Employment Counsel

First Quality; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Bonus opportunities

Medical, dental and vision

401(k) with employer match

Paid parental leave

Dependent care FSA

Tuition assistance

Wellness program

Job summary

First Quality is seeking a Senior Employment Counsel to provide day-to-day legal support to HR and business leaders on a broad range of employment matters. The role reports to the Chief Employment Counsel and involves cross-functional collaboration, policy drafting, and risk assessment.

The ideal candidate has a J.D. and at least five years in employment law counseling or litigation, with strong knowledge of federal and state laws, plus in-house experience preferred.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in employment law counseling or litigation.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state employment laws (FMLA, FLSA, ADA, ADEA, Title VII, ERISA).
• Ability to drive legal strategy and provide practical business guidance.
• Excellent communication and collaboration across diverse teams.

Responsibilities

• Advise HR and management on employment matters across the employee lifecycle.
• Draft and update company policies and agreements; train on legal developments.
• Manage pre-litigation and litigation matters; coordinate with outside counsel.
• Assess legal risk and provide business-focused guidance to internal stakeholders.

Education

J.D. degree

Job description

Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions.

Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®.

The Senior Employment Counsel is responsible for providing day-to-day legal support to the Company’s Human Resources team and business leaders for employment matters on variety of employment issues. The role reports to the Chief Employment Counsel.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a legal advisor to HR and management on employment matters across the employee lifecycle, including accommodation and leave administration, temporary labor compliance, background and drug screening, E-Verify and I-9 compliance, disciplinary actions and terminations, labor and independent contractor contracts, immigration and cross-border business travel, and other matters
• Draft company policies and advise business stakeholders on implementing, interpreting, and enforcing policies in accordance with best practices
• Counsel on compliance with federal and state employment laws and monitor evolving regulatory developments
• Update employee-related agreements, handling restrictive covenant matters, reviewing, and drafting policies and procedures as necessary to support the human resources team, and developing and conducting training on legal developments.
• Handle and advise on pre-litigation and litigation-related matters, including employee complaints, accommodation, wage and hour issues, etc.
• Assess legal risk and provide practical, business-oriented guidance to internal stakeholders
• Draft and negotiate employment-related agreements, policies, and internal documentation
• Manage and engage outside counsel on employment litigation, immigration, legislation, policy development and other matters.

Qualifications/Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in employment law counseling and employment/litigation
• J.D. and active bar membership required
• In-house experience highly preferred
• Strong working knowledge of various state and federal employment laws (including FMLA, FLSA, ADA, ADEA, Title VII, ERISA, and state law counterparts).
• Workers' compensation experience is a plus
• Immigration experience is a plus
• Ability to drive change resulting from legal developments
• Strong analytic and communications skills
• Ability to work collaboratively with wide range of diverse internal clients and colleagues in fast-paced environment.
• Ability to effectively prioritize work amongst competing priorities
• Ability to manage a high-volume, varied workload independently
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate legal concepts for non-legal audiences
• Collaborative and business-minded approach

Travel to First Quality sites is required - both office and manufacturing sites

What We Offer You

We believe that by continuously improving the quality of our benefits, we can help to raise the quality of life for our team members and their families. At First Quality you will receive:

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities
• Paid time off (three-week minimum)
• Medical, dental and vision starting day one
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid parental leave
• Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $2500)
• Bundle of joy benefit (years' worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums
• ...and more!

First Quality is committed to protecting information under the care of First Quality Enterprises commensurate with leading industry standards and applicable regulations. As such, First Quality provides at least annual training regarding data privacy and security to employees who, as a result of their role specifications, may come in to contact with sensitive data.

First Quality is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or protected Veteran status.