Purpose: The Legal Counsel – Labor & Employment is responsible for providing legal support for the People & Culture and Operations teams on labor and employment matters in the United States and Canada.

Essential Functions:

• Assists in providing legal advice and counsel on a wide range of labor and employment matters, including wage and hour compliance, leaves of absence, workplace policies, accommodation requests, and claims of discrimination and harassment.
• Collaborates with People & Culture, Operations, and company leadership to ensure compliance with labor and employment laws and best practices.
• Reviews and drafts employment-related agreements, policies, and other legal documents.
• Assists in conducting internal investigations related to employee complaints and allegations of misconduct.
• Proactively monitors legislation, regulations, and emerging trends in labor and employment law; advises leadership, People & Culture, and Operations on relevant updates of federal, state, and local labor and employment laws and regulations in order to prevent employment law risk.
• Assists in representing the company in labor and employment-related litigation, administrative proceedings, and arbitrations.
• Provides training and guidance to employees and management on labor and employment law matters.
• Assists in the development and delivery of legal compliance programs and initiatives.

Reporting Relationship: The Legal Counsel – Labor & Employment reports to the Vice President & Deputy General Counsel – Labor & Employment.

Minimum Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, and Work Environment:

Education and Experience: The combination of education and professional experience must exceed 8 years:

• Requires a Juris Doctor; must be in good standing at one or more state bar associations.
• In a technical role: Requires 4-6 years of experience engaged in delivering labor and employment law programs at a corporate legal department or law firm. A bachelor’s degree in a program related to the functional area can count for 3 of the eight-year education & experience requirement. An MBA or a master’s level degree in a program related to the functional area can count for an additional 2 years of the eight-year education & experience requirement.
• In the industry: Hospitality, F&B and/or Retail experience preferred.

Specialized Training:

• Training that leads to an in-depth and expert level understanding of ERISA, NLRA, and state and federal employment regulations and statutes.
• Training that leads to deep knowledge of HR practices and policies.

Specialized Skillset/Competencies/Traits:

• Demonstrated experience with conducting internal investigations and performing crisis management.
• Must possess and promote high ethical standards, sound judgement, professionalism, and integrity.
• Requires superior organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail; has the ability to manage multiple high-priority legal projects simultaneously.
• Strong negotiating, decision making, critical thinking, deductive reasoning, and problem-solving skills.
• Solid knowledge of legal research tools and proficiency in legal research; has a keen eye for detail and strong editorial skills.
• Ability to explain laws and legal language in concise and clear terms.
• Excellent listening, written, and oral communication skills.
• Experience interacting with senior management; is self-motivated and can work without hands-on supervision.
• Strong business acumen and has the strategic mindset required to understand the long-term implications of legal decisions and to advance the organization's goals.
• Demonstrated history of understanding the needs of the business, stakeholders, the employee population, and individual circumstances.
• Demonstrated history of creating and maintaining positive work environments through coaching, developing, and leading teams to achieve common goals.

Location/Travel:

• This position is based at the F&B Center of Excellence in Bethesda, MD.
• This position requires up to 25% travel.