Senior Employment Counsel

Workday•Pleasanton, CA

2d•$160,800 - $285,700•Hybrid

About The Position

Workday is seeking a Senior Employment Counsel to join their Employment Legal Team. This role will advise business and People & Purpose leaders on complex employment law matters, primarily supporting the Americas region and collaborating with international colleagues. The team's goal is to support Workday's growth by providing practical guidance that balances risk and opportunity, while upholding the company's culture and values. Key focuses for the upcoming year include supporting expansion into new markets, enabling innovation through responsible AI and automation, and strengthening employment-related risk management. The ideal candidate will be a collaborative, business-minded legal professional with strong judgment, curiosity, and a commitment to fairness and fun.

Requirements

J.D. degree and membership in at least one state bar.
7+ years of experience as a practicing attorney in a law firm and/or in-house/public sector legal department, with significant, hands-on employment counseling experience (for example, employee relations, policies, terminations, leaves of absence, and accommodations).
Prior in-house experience supporting HR, People & Purpose, or employment-focused client groups.
Deep employment law expertise and judgment: You skillfully analyze complex fact patterns and regulatory frameworks, identify practical options, and provide clear, concise recommendations that enable timely decisions.
Strong business mindset and commercial awareness: You understand how employment risk, people strategies, and business goals intersect, and you tailor your advice to support both compliance and long-term business success.
Highly effective communicator: You have exceptional written and oral communication skills and adapt your style to different audiences, from HR business partners and people managers to senior executives, enabling effective communication with both legal and non-legal stakeholders.
Skilled relationship builder and collaborator: You cultivate strong, trust-based relationships with cross-functional partners, lead through influence, and help drive alignment across Legal, People & Purpose, and the business.
Strength in legal risk management and proactive problem solving: You proactively identify and analyze legal and regulatory risks, develop creative and scalable solutions, and help teams implement processes that reduce exposure while enabling innovation.
Experience advising on AI- and automation-related issues in the workplace and the impact of AI on employment-related questions (for example, hiring, performance management, and workforce management use cases) with the demonstrated ability to manage and pilot global advisory frameworks that ensure consistent policy application and service excellence while remaining adaptable to region-specific requirements.
Strong project management and organizational skills: You manage multiple matters and projects simultaneously, set clear priorities, and move work forward with appropriate urgency, using structured, efficient processes to deliver high-quality results.
Growth-oriented, hands-on approach: You are comfortable rolling up your sleeves—whether to help design a new policy, support a complex investigation, or build a more efficient workflow—and you enjoy working in a fast-moving, collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

Serving as a trusted advisor to People & Purpose on a wide range of employee relations matters, including performance management, terminations, leaves of absence, accommodation requests, benefits, and ERISA-related questions.
Providing pragmatic, business-oriented advice on domestic and international employment laws and regulations, with a primary focus on the Americas, helping leaders understand risk, options, and recommended paths forward.
Advising on employment law and people-related issues arising from the use of AI and automation in HR and business processes, helping ensure Workday advances innovation in a responsible, transparent, and compliant way.
Drafting, reviewing, and updating employment-related documentation, including offer letters, employment agreements, separation agreements, and other templates and playbooks.
Managing employment-related disputes, administrative claims, and litigation, including managing and partnering with external counsel where appropriate.
Supporting mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic transactions by conducting employment diligence, advising on risk, and helping design and implement integration and transition plans for employees.
Driving employment-related projects, such as refreshing policies and internal procedures, advising on new or evolving benefits, and contributing to scalable processes and tools that help the business manage employment risk effectively.