Employment Attorney

SIC Standard Insurance Company - 3000; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 128,000 - 187,000; Full time

Job summary

The Standard in Portland, Oregon seeks a skilled Employment attorney to support its Legal and Compliance team. You will provide legal counsel to HR and management, analyze complex employment issues, and help mitigate risk across the organization.

You will proactively identify legal risks, draft guidance, and work with stakeholders to align legal strategy with business goals. A JD and active bar membership are required, with 3+ years of experience in employment law.

Qualifications

• JD and active bar membership required.
• 3+ years of employment law experience in advisory roles.
• In-house employment law counsel to a national employer preferred; insurance/financial services experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Research and interpret federal, state and local employment laws for HR and management.
• Advise business stakeholders on employment law developments and risks.
• Provide guidance on immigration, payroll, employee relations, performance management, discipline, termination, and leaves.
• Partner withManagement and HR to translate requirements into actionable policies and decisions.
• Develop and maintain internal policies to support company growth.
• Deliver clear, legally defensible advice and persuasive presentations.

Skills

Legal counsel experience

Stakeholder communication

Employment law risk mitigation

Education

Juris Doctor and bar membership

Job description

The next part of your journey is right around the corner — with The Standard. A genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others is the foundation for everything we do. With a customer-first mindset and an intentional focus on building strong teams, we’ve been able to uphold our legacy of financial stability while investing in new, innovative technologies that support the needs of our customers. Our high-performance culture focused on operational excellence thrives thanks to remarkable people united by compassion and a customer-first commitment. Are you ready to make a difference?

Job Summary:

As an Attorney on the Employment team in the Legal and Compliance Department, you’ll play a key role in supporting The Standard’s efforts to comply with its labor and employment law obligations. You’ll utilize your strong collaboration skills and expertise to offer advice and counsel to key stakeholders, help proactively identify and mitigate risk, and help achieve the Company’s business goals. As an Attorney, you’ll proactively initiate work that contributes to overall team success, and work collaboratively within and across teams to break down barriers and achieve goals.

Key Responsibilities:

• Research, federal, state and local employment laws and translate findings into practical guidance for HR and management.
• Monitor employment law developments for all 50 states and advise our business stakeholders.
• Assist/Lead matters involving immigration, payroll, employee relations, performance management, discipline, termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, accommodations, and leaves of absence.
• Act as a strategic business partner to a diverse set of stakeholders, including Management, and Human Resources & effectively gather diverse sets of requirements to synthesize and communicate information that supports informed decision-making.
• Assist in development and maintenance of internal policies and procedures to support the growth of the Company.
• Act as a trusted partner by effectively formulating potential risks and outcomes, demonstrating holistic understanding of business goals and risks.
• Produce quality, legally defensible legal product that accurately reflect stakeholder’s intent.
• Efficiently formulate accurate, comprehensive advice that is easily understandable and digestible to a variety of stakeholders and the ability to develop and to deliver successful presentations.

Skills and Background You’ll Need:

• Education: Juris Doctor (JD) and active bar membership required
• Experience: 3+ years of relevant experience providing employment law advice and counsel required.
• Providing in-house employment law advice and counsel to a national employer (preferred)
• Combination of in-house and private practice experience in the insurance and/or financial services industries. (preferred)

Key Behaviors of a Successful Candidate:

• Winning together: Strong communication & collaboration skills, including ability to effectively work as a member of a larger team of attorneys and legal professionals to serve internal business partners. Builds strong relationships within the legal team and with stakeholders across the organization.
• Customer Focus: Demonstrated history of working closely with internal business partners as a strategic partner to identify and prioritize business needs and assess and communicate risk.
• Driving Success: Consistently demonstrate an understanding of, and motivation to, achieve business goals in a legally defensible manner. Ability to produce clear, concise, and persuasive work product and ability to utilize persuasive advising skills.
• Adaptability: Thrives in a fast-paced environment and adapts quickly to changing priorities. Utilizes creative problem-solving techniques to address new circumstances and presents solutions. Demonstrated willingness to learn new skills and accept feedback.
• Improvement Mindset: Thinks innovatively, brings ideas to life, and seeks continuous improvement. Approaches business challenges from a broad corporate perspective. Anticipates and removes barriers to accomplish business objectives. Constantly pursues exceptional results that take us “next level.” #LI-DNI

Why Join The Standard?

We have built an enduring legacy of stability, financial strength and exceptional customer service through the contributions of the service-oriented people who choose to work at The Standard. To ensure we can attract and retain the best talent, when you join The Standard you can expect:

• A rich benefits package including medical, dental, vision and a 401(k) plan with matching company contributions
• An annual incentive bonus plan
• Generous paid time off including 11 holidays, 2 wellness days, and 8 volunteer hours annually — PTO increases with tenure
• A supportive, responsive management approach and opportunities for career growth and advancement
• Paid parental leave and adoption/surrogacy assistance
• An employee giving program that double matches your donations to eligible nonprofits and schools

In addition to the competitive salary range below, our employee-focused benefits support work-life balance.

Salary Range: $127,500.00 - $186,750.00 Positions will be posted for at least 5 days from original posting date.

Standard Insurance Company, The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York, Standard Retirement Services, Inc., StanCorp Mortgage Investors, LLC, StanCorp Investment Advisers, Inc., and American Heritage Life Insurance Company and American Heritage Service Company, marketed as The Standard, are affirmative action/equal opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability or veteran status or any other condition protected by federal, state or local law. Except where precluded by state or federal law, The Standard will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

The Standard offers a drug- and alcohol-free work environment where possession, manufacture, transfer, offer, use of or being impaired by an illegal substance while on The Standard's property, or in other cases which the company believes might affect operations, safety or reputation of the company is prohibited.

The Standard requires a criminal background investigation and employment, education and licensing verification as a condition of employment. After any conditional offer of employment is made, the background check will include an individualized assessment based on the applicant’s specific record and the duties and requirements of the specific job. Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain and correct background information. All employees of The Standard must be bondable.

The Standard is a family of companies dedicated to helping its customers achieve financial well‑being and peace of mind. In business since 1906, we’re a leading provider of group and individual disability insurance, group life, dental and vision insurance, voluntary (employee-paid) benefits, absence management services, and retirement plans and annuities for employers and individuals. For more information about The Standard, visit www.standard.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.