Senior Counsel, Employment Law (Finance)

What you'll Do
Advise the Company and provide legal support on a range of U.S. employment, HR related claims and litigated matters, including Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, and other federal and state employment laws.

• Provide advice and support on all legal issues related to employment law with particular emphasis on Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, workers compensation retaliation statutes, and wage and hour laws
• Defend agency claims at the federal and state level, including investigation, preparation of statements of position, on-site investigations, fact-finding conferences and conciliation efforts
• Oversee and manage outside counsel handling advice, litigation including class or collective matters and if applicable, claims
• Manage employment related claims and litigation; legal fees and budget; outside counsel; invoices; expenses; settlement payments; exposure/reserves; and similar items. Track caseload and prepare reports including metrics and trends
• Counsel HR and compliance department regarding employee relations matters, including but not limited to performance concerns, leave management and requests for reasonable accommodations; work with HR and others in the organization to develop solutions that meet organizational goals and are compliant with federal, state and local employment and labor laws
• Conduct investigations or direct investigations of internal employment related complaints. Responsible for working with compliance department to ensure employment-related complaints are properly investigated (including conducting attorney client privileged investigations when appropriate), documented and closed out; in particular, those that are reported through our third-party ethics hotline
• Assist labor relations department with employment law aspects of collective bargaining agreements or collective bargaining member matters (e.g., leave provisions or issues) and union related grievances and arbitrations and where applicable, managing outside counsel
• Identify changes in applicable employment rules, regulations, standards and related trends and work with HR and/or other affected departments to make necessary modifications to policies and procedures

#LI-Hybrid

What Experience and Education You Need

• Juris Doctor Degree from an accredited law school
• Admission to the bar of at least one state, preferably Georgia
• 3+ years of progressively responsible experience as a practicing employment and labor attorney
• Hands on mediation, state agency fact finding and position statement preparation, summary judgment preparation, training and presentation experience
• Substantive knowledge of Motion and Discovery Practice to include e-Discovery and litigation hold processes

What Could Set You Apart

• First chair trial experience
• In-house experience
• Familiarity with traditional labor law
• Proven ability to evaluate cases for settlement and trial, and independently make decisions regarding complex legal and business impacts
• Excellent inter-personal skills with ability to inspire trust and confidence with key stakeholders at all levels

Physical Requirements

• Requires the ability to sit for long periods of time, with frequent interruptions
• Requires several hours per day of sitting, getting up and down from chairs, and reaching, or bending
• Requires manual dexterity with normal hand and finger movements for typical office work
• Talking, hearing, and seeing are important elements of completing assigned tasks
• May require travel by automobile and airplane for business
• May require visits to warehouse operations in temperatures at or below freezing
• May require carrying loads related to travel and the occasional lifting, carrying, positioning, and/or moving of objects weighing up to 20 pounds
• Requires the use of various electronic tools

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The Company makes reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable law.

What We Offer:

Our associates know the answer to the question What's in it for me? We offer best-in-class benefit programs and continuously work with our associates to ensure that our offerings meet the needs of their health and financial well-being. When you join Americold you join a values-oriented company with a clear mission. We help our customers feed the world.

Americold is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and complies with applicable employment laws.

EOE/AA M/F/D/V DFW.