Associate Director, Employment Counsel

Guidehouse; Telangana; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

In-house physician

Nutritious meals

Counseling via EAP

Learning and development

Job summary

Guidehouse India is seeking a seasoned Legal Counsel (India) to serve as the primary advisor on employment law across operations in India. You will guide HR, Talent Acquisition, and business leaders with practical, risk-based recommendations and manage external counsel for disputes.

Key responsibilities include monitoring Indian labour law developments, drafting employment documents, advising on hiring, discipline, terminations, and policy implementation, and training HR teams on compliance and

Qualifications

• LL.B. is required and must be eligible to practice law in India.
• 15+ years of experience in employment and labor law, preferably with a top law firm or multinational.
• Deep knowledge of Indian employment and labor laws, including employee relations and terminations.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating employment-related agreements and policies.
• Ability to identify legal risks and provide practical business-focused solutions.

Responsibilities

• Advise HR, Talent Acquisition, and leadership on employment law matters with practical guidance.
• Monitor developments in Indian labor laws, regulations, and court decisions.
• Draft, review, and maintain employment agreements, policies, and related documents.
• Advise on hiring, performance, discipline, terminations, and employee relations matters.
• Collaborate with HR and business leaders on workforce initiatives and compliance programs.
• Provide legal research and actionable recommendations on complex issues.

Skills

Employment Law

Legal Research

Contract Negotiation

Stakeholder Management

Policy Advisory

Risk Assessment

Education

LL.B. India

Job description

What You Will Do

Serve as the primary legal advisor on employment law matters affecting the Company's operations in India, providing practical, risk-based guidance to Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, business leaders, and other stakeholders.

• Monitor, analyze, and communicate developments in Indian labor and employment laws, regulations, and court decisions, including emerging requirements under the Labour Codes and other employment-related legislation.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and maintain employment-related agreements and documents, including offer letters, employment agreements, restrictive covenant agreements, separation documents, contractor agreements, and employment policies.
• Advise on employee lifecycle matters, including hiring, performance management, disciplinary actions, accommodations, investigations, leaves of absence, employee relations issues, and terminations.
• Partner with HR and business leaders to support workforce initiatives, organizational changes, restructurings, policy implementation, and compliance programs.
• Conduct legal research and provide clear, actionable recommendations on complex or novel employment law issues.
• Manage relationships with external counsel and coordinate legal advice on specialized employment, labor, compliance, and litigation matters.
• Support employment-related disputes, government inquiries, audits, investigations, and litigation by gathering facts, assessing risk, and developing legal strategy.
• Develop and deliver training and guidance to HR professionals and business leaders on employment law obligations and best practices.
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of policies, processes, templates, and controls designed to promote legal compliance and operational efficiency.
• Collaborate with Legal, Ethics & Compliance, Privacy, and other corporate functions on matters involving workplace compliance, investigations, data protection, and regulatory requirements.

Job Family

Legal Counsel (India)

Travel Required

Up to 10%

Clearance Required

None

What You Will Need

• Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and qualification to practice law in India; additional legal credentials or certifications are a plus.
• 15+ years of experience practicing employment and labor law, preferably with a leading law firm, multinational corporation, or a combination of both.
• Deep knowledge of Indian employment and labor laws, including employee relations, disciplinary processes, terminations, wages and benefits, social security requirements, workplace investigations, and workplace harassment obligations.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating employment-related agreements, policies, and other legal documents.
• Demonstrated ability to identify legal risks and provide practical, business-oriented solutions in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong legal research, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience advising senior business leaders, HR professionals, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex legal concepts to non-legal audiences.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities independently.
• Ability to work effectively with stakeholders across different geographies, functions, and levels of the organization.

What Would Be Nice To Have

• Experience supporting multinational organizations with global or regional employment law matters.
• Familiarity with the implementation and ongoing developments relating to India's Labour Codes and other evolving employment law reforms.
• Experience conducting internal investigations and advising on employee misconduct, whistleblower, ethics, or workplace concerns.
• Exposure to corporate compliance programs, including policy development, training, risk assessments, and regulatory compliance initiatives.
• Experience managing employment litigation, labor disputes, government inspections, or regulatory inquiries.
• Knowledge of data privacy requirements affecting the employment relationship, including India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP).
• Experience supporting cross-border employment issues, workforce transitions, contingent worker programs, or employment aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations.
• In-house legal experience within a professional services, consulting, technology, or multinational corporate environment.
• Experience developing and delivering training programs for HR and business leadership teams.

About Guidehouse India

At Guidehouse India, we’re redefining what’s possible by creating opportunities that change lives. Guidehouse is a global professional services firm that delivers advisory, technology, and managed services to clients across both the commercial and public sectors. Our teams turn bold ideas into solutions that transform industries, strengthen communities, and drive meaningful impact worldwide.

Across our Chennai, Trivandrum, and Gurugram locations, you’ll find opportunities where your passion and curiosity help shape what comes next. With cutting edge benefits, innovative learning and development programs, and a people first culture, we empower our people to lead with purpose.

We continue to expand our teams and capabilities across India, investing in state-of-the-art offices and high impact work. Here, you’ll collaborate with experts from around the world, build deep expertise, explore new domains, and accelerate your professional growth while making a real impact.

What We Offer

At Guidehouse India, we are committed to supporting the well-being of our people and their families at every stage of life. We offer competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package designed to help you thrive both inside and outside the workplace.

Our benefits include resources such as in house physician consultations, nutritious food options at the workplace, and confidential counseling through our Employee Assistance Program, along with other wellness focused offerings that support your overall well being.

Our comprehensive learning and development programs ensure you’re continuously upskilled and ready to tackle what’s next, so you can shape your own career path while contributing to meaningful, purpose driven work.

Important Fraud Notice

All official recruitment communications from Guidehouse will come from email addresses ending in @guidehouse.com or @myworkday.com. Guidehouse never charges fees, requests money transfers, or collects payments from educational institutions for recruitment events. Please do not share banking or personal financial information with anyone claiming to represent Guidehouse for hiring purposes.

Contact Us

If you have visited our website to explore career opportunities or to apply for a position and have questions, please contact the Guidehouse Recruiting team at [e-mail]. All information you provide will be kept confidential and used only as required to support the recruitment process.

To learn more about Guidehouse in India, visit www.guidehouse.com/india.

Guidehouse does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of Guidehouse and Guidehouse will not be obligated to pay a placement fee.