Senior Paralegal, Employment

OpenAI•San Francisco, CA

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

OpenAI's Legal team is seeking a Senior Employment Paralegal to provide paralegal and project management support and coordination across the employment legal team and its cross-functional partners. This role will support employment litigation matters, and will also own, manage, and build out/scale the paralegal support function across multiple subject matter areas. The position is based in San Francisco, CA, with a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week. The Senior Employment Paralegal will serve as a strategic partner to Legal, People, Compliance, and business teams to design, implement, and scale employment-related tools, systems, and process improvements. They will support and coordinate employment investigations, pre-litigation matters, employee agency matters, and litigation in partnership with internal and outside counsel. The role involves partnering with outside counsel and internal stakeholders to support employment law compliance, risk mitigation strategies, and implementation of evolving regulatory requirements. Additionally, the paralegal will work with partner teams to manage and improve processes related to employee onboarding, offboarding, mobility, and lifecycle documentation, and drive employment legal support for domestic and international workforce expansion initiatives. This includes drafting, reviewing, and maintaining employment agreements, contractor arrangements, handbooks, policies, and related employment and worker documentation. Collaboration with cross-functional partners like People Operations, People Compliance, Recruiting, Finance, Security, and others to develop scalable employment legal resources and training materials is key. The role requires building and maintaining organized document management and tracking systems for employment matters, identifying opportunities to automate and streamline employment legal processes, and operating as a senior escalation point for sensitive employment matters.

Requirements

10+ years experience.
Must have in-house experience as a paralegal at a fast paced innovative tech company.
Deeply familiar with US labor and employment law.
Experience supporting employment litigation including discovery and coordinating with external counsel.
Familiarity with compliance matters, including audits, government reporting, and internal investigations.
Solid organizational skills, effective and collaborative communication style, a strong sense of ownership, and enthusiasm about AI technology; enjoy being continually challenged and can demonstrate sound judgment in ambiguous situations.

Nice To Haves

AI specific experience.
Familiar with international employment laws and policies.
Familiar with litigation and investigations, discovery, and legal operations.
Breadth of experience across litigation/regulatory subject matter, e.g., IP, privacy, employment, antitrust, etc.

Responsibilities

Serve as a strategic partner to Legal, People, Compliance, and business teams to design, implement, and scale employment-related tools, systems, and process improvements in a high-growth environment.
Support and coordinate employment investigations, pre-litigation matters, employee agency matters, and litigation, in partnership with internal and outside counsel.
Partner with outside counsel and internal stakeholders to support employment law compliance, risk mitigation strategies, and implementation of evolving regulatory requirements in the U.S. and globally.
Work with partner teams to manage and continuously improve processes related to employee onboarding, offboarding, mobility, and lifecycle documentation, ensuring operational efficiency and legal compliance across jurisdictions.
Drive employment legal support for domestic and international workforce expansion initiatives, including providing critical paralegal and project management support for drafting, reviewing, and maintaining employment agreements, contractor arrangements, handbooks, policies, and related employment and worker documentation.
Collaborate with cross-functional partners such as People Operations, People Compliance, Recruiting, Finance, Security, and other teams to develop scalable employment legal resources and training materials.
Build and maintain highly organized document management and tracking systems for employment matters, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality.
Identify opportunities to automate, streamline, and modernize employment legal processes to support a fast-moving, AI-driven business environment.
Operate as a senior escalation point for sensitive and high-priority employment matters requiring sound judgment, discretion, and proactive problem solving.