Principal, Employment Counsel

Skillsoft; United States; Remote; USD 175,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Skillsoft seeks a Principal Employment Counsel to join our legal team in the United States. You will partner with People Team and business leaders to provide practical, risk-aware advice on employment matters globally, including investigations and compliance across regions.

The role emphasizes proactive, scalable employment practices and collaboration with cross-functional teams to support Skillsoft’s growth objectives and values. A JD and strong US employment law experience are required.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience as a corporate attorney, preferably in a similar internal role or with a reputable law firm.
• Strong experience and knowledge of United States employment law with ability to advise on global matters.
• Experience advising on workplace investigations and employment disputes.

Responsibilities

• Provide accurate and timely legal advice on a broad range of employment matters, including recruiting, onboarding, and performance management.
• Draft, review, and negotiate employment agreements, policies, and related documents.
• Conduct workplace investigations and advise on corrective actions and remediation plans.
• Support global employment compliance and coordinate with local counsel as needed.
• Develop scalable employment practices and templates for internal use.

Skills

US employment law

Workplace investigations

Legal drafting

Cross-functional collaboration

Global employment compliance

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Job description

At Skillsoft, we believe skills fuel growth. Our mission is to empower every organization and every learner to turn constant change into continuous growth. As part of the team, your skills will help organizations understand what skills they have, what they need next, and how to apply them in ways that drive real performance and progress.

Employment Counsel

Skillsoft is seeking an experienced Principal Employment Counsel to join our team! In this fast-paced exciting role, the Employment Counsel will work closely with the People Team and business leaders to provide timely, solutions-focused advice on a broad range of employment and employee relations matters, contributing to the overall success and growth of the company.

The successful candidate will serve as a trusted legal partner who can identify risk, exercise sound judgment, and develop practical solutions that support Skillsoft’s business objectives and values. This role offers the opportunity to advise a global organization on complex and evolving employment issues, manage international disputes and investigations, develop scalable employment practices, and collaborate across functions and regions.

This role requires a proactive and business-oriented mindset, strong analytical skills, and excellent communication and interpersonal expertise.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Employment Advice and Counsel:

• Provide accurate and timely legal advice and counsel to internal clients on a wide range of employment corporate matters, including recruiting, hiring, onboarding and performance management.
• Advise on sensitive and complex employee relations matters, balancing legal risk, employee experience, business objectives, and operational realities.
• Translate complex legal requirements into clear, actionable guidance for People Team professionals, managers, and business leaders.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and develop a deep understanding of Skillsoft’s workforce, business priorities, and operating model.

Contract Review and Negotiation:

• Draft, review, and update employment-related documents, including, offer letters and employment agreements; restrictive covenant, confidentiality, and intellectual property agreements, separation agreements and releases; commission, bonus, and incentive plan documents; Performance management and disciplinary documentation; Investigation plans, interview outlines, findings, and remediation documents; employee policies, handbooks, notices, acknowledgments, and consent forms; workforce transition materials.
• Review employment communications for legal risk, clarity, consistency, and alignment with company practices.
• Develop practical templates, playbooks, checklists, and self-service resources for common employment matters.
• Support periodic reviews of employment policies and practices to identify compliance gaps and opportunities for simplification or standardization.

Global Employment Compliance

• Provide employment law counseling across the jurisdictions in which Skillsoft operates, coordinating with local counsel and regional stakeholders as appropriate.
• Monitor developments in global labor and employment laws and advise on changes needed to Skillsoft policies, practices, agreements, and processes.
• Develop and maintain tools that help Skillsoft identify, prioritize, and manage employment-related legal and compliance risk, including support regarding employee training and compliance.

Investigations and Employee Relations

• Advise on and conduct workplace investigations involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, misconduct, conflicts of interest, policy violations, and other sensitive employee matters.
• Work with the People Team to define an appropriate investigation plan, privilege structure, interim measures, documentation approach, findings, remediation, and follow-up.
• Provide clear and balanced recommendations regarding corrective action, remediation, process improvements, and retaliation monitoring.
• Manage employment litigation, administrative charges, labor proceedings, pre-litigation disputes, demand letters, and settlement negotiations in the United States and internationally.
• Develop case strategy in partnership with internal stakeholders and external counsel, including review of factual records, assessment of exposure, preservation and discovery strategy, and evaluation of settlement options.
• Engage and supervise counsel when as needed.

GENERAL COMPLIANCE

• Support Skillsoft’s enterprise compliance program which includes such areas as ERM, ESG, and other regulatory compliance.
• Strengthen compliance program infrastructure by maintaining policies, controls, and documentation that feed ERM and Audit Committee oversight, and partner with Legal Operations to reduce key-person dependency across compliance readiness.

REQUIRED SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

• 8+ years of professional experience as a corporate attorney, preferably in a similar internal role or with a reputable law firm with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school and active membership in the bar association.
• Strong experience and knowledge of United States employment law, with demonstrated ability to advise on global or multi-jurisdictional employment and other regulatory matters, and manage local counsel.
• Experience advising on workplace investigations, employee relations matters, employment disputes, administrative proceedings, and employment litigation.
• Strong drafting and review experience involving employment agreements, separation documents, policies, handbooks, investigation materials, and other employment-related documents.
• Experience advising on and supporting corporate compliance programs, including policy governance, risk assessments, compliance training, internal controls, investigations, and regulatory compliance initiatives.
• Familiarity with enterprise risk management (ERM), ESG-related compliance considerations, audit and compliance governance processes, and partnering with cross-functional teams to develop scalable compliance frameworks and controls.
• Demonstrated ability to identify emerging legal and regulatory risks, develop practical compliance solutions, and implement sustainable processes that support business objectives while promoting a culture of integrity and accountability.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to provide practical advice that aligns legal risk management with business objectives.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex employment law concepts clearly and effectively to non-legal stakeholders.
• Skilled at working collaboratively with the People Team and other cross-functional stakeholders, while also working independently, prioritizing tasks, and managing multiple matters simultaneously.
• Ability to be agile and take initiative, recognizing opportunities and initiating actions to develop practical, scalable, and productive ways to support the business.
• Demonstrated emotional intelligence, sound judgment, and a collaborative approach, with the ability to navigate sensitive and high‑stakes issues professionally while maintaining perspective, humility, and a healthy sense of humor.
• Thrives in a fast‑paced, team‑oriented environment and brings a positive, pragmatic mindset, taking the work seriously and delivering at a high level without taking themselves too seriously.

Target base salary range for this job requisition is anticipated to be approximately $175,000 - $190,000 annualized.

We also offer Enterprise benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, and paid time off.

The company may modify salaries, salary ranges and/or Pay Plans from time to time as it deems necessary.

Skillsoft uses AI-enabled tools to screen applications. Recruitment and hiring decisions are made by Skillsoft personnel and are not based solely on automated processing.

Our Values

We are passionately committed to leadership, learning, and success. We embrace every opportunity to serve our customers and each other as: one team, open and respectful, curious, and agile.

MORE ABOUT SKILLSOFT:

Skillsoft (NYSE: SKIL) is a global leader in AI-native skills management for the human + AI era. By unifying learning, real-time skills intelligence, and workforce insights, Skillsoft helps enterprises build their Skillforce™ — humans and AI working together to drive measurable business outcomes. Through personalized, interactive learning across leadership, technology, and compliance, Skillsoft enables organizations to close critical skill gaps and accelerate transformation. Skillsoft is trusted by thousands of organizations worldwide, including 60% of the Fortune 1000, and supports a global community of more than 105 million learners. Learn more at skillsoft.com .

Skillsoft is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories.

About Skillsoft

Skillsoft (NYSE: SKIL) delivers transformative learning experiences that propel organizations and people to grow together. The Company partners with enterprise organizations and serves a global community of learners to prepare today’s employees for tomorrow’s economy. With Skillsoft, customers gain access to blended, multimodal learning experiences that do more than build skills, they grow a more capable, adaptive, and engaged workforce. Through a portfolio of best-in-class content, a platform that is personalized and connected to customer needs, world‑class tech and a broad ecosystem of partners, Skillsoft drives continuous growth and performance for employees and their organizations by overcoming critical skill gaps and unlocking human potential. Learn more at www.skillsoft.com