Employment Counsel - AMER

Datadog; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 171,000 - 228,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental benefits

401(k) plan

Parental planning

Mental health benefits

Job summary

Datadog seeks an Employment Counsel to join its global Employment Legal team. You will advise the People team, business leaders, and cross‑functional partners on a broad range of US employment law matters, supporting U.S. operations while contributing to global initiatives.

The role emphasizes practical business‑oriented guidance, collaboration across Legal and People, and handling matters through mergers and post‑close integration in a fast‑paced tech environment.

Qualifications

• Experience advising on US employment law across all stages of the employee lifecycle.
• Ability to provide practical, business‑oriented legal guidance while balancing risk and objectives.
• Strong communication skills and collaboration with Legal, People, and business teams.

Responsibilities

• Advise the People team and business leaders on a broad range of U.S. employment law matters.
• Draft, review, and provide guidance on employment-related documents and policies.
• Partner cross-functionally to develop compliant employment practices and support strategic initiatives.
• Provide employment law support during mergers, acquisitions, and post‑close integration.

Skills

US employment law knowledge

In-house experience

Legal advisory

Cross‑functional collaboration

Education

J.D. from an accredited law school

Job description

Datadog is seeking an Employment Counsel to join our growing global Employment Legal team. In this role, you will serve as a trusted legal advisor to the People team, business leaders, and cross-functional partners on a broad range of employment law matters affecting our workforce and culture. While your primary focus will be supporting our U.S. operations, you will also contribute to global initiatives and projects as the company continues to scale. This role offers the opportunity to influence strategic people decisions while partnering across a fast-paced, collaborative technology organization.

At Datadog, we place value in our office culture - the relationships and collaboration it builds and the creativity it brings to the table. We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them.

What You’ll Do

• Advise the People team and business leaders on a broad range of U.S. employment law matters, including recruiting, hiring, performance management, accommodations, leaves of absence, employee relations, investigations, compensation, terminations, restrictive covenants, and wage and hour compliance.
• Draft, review, and provide legal guidance on employment-related documents, including offer letters, contractor agreements, separation agreements, and employment policies.
• Partner cross-functionally with Legal, People, and business stakeholders to develop compliant employment practices and support strategic company initiatives.
• Provide employment law support throughout mergers, acquisitions, and post-close integration activities.
• Assess legal risk, recommend practical business solutions, and support decision-making on complex workforce matters.
• Monitor changes in employment laws and regulations and help implement policies and processes that promote ongoing compliance.

Who You Are

• J.D. from an accredited law school and an active member in good standing of a U.S. state bar (New York preferred).
• At least 4 years of experience practicing U.S. employment law, with prior in‑house experience preferred.
• Able to provide practical, business-oriented legal advice while balancing legal risk with organizational objectives.
• An effective communicator who builds trusted relationships across Legal, People, and business teams and exercises sound judgment in ambiguous situations.
• Organized, collaborative, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• International employment law, immigration, mobility, or multinational company experience is a plus.

Datadog values people from all walks of life. We know not everyone will meet all the above qualifications on day one. That’s okay. If you’re passionate about technology and want to grow your experience, we encourage you to apply.

Benefits and Growth

• Generous and competitive global and U.S. benefits.
• New hire equity (RSUs) and employee stock purchase plan.
• Continuous career development and growth opportunities.
• Product training to build deep knowledge of Datadog's platform and technology.
• Comprehensive onboarding and mentorship programs.
• Cross‑functional collaboration with experienced legal and business partners.

Benefits and Growth listed above may vary based on the country of your employment and the nature of your employment with Datadog.

Datadog offers a competitive salary and equity package, and may include variable compensation. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, Datadog offers a wide range of best in class, comprehensive and inclusive employee benefits for this role including healthcare, dental, parental planning, and mental health benefits, a 401(k) plan and match, paid time off, fitness reimbursements, and a discounted employee stock purchase plan.

The reasonably estimated yearly salary for this role at Datadog is:

$171,000—$228,000 USD

About Datadog

Datadog is the leading observability and security platform for the AI era, providing businesses with unified visibility across the technology stack to manage complexity at scale. It brings applications, infrastructure, data, models, and security into one place, using AI to detect and resolve issues before they impact customers. Trusted globally by Fortune 500 companies and high‑growth AI leaders, Datadog enables businesses to move faster with clarity and confidence. Learn more about #DatadogLife on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Datadog Learning Center.

Equal Opportunity at Datadog

Datadog is proud to offer equal employment opportunity to everyone regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, and other characteristics protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. Here are our Candidate Legal Notices for your reference.

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