Head of Employment Law and Litigation #4939

Job Description

Job Description

Our mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. We are working to change the trajectory of cancer mortality and bring stakeholders together to adopt innovative, safe, and effective technologies that can transform cancer care.

We are a healthcare company, pioneering new technologies to advance early cancer detection. We have built a multi-disciplinary organization of scientists, engineers, and physicians and we are using the power of next-generation sequencing (NGS), population-scale clinical studies, and state-of-the-art computer science and data science to overcome one of medicine’s greatest challenges.

GRAIL is headquartered in the Bay Area of California, with locations in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and the United Kingdom. It is supported by leading global investors and pharmaceutical, technology, and healthcare companies.

For more information, please visit grail.com

GRAIL is seeking a Head of Employment Law and Litigation to lead our employment law and litigation department. Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, this role will serve as the primary legal partner to our People leadership team and a trusted advisor to senior executives on complex employment and non-IP litigation matters.

You will combine deep employment law expertise with strong litigation judgment to help GRAIL navigate complex issues, proactively manage risk, and build practical, scalable solutions as the company evolves.

You’ll be a trusted advisor who sees around corners—helping leaders make sound decisions, resolving significant disputes effectively, and building employment and litigation practices that scale with GRAIL. You’ll bring excellent legal judgment, strong business acumen, and the ability to balance risk management with the needs of a dynamic organization.

This role is based in Sunnyvale, California. It offers a flexible work arrangement, with the ability to work from GRAIL's office or from home. Our current flexible work arrangement policy requires that a minimum of 60%, or 24 hours, of your total work week be on-site. Your specific schedule, determined in collaboration with your manager, will align with team and business needs and could exceed the 60% requirement for the site. At our Headquarters campus in Sunnyvale, Mondays, Wednesday and Thursdays are the key days where we encourage on-site presence to engage in. 

Responsibilities:

Head of Employment Law

• Lead GRAIL’s employment law strategy and advise senior leaders, in partnership with the HR Business Partners, on complex employment matters.
• Serve as the primary legal partner to the Chief People Officer and the People team leadership, translating complex legal issues into practical, business-oriented advice.
• Lead strategy for employment litigation, administrative proceedings, and pre-litigation disputes.
• Provide legal guidance to the employee relations function on sensitive workplace investigations.
• Enhance employment policies, agreements, playbooks, training, and manager guidance that enable consistent and scalable practices.

Head of Litigation

• Lead GRAIL’s Litigation practice, excluding IP litigation.
• Direct outside counsel, litigation strategy, discovery, settlement decisions, drafting motions, budgets, and resolution of significant matters related to non-IP litigation.
• Draft pre-litigation correspondence, demand letters, and subpoena responses.
• Identify emerging litigation risks and recommend proactive strategies, policies, processes, and controls to mitigate them.
• Partner across Legal, People, Compliance, Finance, Security, Communications, and other teams on matters involving significant legal, employee, business, or reputational risk.
• Serve as a member of GRAIL’s Legal Leadership Team. 

These responsibilities summarize the role’s primary responsibilities and are not an exhaustive list. They may change at the company’s discretion.

Required Qualifications:

• JD from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• Licensed to practice law in California.
• 15+ years of legal experience with significant depth in employment law and litigation.
• 2+ years experience in a  senior leadership or management role, including leading attorneys and managing multi-functional legal teams.
• Strong litigation experience from a nationally or regionally recognized law firm, including direct employment litigation experience.
• Deep knowledge of federal and state employment laws, with experience advising on complex and high-risk employee matters.
• Demonstrated experience leading significant litigation, managing outside counsel and legal spend, and evaluating litigation and settlement strategy.
• Experience overseeing sensitive workplace investigations.
• Track record of advising senior executives and People leaders with sound judgment, discretion, and a practical business mindset.
• Trial, arbitration, mediation, and deposition experience.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-moving environment, navigate ambiguity, and communicate complex issues clearly.
• Domestic and international travel may be required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Meaningful in-house experience in public companies within the biotechnology, life sciences, diagnostics, pharmaceutical, medical device, or laboratory industry.
• Experience with UK and other international employment matters

Physical Demands & Working Environment:

• Standard executive office environment with hybrid flexibility depending on organizational needs.
• Requires extensive review of governance documents, contracts, and regulatory filings, with significant computer use.
• Extended hours are common during major transactions, governance cycles, or litigation events.
• Domestic and international travel may be required.

The expected, full-time, annual base pay scale for this position is $274K-$392K. 

At GRAIL, we believe in recognizing and rewarding the contributions our employees make to our mission and success. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for additional compensation, including an annual bonus and/or other incentives, in accordance with applicable plans and the company's discretion. The posted range reflects our good-faith estimate of the base pay we expect to offer for this position at the time of hire. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as the candidate’s experience, skills, qualifications, and other relevant considerations.

At GRAIL, we invest in the health, well-being, and future of our employees and their families. Employees in this role are eligible for a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support what matters most, including flexible time off or vacation, a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, medical, dental, and vision coverage, and thoughtfully selected well-being programs. Benefits are offered in accordance with applicable plans and policies.

GRAIL is an equal employment opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a workplace where every individual can thrive, contribute, and grow. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws. Additionally, GRAIL will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in a manner consistent with applicable law and provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please contact us at View email address on ziprecruiter.com if you require an accommodation to apply for an open position.

GRAIL maintains a drug-free workplace. We welcome job-seekers from all backgrounds to join us!