Vice President, Litigation and Employment

Global Partners LP • Waltham, MA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Vice President of Litigation and Employment is a senior legal executive responsible for setting and executing the Company’s enterprise-wide litigation strategy, leading all labor and employee-relations legal matters, and ensuring compliance with applicable labor and employment laws and regulations. This role partners closely with executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to mitigate risk, resolve disputes efficiently, safeguard the Company’s interests, and support a high-integrity, high-performance culture. The position manages and develops a team of legal professionals and oversees outside counsel. This role will be based at the company’s headquarters in Waltham, MA, transitioning to a new headquarters location in Newton, MA in Summer 2026. At Global Partners, business starts with people. Since 1933, we’ve believed in taking care of our customers, our guests, our communities, and each other—and that belief continues to guide us. The Global Spirit is how we work to fuel that long term commitment to success. As a Fortune 500 company with 90+ years of experience, we’re proud to fuel communities—responsibly and sustainably. We show up every day with grit, passion, and purpose—anticipating needs, building lasting relationships, and creating shared value.

Requirements

• Active license to practice law
• Extensive experience in litigation and labor law, including first-chair or lead responsibility for complex litigation and labor relations matters; experience with collective bargaining, grievances/arbitrations, and employment litigation
• Demonstrated success developing and executing litigation strategies, managing outside counsel, and delivering measurable outcomes and value
• Strong leadership and people-management skills with a track record of building and developing high-performing legal teams
• Advanced negotiation skills, including experience structuring settlements, resolving disputes pre-litigation, and negotiating collective bargaining agreements
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with HR, Operations, Finance, and other departments, building trust and alignment across functions
• Familiarity with electronic discovery tools and litigation software
• Excellent communication abilities, including clear, concise written and oral advocacy; adept at presenting complex issues to non-lawyers and senior executives
• Strategic thinker with sound judgment, business acumen, and the ability to balance risk with practical solutions in a fast-paced environment
• High integrity, discretion, and commitment to maintaining confidentiality and legal privilege; strong organizational skills and attention to detail

Responsibilities

• Litigation Strategy and Management: Develop, implement, and continuously refine the Company’s litigation and dispute-resolution strategy across all forums; oversee case assessment, budgeting, work plans, reserves, and matter outcomes; supervise pleadings, motion practice, discovery, trial/arbitration preparation, and appeals; direct and evaluate outside counsel performance and fee arrangements.
• Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining: Lead legal strategy for labor relations; advise on, plan, and participate in collective bargaining; interpret and administer collective bargaining agreements; manage unfair labor practice charges, grievances, arbitrations, and union-related campaigns; collaborate with HR/Labor Relations on workforce strategies and communications.
• Employment and Labor Compliance: Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local labor and employment laws and regulations; oversee policies, training, audits, and monitoring; advise on wage and hour, leave, accommodations, EEO/anti-discrimination, health and safety, and related requirements; track regulatory developments and implement compliant, business-forward solutions.
• Risk Management and Dispute Avoidance: Identify and mitigate litigation and labor risks in business initiatives, workforce changes, and day-to-day operations; establish early case assessment protocols, escalation criteria, and settlement frameworks; develop and deploy playbooks and standard methodologies.
• Internal Investigations: Partner with HR to help oversee or direct sensitive internal investigations involving employee relations, code of conduct issues, or potential legal violations; ensure timely, well-documented, and privilege-protected processes and remedial actions.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Serve as a strategic advisor to HR, Fuels Marketing, Technology, Finance, Compliance, and Communications; align legal strategies with business objectives; support organizational change initiatives, restructurings, and M&A diligence/integration for labor and litigation issues.
• Team Leadership and Development: Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of attorneys, labor specialists, and legal staff; set goals and performance standards; foster collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Budgeting and Operations: Manage litigation and labor legal budgets, reserves, and accruals; drive cost-effective matter management, e-billing, and alternative fee arrangements; implement metrics and dashboards to track outcomes and trends.
• Governance and Reporting: Provide regular updates to senior leadership on significant matters, trends, exposures, and outcomes; prepare board-level materials as requested; ensure appropriate preservation of privilege and work product.
• Policies, Training, and Culture: Draft and maintain policies and procedures related to litigation holds, investigations, document retention, workplace standards, and labor practices; design and deliver training to leaders and employees; promote a culture of compliance and respectful workplace practices.

Benefits

• We offer competitive salaries and opportunities for growth.
• We have an amazing Talent Development Team who create trainings for growth and job development.
• Health & Wellness - Medical, Dental, Visions and Life Insurance. Along with additional wellness support.
• The Road Ahead – We offer 401k and a match component!
• Professional Development - We provide tuition reimbursement; this benefit is offered after 6 months of service.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees