Description:

Summary/job Purpose:
A Genomics-Based Drug Discovery Company is seeking a seasoned Senior Director and Counsel, Employment and Public Affairs to join the Legal Department's General & Administrative (G&A) Legal group, reporting to the Vice President of Legal Affairs and Operations, but with a dotted line reporting relationship to the Executive Vice President & General Counsel. The responsibilities of this newly established position focus on legal issues distinctly related to the company's Human Resources and Public Affairs organizations. These include, without exception, labor and employment policies, employee relations issues, oversight of litigation and dispute management, and transactional support for the HR and Public Affairs functions. The successful candidate will be an integral member of the Legal Department, working closely with colleagues and management in their department, with the company's executive team, as well as independently in a dynamic, collegial environment. She and her team will manage, maintain and further develop a team supporting general vendor agreements, consulting contracts, and employment law matters, in addition to other General & Administrative functions, as needed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Advise and counsel executive and senior management and the company's HR team concerning the satisfactory conduct, oversight and resolution of internal investigations, audits, pre-dispute conflicts, employment law claims, arbitrations, and labor relation matters.
Collaborate closely with stakeholders to evolve scalable employment policies and programs, such as within the company's employee handbook and through its benefit offerings.
Work closely with, and act as a liaison with, outside counsel to ensure that the company's senior legal leadership obtains appropriate specialized support and manages risk effectively.
Lead legal professionals (contract managers and administrators) providing general legal and contracting support to the company's Human Resources and Public Affairs teams.
Draft, revise, negotiate, and manage a wide range of contracts in support of day-to-day operations of the company, including various employment staffing agreements (recruiting, temp staffing, executive search), employee benefit or activity agreements, services and consulting agreements, and task orders/statements of work, and amendments.
Lead the ongoing development of contracting playbooks and templates in your areas of support in collaboration with other G&A Contracts Counsel.

Supervisory Responsibilities:
Supervises staff, including hiring, scheduling and assigning work, reviewing performance, and recommends salary increases, promotions, transfers, demotions, or terminations.

Education/experience/knowledge & Skills:
Education:

BS/BA degree.
JD degree is required and must be admitted to practice, preferably in California.

Experience:

Minimum of 8 years of experience as counsel in a law firm and in-house legal environment, preferably supporting life sciences companies.
Experienced in employment disputes.
Client counseling experience is required, and employment litigation experience is preferred.

Knowledge/Skills:

Possesses executive presence and ability to interact comfortably and appropriately with executives and senior management.
Has clear and concise verbal and written communication skills, as well as excellent interpersonal skills.
Has broad and deep knowledge of contractual terms and solutions to contractual issues across a wide variety of subject matter areas.
Has a track record of progressively responsible professional experience.
Can proactively develop and propose creative solutions for complex problems and implement organizational or team objectives in a professional and timely manner.
Has experience with change management, including participating on task forces or steering committees, building consensus, and communicating change successfully.
Is a collegial team player with demonstrated drive and initiative.
Has a collaborative client-service mindset and works independently with clients to meet their needs.
Communicates effectively with outside vendors/partners and serve as a liaison between outside counsel and key internal stakeholders to help drive matters and issues to resolution.
Takes ownership of and responsibility for work product (including executing tasks independently and timely) and re-prioritizes work/deliverables as necessary.
Is creative and strategic in providing practical advice that balances risks with business objectives.
Demonstrates mature judgment and possesses a high sense of integrity and professionalism.
Is detail-oriented, has excellent organizational skills, and can manage multiple transactions and projects simultaneously, sometimes under tight deadlines.
Possesses a sense of humor and perspective.
Has strong computer skills in document preparation and data presentation (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).