Sr. Legal Counsel, Employment

Rakuten; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 113,000 - 211,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Health insurance

Vision insurance

Dental insurance

401k matching

PTO

Volunteer Time Off (VTO)

Job summary

Rakuten International, a division of Rakuten Group, Inc., seeks an experienced attorney to provide labor and employment law counsel across the U.S., with a California focus, and to support international regions as needed. You will draft and review policies, guide HR through complex employee-relations matters, and manage investigations and litigation with outside counsel.

The role emphasizes building proactive strategies, ensuring compliance, and collaborating with multiple departments to align

Qualifications

• 5–8 years of experience as a practicing attorney, with at least 6 years in labor and employment.
• Bachelor's degree required; J.D. degree required.
• Active state bar membership in the practicing jurisdiction.
• Strong leadership, strategic thinking and communication/negotiation skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities.
• Master's degree is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide labor and employment law support in the U.S., with focus in California, and in other regions as assigned.
• Lead strategy and development of policies and programs in all areas of employment law, including EEO, pay equity, accommodations, leave, data privacy, and more.
• Collaborate with HR and managers to provide timely, thorough legal counsel on employee relations, performance, and investigations.
• Lead internal investigations into employee complaints received through the company helpline.
• Manage employment litigation including retention and direction of outside counsel and insurance partnerships.
• Support business during restructurings and reductions in force; review HR contracts and secondment agreements.
• Develop and monitor strategy for responding to employment-related claims and regulatory changes.

Skills

Labor and employment law

Legal counsel

Risk analysis

Drafting and negotiating

Policy development

Leadership

Cross-border advisory

Investigations management

Education

J.D. degree

Bachelor's Degree

Active state bar membership

Master's Degree preferred

Tools

Legal research databases

Job description

Job Description:

Rakuten International is a division of Rakuten Group, Inc., a Japanese global technology leader in services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Headquartered in San Mateo, California with more than 4,000 employees worldwide, the Rakuten International business portfolio includes market leaders in e-commerce, digital marketing, advertising, communications and entertainment. We create products and services that provide exceptional value by aligning members and the businesses that want to engage them in a shared community.

You will serve as an established and productive individual contributor, managing defined components of legal projects or processes within your area of responsibility. You will apply practical knowledge of corporate and financial law to support the company's business operations in the online retail broker industry.

Job Summary:

You will be responsible for providing legal counsel on a variety of legal matters, analyzing risks, drafting legal documents, and ensuring compliance. You may collaborate with other departments, and occasionally manage smaller projects or initiatives, contributing to the efficiency and effectiveness of the legal function.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide labor and employment law support in the United States (with particular focus in California), Canada, Brazil, Europe, Australia, Singapore and other regions as assigned
• Take the lead in the strategy and development of legally sound policies and programs in all areas of employment law, including equal employment opportunity, accommodations, pay equity and pay transparency initiatives, family and medical leave, talent acquisition, employee data privacy, contingent workforce, joint employment, wage and hour compliance, immigration, use of artificial intelligence in employment arenas, and acquisitions/divestitures/restructuring due diligence and post-merger integration
• Partner with Human Resources and business managers to provide timely, ongoing, thoughtful and thorough legal counsel and strategic guidance related to the management of employee relations issues, such as performance management, employee misconduct and workplace investigations
• Lead internal investigations into employee complaints received through company helpline
• Manage employment litigation including retention and direction of outside counsel and partnership with applicable Employment Practices Liability insurance carriers
• Support business during strategic restructurings and reductions in force when necessary
• Conduct commercial review of HR related contracts including those for benefit providers
• Draft and manage intercompany agreements for secondment of workers
• Evaluate and provide strategic and tactical advice to manage attorney demand letters, complaints, and other employment claims, developing legally sound strategies for the Company's defense of such actions, and negotiating and drafting settlements
• Actively monitor trends and analyze labor and employment laws and regulations to develop policy recommendations in partnership with Human Resources
• Provide advice and guidance on pending law changes while creating proactive strategies to ensure compliance
• Perform risk assessments related to proposed initiatives, corporate activities and industry developments, recommending alternative courses of action to achieve business objectives while limiting liability and risk
• Maintain in depth knowledge of Company policies, federal and state legislation
• Educate and train Human Resources professionals, operating business managers and others on trends and legal actions which may affect the workplace through written materials or training seminars
• Partner with attorneys in the department to address Company-wide employment issues
• Support other litigation and legal functions, as needed.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Broad background in providing advice and counsel to human resources and operating business managers in complex employment related matters
• Employment litigation experience, firm and in-house experience
• Experience interfacing with government and/or labor and employment agencies which maintain jurisdiction over employment and related legal matters
• Experience with cutting-edge employment and labor-related policies, programs and systems, and up-to-date knowledge of labor and employment issues and case law
• Strong leadership skills and good judgment, and the ability to think strategically both from a business and legal perspective
• Ability to foster relationships and individual accountability across the organization
• Excellent conflict management skills, and ability to influence without coercion
• Proven written and oral communication and negotiating skills
• Ability to expeditiously identify and analyze issues and provide legally sound recommendations consistent with good business practices and reason
• Ability to work under pressure
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Ability to identify opportunities for improvement and to facilitate the implementation of creative solutions
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of and effectively resolve problems
• Master's Degree Preferred

Minimum Requirements:

• 5 - 8 years’ experience as a practicing attorney and at least 6 years’ experience in labor and employment
• Bachelor's Degree Required
• J.D. degree
• Active state bar membership (required for the jurisdiction in which the attorney practices) Upon Hire Required

#LI-TL1

Five Principles for Success

Our worldwide practices describe specific behaviors that make Rakuten unique and united across the world. We expect Rakuten employees to model these 5 Shugi Principles of Success.

Always improve, Always Advance

Only be satisfied with complete success - Kaizen

Passionately Professional

Take an uncompromising approach to your work and be determined to be the best

Hypothesize - Practice - Validate – Shikumika

Use the Rakuten Cycle to succeed in unknown territory

Maximize Customer Satisfaction

The greatest satisfaction for our teams is seeing their customers smile

Speed!! Speed!! Speed!!

Always be conscious of time - take charge, set clear goals, and engage your team

Rakuten provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type. Rakuten considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, provincial or local laws.

As part of our Rakuten interview process, we encourage applicants to use their own words, rather than AI-generated content. Tell us your story in a way that's personal and authentic.

At the time of posting, Rakuten expects the base compensation for this role to be within the range shown below. Individual compensation will vary based on job-related factors, including the skills, qualifications, and experience of the successful candidate as well as business need and geographic location. The successful applicant for this role will be eligible for discretionary bonus, health, vision, dental insurance, 401k matching, PTO, Volunteer Time Off (VTO), and other employee benefits as the company implements.

USD $113,157.00 - $211,032.00 annually