Lead Global Employment Counsel - San Francisco Bay Area (955-SLS)

Job Description

Job Description

Our client, a rapidly growing, well-funded startup in stealth mode, is looking to hire a Lead Global Employment Counsel to serve as the primary legal partner for the company’s HR team and business stakeholders on employment and labor matters worldwide and across global affiliate companies. This is a high-impact, high-autonomy role for an attorney who thrives in a fast-paced, startup environment and can operate as both strategist and executor.

In this role, you will own the employment legal function. You will build policies and scalable frameworks, handle day-to-day counseling across a complex, multi-jurisdictional workforce, and manage outside counsel. The ideal candidate brings deep US employment law expertise with meaningful international experience, a comfort level with ambiguity and rapid change, and a practical, business-oriented approach to legal risk. Experience in the defense technology sector, with government-contracted employers is highly valued, as is international employment law experience. You thrive in an environment where the priority list changes by noon, and you're just as comfortable deprioritizing yesterday's ask as you are executing on today's.

• Provide day-to-day legal advice on the full spectrum of US and global employment matters: hiring, employment contracts, performance management, terminations, accommodations, leaves of absence, wage and hour, workplace investigations, and employee relations
• Draft, review, and negotiate employment agreements, offer letters, separation agreements, contractor agreements, secondment arrangements, and equity/stock-related employment terms
• Develop scalable employment policies that can flex with rapid growth across jurisdictions, and ensure they comply with local laws and rapidly evolving regulatory frameworks
• Reduce outside counsel spend on employment matters by building in-house processes and playbooks that eliminate routine escalations
• Support compliance with federal contractor obligations 
• Issue spot and advise on employment implications of ITAR, export control, and security clearances
• Conduct and oversee internal workplace investigations, including safety incidents, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and ethics complaints
• Proactively identify and mitigate employment-related legal risks globally
• Support HR on workforce planning, org restructuring, and employee engagement
• Provide legal review and counsel on employee-facing programs such as patent reward programs, intern programs, equity/stock administration, and employee transfer processes

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with at least one US state bar
• 8-12+ years of employment law experience, with a strong mix of law firm and in-house experience
• Deep expertise in US federal and multi-state employment law
• Meaningful experience advising on international employment matters
• Track record of drafting and implementing employment policies, agreements, and frameworks
• Experience managing outside counsel across multiple jurisdictions 
• Experience conducting or overseeing workplace investigations, including safety incidents
• Strong business judgment with the ability to assess risk practically and communicate clearly to non-legal stakeholders
• Ability to work in office up to 5 days per week, ability to travel across the U.S. and Europe as needed

• Prior in-house experience at a startup, a high-growth technology company, or a defense company
• Familiarity with ITAR/EAR export control regulations and their employment implications
• Experience with security clearance programs and associated personnel requirements
• Background in federal contractor compliance (OFCCP, affirmative action, EEO-1)
• Experience with employer-of-record (EOR/IOR) arrangements and international entity establishment
• Comfort advising on equity/stock compensation matters across multiple jurisdictions
• Familiarity with European, Middle East, and India employment frameworks

• Curiosity-driven . You understand the pitfalls of starting at a new job focused on ‘demonstrating value’ and ‘hitting the ground running.’  You are prepared to unlearn things from prior workplaces, and appreciate the value of listening to understand why things are the way they are before jumping in.
• Adaptable . You thrive in an environment where the priority list changes regularly and you're just as comfortable deprioritizing yesterday's ask as you are executing on today's.
• A builder, not a maintainer . You get energy from creating systems and processes where none exist, not from inheriting a fully built legal function.
• Comfortable with ambiguity . You can make sound legal calls with imperfect information and adjust course as facts develop.
• Startup-minded . You understand that speed matters, that “perfect” is the enemy of “good enough,” and that legal’s job is to enable the business—not to slow it down.
• A trusted partner . Business leaders and HR professionals seek you out because you give clear, practical, and actionable advice.
• Mission-driven . You understand the importance of supporting national security and defense missions.

The current targeted base salary for this position ranges from $280-310K base, plus equity and a potential bonus. Actual compensation is determined based on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, and years of directly relevant experience.

Solutus has been selected as the exclusive representative for this search.Candidates applying directly to our client will be redirected to Solutus for consideration.

Ref. #955-SLS

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.