Senior Counsel, Labor & Employment

Ford • Dearborn, MI

20h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Counsel, Labor & Employment will serve as a lead legal expert, strategic advisor, and trusted partner to the Human Resources department, senior business leadership, and operational teams. This role is primarily focused on providing proactive, day-to-day legal advice and counseling to mitigate organizational risk, ensure compliance with U.S. federal, state, and local employment laws, and support a high-performance workplace culture. While this role involves overseeing employment litigation, administrative charges, and labor-related matters, the ideal candidate will prioritize proactive advisory functions—building scalable, compliant policies and providing real-time, practical guidance that aligns with the company’s strategic business objectives and values.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school.
• Active member in good standing of at least one U.S. State Bar (with the ability to register as in-house counsel if relocating).
• Minimum of 8–10 years of dedicated experience practicing labor and employment law.
• Proven experience managing employment law issues across multiple U.S. jurisdictions, with a deep understanding of state-specific variations (e.g., California, Illinois, New York).
• A combination of rigorous training at a major law firm and subsequent in-house corporate legal experience.
• Comprehensive, up-to-date knowledge of U.S. federal and state employment laws (Title VII, ADEA, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, NLRA, etc.).
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to translate complex legal concepts into clear, actionable, and business-friendly advice.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the professional maturity to advise, influence, and build trust with senior executives and stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

• Experience providing legal support within the automotive, manufacturing, supply chain, or industrial sectors.
• Experience advising on employment matters related to corporate mergers, acquisitions, integrations, or major business transformations.

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop the defense strategy for employment-related litigation, including class actions, single-plaintiff lawsuits, and administrative charges.
• Direct and manage a large, active docket of employment-related litigation, including class actions, collective actions, and single-plaintiff lawsuits (claims involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, and wrongful termination).
• Develop and execute comprehensive defense strategies from inception through resolution, including driving early case assessments, determining settlement vs. trial strategies, and managing discovery.
• Evaluate pre-litigation demands and internal escalations; negotiate strategic resolutions to minimize financial exposure and operational disruption.
• Act as the primary legal partner to HR and business leaders on a wide range of day-to-day employment matters, including recruiting, hiring, performance management, accommodations, discipline, terminations, and organizational restructurings/RIFs.
• Balance legal risks with business goals, demonstrating a strong ability to find creative, compliant pathways to achieve business objectives (finding the "yes" through risk-calibrated solutions).
• Provide expert guidance on FLSA classifications, state-specific wage and hour laws, pay transparency requirements, pay equity initiatives, and compensation practices.
• Advise on complex disability, religious, and leave of absence issues involving the ADA, FMLA, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), and various state-level paid leave programs.
• Provide legal oversight, strategy, and guidance on sensitive internal investigations into allegations of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, fraud, or other violations of company policy.
• Advise and review workplace policies, employee handbooks, and employment-related agreements (e.g., executive offer letters, separation agreements, and confidentiality/restrictive covenant agreements).

Benefits

• generous PTO
• retirement
• savings and stock investment plans
• incentive compensation
• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days
• paid parental leave
• new parent ramp-up programs
• subsidized back-up child care
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement
• fertility treatments
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
• Tuition assistance
• Established and active employee resource groups
• Paid time off for individual and team community service
• A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

What This Job Offers

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