatory standards and partner with Privacy and Compliance teams.