Senior Counsel, Employment Law

GEICO • Bethesda, MD

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Counsel, Employment Law will help support GEICO’s people-first strategy by partnering cross-functionally across geographies and be primarily responsible for: (i) guiding the development of all Company policies, processes and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable local, state and federal employment laws and regulations; (ii) providing practical and effective counsel and advice to key internal partners and stakeholders on avoiding and mitigating employment risk; and (iii) responding to and addressing employment-related disputes and escalations. Success in this role is built on the foundation of GEICO’s core leadership behaviors: Ownership: You take responsibility for outcomes in all scenarios. Adaptability: You navigate dynamic environments with creativity and resilience. Leading People: You empower individuals and teams to achieve their best. Collaboration: You build and strengthen partnerships across organizational lines. Driving Value: You use data-driven insights to align actions with strategic goals.

Requirements

• Must possess a J.D. and an active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 8 years of relevant substantive experience in a large in-house legal department, law firm, government, and/or in-house HR/Employee Relations role.
• Experience managing government investigations/audits and/or internal investigations.
• Experience working with cross-functional partners to drive scalable HR solutions to mitigate employment law risk.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex legal concepts to non-lawyers.
• Ability to balance legal risk and business objectives and in managing multiple priorities, projects, and stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

• Prior Insurance industry experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide counsel and advice on proactively preventing employment and labor law risk and driving enterprise-side compliance with state, local and federal workplace laws and requirements, including EEO, leave and accommodations, health and safety, employee benefits, wage and hour, and immigration laws
• Partner closely with internal stakeholders within the People Group and elsewhere on responding to and resolving internal escalations and issues affecting employees
• Manage and respond to attorney demand letters and other external (pre-suit) escalations
• Partner with key stakeholders on building best-in-class processes for ensuring proper and consistent application of Company policies, processes and procedures across the associate lifecycle
• Conduct research as needed to provide relevant advice
• Proactively monitor legislation, regulations, and emerging trends in labor and employment law

Benefits

• Licensing and continuing education at no cost to you.
• Leadership development programs and hundreds of eLearning courses to enhance your skills.
• Market-competitive compensation
• A 401K savings plan vested from day one that offers a 6% match
• Performance and recognition-based incentives
• Tuition assistance
• Mental healthcare
• Fertility and adoption assistance
• Workplace flexibility
• GEICO Flex program, which offers the ability to work from anywhere in the US for up to four weeks per year.

What This Job Offers

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