Assistant General Counsel - Employment

Sumitomo Electric U.S.A. Holdings, Inc. (SEUHO) seeks a sophisticated and experienced attorney to fill the position of Assistant General Counsel - Employment in SEUHO’s Legal Department, which oversees legal and compliance issues for the Sumitomo Electric Group companies operating in North and South America.

The Assistant General Counsel’s primary responsibilities will be to provide leadership and oversight on labor and employment matters for the SEG companies in the Americas, while specifically handling such matters for the SEG companies in the U.S. This position will further the growth and development of the employment law function in the Americas. Major responsibilities include overseeing employment‑related litigation, drafting company policies and agreements with regard to human resources and employment law matters, conducting employment‑law related training, and providing day‑to‑day employment counseling and advice. In addition, this position will work closely with the Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (SEI) Legal and Human Resources Departments and other regional departments to assist the global company in developing and supporting programs and initiatives to incorporate best practices across the global company.

In addition to their practice experience, strong candidates will possess exceptional communication skills, an ability to work in a collegial, business‑centered environment, and an intrinsic interest in learning new areas of law. Candidates should also have the drive to help lead a regional legal function for a dynamic and growing law department of an established global company.

Located near Los Angeles, California (Torrance), this position is currently designated as a hybrid position, generally contributing from both the office and work‑from‑home locations. This position will report to the General Counsel of the Legal Department in SEUHO.

The Assistant General Counsel will help oversee a network of over 48 Sumitomo Electric Group companies across the Americas that design, manufacture, and sell a wide variety of electric components, electrical wires and cables, industrial materials, information and communication devices, and cutting‑edge energy storage. The group companies in North and South America generate over approximately $4.5 billion in net sales annually and are subsidiaries of SEI, which is a publicly‑traded company on the Tokyo stock exchange and is a Fortune Global 1 000 company.

Minimum Requirements

• J.D. from an ABA accredited law school and membership in good standing with one state bar
• At least 15 years of relevant employment and labor experience, preferably including experience in both a major law firm and a corporate law department
• Ability to determine employment law compliance strategy for the operations and develop the employment law best practices in the region, including in the areas of diversity and inclusion, employment law training, and employment policies and procedures
• Experience providing advice and guidance on a wide range of labor and employment law issues, including hiring, leaves of absence, accommodation, discipline, terminations, wage and hour compliance, internal investigations, discrimination, retaliation and harassment, performance management, workforce restructuring, and employee relations
• Experience assuming the lead on negotiations and strategy with regard to pre‑litigation employment‑related claims, responding to administrative charges, and overseeing outside counsel in employment and general litigation matters
• Ability to identify and prioritize labor and employment law issues of concern to the company and work with management to identify appropriate direction and courses of action
• Ability to work closely with business stakeholders and human resources professionals to understand their business processes, applications, and technologies in order to mitigate risk for the companies
• Experience in developing, drafting, promulgating and maintaining policies, standards and procedures in labor and employment areas and ability to work cross‑functionally with stakeholders to integrate these policy requirements into global operations
• Regularly communicates with, and provides timely and efficient reports on significant matter developments, litigation trends, and employment law updates to internal stakeholders and senior management
• Effectively communicates and collaborates across teams, departments, and companies to educate employees in understandable and actionable ways about identification and mitigation of legal and compliance risks
• Experience in developing and implementing various trainings within employment law and related compliance areas to promote understanding across all employees
• Ability to supervise and work closely with outside counsel to identify and minimize business risks and to achieve strategic objectives on a cost‑effective, timely basis
• Ability to supervise and work closely with other in‑house colleagues and willingness to perform additional responsibilities and special projects, as assigned
• Willingness to work cooperatively to grow and develop the legal function to support mature and successful businesses
• Ability to work variable hours and travel, as needed, to both domestic and international locations

The base salary range for this position is $250,000.00 to $270,000.00 annually. Compensation may vary depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, competencies and location. Base pay is one part of the total compensation and benefits package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives.

About Sumitomo Electric Group

Since the founding of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. in 1897 with copper wire production, we have developed many new technologies and products through innovative R&D activities based on Sumitomo Electric manufacturing technologies for electric wires and power cables. With more than 350 subsidiaries worldwide, we continue to introduce a wide variety of products that fulfill the expectations of society, in five business fields: Automotive, Information & Communications, Electronics, Environment & Energy, and Industrial Materials. We are a Fortune Global 1000 company.

SEUHO is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetics, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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