Counsel, Employment and Litigation Affairs

IEEE; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

IEEE is seeking a Counsel for Employment and Litigation to provide legal guidance on employment law and civil litigation. Responsibilities include advising on employee relations, drafting policies, and managing litigation. Ideal candidates have a J.D. and at least 7 years of relevant experience. The role requires strong ethics and interpersonal skills, effective communication, and the ability to resolve complex issues. The position is based in New York City, with some travel required.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years of experience advising clients with practical solutions.
• 7-10 years of in-house and law firm experience preferred.
• Member in good standing of the NY State Bar required.

Responsibilities

• Advise management and HR on employment-related legal issues.
• Prepare and review employment-related documents, policies, and procedures.
• Plan and conduct investigations and write reports.
• Identify areas of improvement and resolve complex business issues.

Skills

In-depth understanding of employment law

Strong ethics, integrity, and accountability

Excellent interpersonal skills

Proactive self-starter

Ability to effectively communicate across all levels

Education

J.D. Doctor of Jurisprudence from accredited law school

Job description

IEEE is an EEO/AAP Employer/Protected Veterans/Disabled

Job Summary

The Counsel, Employment and Litigation advises clients domestically and internationally on a wide range of employment law and civil litigation matters. The focus of this role is to provide legal counsel and guidance on a range of employment‑related matters including employee relations, benefits, leave accommodation, internal investigations and recruiting practices. The role will also draft and review company policies, manage potential or active litigation and ensure compliance with applicable laws. The position has additional opportunities to support this cutting‑edge, member‑based, global science, technology and education non‑profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization in ethics matters involving IEEE volunteers, public imperatives and other various general in‑house legal matters desirable to support the IEEE mission and the non‑profit status of the organization. IEEE is headquartered in New York City, with the bulk of its staff based in its Operations Center in Piscataway, New Jersey. This role functions as an intermediate individual contributor and reports to the Deputy General Counsel, Ethics, Employment and Corporate Affairs.

Key Responsibilities

• Advise management and HR professionals on employment‑related legal issues, including employee relations, leave accommodation and internal investigations.
• Prepare and review employment related documents, policies, and procedures, ensuring they comply with laws and regulations.
• Plan and conduct investigations, obtaining and reviewing relevant documents and other evidence, conducting interviews, and writing investigation reports.
• Meet with senior level managers to present investigative findings and recommendations.
• Manage outside counsel to ensure advice and representation is effective and efficient.
• Identify areas of improvement to ensure that appropriate remedial actions are put in place across IEEE.
• Work with other departments to identify, evaluate, and resolve complex business issues.
• Provide general legal advice to the Organizational Units of IEEE.
• Collaborate as required on additional legal projects as requested.

Travel

10% Domestic and International

• Commuting to the Piscataway, New Jersey office at least a few times a month is required.

Qualifications

Education

• Education Level: Education Details: Req preferred.
• J.D. Doctor of Jurisprudence from accredited law school required.
• J.D. Science/Tech undergraduate degree preferred but not required.

Work Experience

• 7-10 years Adept at advising clients with practical solutions required.
• 7-10 years Both In‑house and law firm experience preferred.

Licenses and Certifications

• Member in good standing of the NY State Bar required.
• Member of NJ or CA state bar preferred.

Skills and Requirements

• In‑depth understanding of employment law.
• Must be able to advise on a wide variety of legal issues.
• Strong ethics, integrity, and accountability with the ability to maintain independence and confidentiality.
• Is able to exercise discretion to identify, develop and execute processes and solutions to address highly complex problems in order to achieve goals and objectives of the organization.
• Must effectively communicate across all levels and display the ability to diplomatically interact with other stakeholders to influence operational, policy and process goals.
• Experience supporting Employee Benefits is a plus.
• Experience supporting small international offices is a plus.
• Is adept at using technology solutions (such as, but not limited to, matter management and ethics reporting systems).
• Proactive self‑starter, with strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize multiple projects and business needs.
• Service‑oriented legal counsel with excellent interpersonal skills and a keen interest and capability in collaborating with both legal and non‑legal colleagues.

PHYSICAL, MENTAL & WORK ENVIRONMENT STANDARDS FOR IEEE POSITIONS

NOTE: The following Standards describe the work environment and the physical and mental demands for the three categories of positions at IEEE. An ability to meet these Standards is deemed essential for each position within a given category. Nevertheless, the Standards set forth herein are not exclusive, and each position may have additional work environment and physical and mental demands that are not set forth here.

Category I - Office Positions

Physical/Mental Demands: Office positions at IEEE are generally performed within an office environment whose duties are primarily performed behind a desk at an IEEE location. Employees in these positions frequently operate a computer, read and write, and interact with others in person, over the phone, and via other devices. They move about within the facility in which their office is located to access file cabinets, documents, office machinery, and other equipment. They also travel within the facility in which their office is located and to locations outside of the facility, to attend meetings, trainings, events, and other business activities. Persons in these positions frequently lift, carry, push and/or pull objects weighing up to 10 lbs. They also occasionally move objects weighing up to 20 lbs., and sometimes, but rarely, up to 50 lbs. Persons holding these positions must have strong communication and organizational skills, and an ability to interact and work with others. They must be able to work under time constraints and deadlines. Work Environment: Persons holding office positions are generally subject to inside environmental conditions having the lighting, temperature, and noise of an open floor‑plan office environment.

To ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to employment opportunities, the IEEE is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified employees and applicants with disabilities unless to do so would cause undue hardship.

IEEE HAS THE SOLE RIGHT TO MODIFY, INTERPRET, AND APPLY THESE STANDARDS. THESE STANDARDS ARE NOT THE ONLY DUTIES OR REQUIREMENTS REQUIRED OR DEEMED ESSENTIAL FOR THE POSITIONS TO WHICH THEY APPLY. THESE STANDARDS DO NOT CONSTITUTE A CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT OR OTHERWISE, AS ALL EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS AT IEEE ARE “AT‑WILL.”

We believe in building an inclusive and diverse team, and we strive to make our office a welcoming space for everyone. We encourage talented people from all backgrounds to apply. PLEASE NOTE: This position is not budgeted for employer‑sponsored immigration support, this includes all persons in F (both CPT and OPT), J, H, L or O status.

A non‑profit organization, IEEE is the world's leading professional association for the advancement of technology.