Lead Employment Counsel

Greenhouse is looking for a Lead Employment Counsel to join our team!

Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, you'll be Greenhouse's dedicated employment lawyer and the go-to legal partner for our People team and business leaders. You'll advise across the full employee lifecycle in the US and our international footprint, including employer of record and contractor arrangements, own our employment policies and agreements, and manage outside counsel on litigation and specialized matters.

This is a hands-on, high-ownership role. In a single day you might walk an HR business partner through an accommodation request, mark up a sales commission plan, and prepare for a mediation. You'll also build the training, templates, and self-service guidance that let a busy People team handle routine questions with confidence and escalate the right ones. And because Greenhouse builds hiring software, you'll have a real voice in how AI is reshaping employment law, both for us and for our customers.

Who will love this job

• A trusted advisor - you build credibility quickly with HR partners, managers, and executives, and you turn legal risk into plain, practical guidance they can act on
• A builder who scales - as the sole employment specialist, you prioritize well and multiply your impact through policies, playbooks, and training rather than answering every question one at a time
• A detail-obsessed drafter - you sweat the language in agreements, policies, and compensation plans because you know that's where the risk lives
• A pragmatic, curious lawyer - you track a fast-moving landscape (pay transparency, restrictive covenants, new leave mandates, AI in employment decisions) and make sound calls grounded in ethics, integrity, and the human impact of every decision

What you’ll do

• Serve as the primary legal advisor to the People team (HR business partners, People Operations, Total Rewards, and Talent Acquisition) and business leaders on employee relations, performance management, terminations, reductions in force, leaves of absence, and accommodations
• Lead wage and hour compliance, including FLSA and state exemption classification, timekeeping and overtime practices, payroll issues, and periodic classification audits in partnership with Total Rewards
• Review and advise on compensation programs, including sales commission and bonus plans, overpayment recoupment, privileged pay equity analyses, and pay transparency requirements
• Draft, negotiate, and maintain employment documents and policies, including offer letters, confidentiality and invention assignment agreements, restrictive covenants, separation and contractor agreements, and handbook content with state and country supplements
• Conduct or oversee workplace investigations, and manage employment litigation matters with outside counsel, from demand letters and EEOC through class and representative actions, mediation, and settlement
• Advise on employment law outside the US, supporting employer of record and contractor arrangements, entity launches, temporary work-from-abroad requests, and relocations alongside local and immigration counsel
• Build and deliver training for managers, HR, and recruiters, create self-serve resources, and share clear, actionable updates on legal developments with Legal and People leadership
• Partner with Product, Privacy, and HR technology stakeholders on the use of AI in hiring and employment decisions, vendor assessments, employee and candidate data retention, and the employment law implications of product launches
• Support M&A diligence and integration, benefits and EEO/affirmative action compliance, manage outside counsel relationships and budgets, and represent Greenhouse externally as an employment law subject matter expert
• Additional projects and responsibilities as business needs require

You should have

• JD from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing in at least one US state bar
• 7+ years of labor and employment law experience at a law firm and/or in-house
• Deep knowledge of US federal and multi-state employment law, especially wage and hour
• Experience advising on employment matters outside the US and working with employer of record providers and local counsel
• A track record of managing employment litigation with outside counsel, including settlement strategy
• Experience with workforce planning and management 
• Experience owning employment policies, agreements, and compensation plan terms, and conducting or overseeing workplace investigations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including giving practical advice to non-lawyers and executives and designing engaging training, plus the judgment and organization to work independently as the subject matter expert
• Experience using AI tools effectively while verifying output, protecting privileged and employee data, and keeping final legal judgment human
• In-house experience, strongly preferred
• Familiarity with the HR tech industry, a plus
• Your own unique talents! Your background has given you a unique perspective and set of transferable skills that aren't always in alignment with a given role - but those are qualities we value at Greenhouse. If you don't meet 100% of the qualifications outlined above, we still strongly encourage you to apply

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents linked here.

The national pay range for this role is $163,800 - $230,680. Individual compensation will be commensurate with the candidate's experience and qualifications. Certain roles may be eligible for additional compensation, including stock option awards, bonuses, and merit increases. Additionally, certain roles have the opportunity to receive sales commissions that are based on the terms of the sales commission plan applicable to the role.

Greenhouse provides a variety of benefits to employees, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, basic life insurance, mental health resources, financial wellness benefits, and a fully paid parental leave program. For US-based employees, we offer short-term and long-term disability coverage, a 401(k) plan and company match. U.S. based employees also receive, per calendar year, up to 14 scheduled paid holidays and up to 80 hours of paid sick leave. Non-exempt employees accrue up to 20-25 days of paid vacation time annually, depending on tenure, and exempt employees have flexible paid time off (PTO).

The anticipated closing date for this role is December 18th, 2026.

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