Description:
L'Oréal USA is seeking an experienced employment lawyer to join the in-house legal department in its New York City offices. This attorney must exemplify strong managerial skills and sensitivity as a key member of a multi-cultural, fast-paced, global workforce. The potential to take on additional substantive and leadership roles exists, assuming the attorney demonstrates legal acumen and solid judgment with exemplary respect and integrity toward others.Key Responsibilities:
The primary responsibility will be to provide preventive, proactive and strategic legal advice and solutions on a broad range of human resources, employment law, and compliance topics, and will report directly to L'Oréal's Assistant Vice President, Employment Law.
Job responsibilities include (but are not limited to):
- Provide preventive, practical, and proactive legal advice on a broad range of employment law and complex employee relations issues, including but not limited to wage and hour compliance, worker classification, performance management, disciplinary actions, leave management, reasonable accommodations, discrimination, and harassment prevention, with a specialized understanding of the unique challenges impacting non-exempt and hourly workers in fast-paced retail and operations environments.
- Advise on employment law matters impacting operations-based employees, including those in manufacturing, supply chain, and distribution centers, covering areas such as safety regulations, shift differentials, and workplace conduct unique to operational environments.
- Advise on employment law matters specific to a dynamic retail environment, including scheduling, store operations, commission plans, bonus plans, and customer service-related employment issues.
- Conduct, advise and support investigations of complaints of unfair or inappropriate treatment of employees.
- Prepare and deliver training materials regarding various employment law topics, including wage and hour compliance for managers and HR professionals.
- Monitor legislation, regulations, case law, and government enforcement activities relating to U.S. employees, and provide proactive, strategic advice to the Employment Law Group and relevant stakeholders, ensuring L'Oréal's policies and practices remain in full compliance with evolving legal requirements.
- Manage all aspects of employment litigation and administrative charges, including risk assessment, development of case strategy, and management of outside counsel.
- Lead the development, implementation, and continuous enhancement of employment-related policies, programs, and initiatives, ensuring they are legally sound, practical, and align with L'Oréal's values and compliance framework.
- Provide legal advice concerning immigration-related compliance and mobility issues.
Qualifications/Job Requirements:
- J.D. degree from an accredited law school and strong academic credentials.
- Member in good standing with the New York State bar.
- Minimum of 7 years as a practicing attorney with employment law experience.
- Strong understanding of California and New York employment law, and comfortable advising on the law of other states and localities within the United States.
- Demonstrated strong experience and expertise in employment law compliance for non-exempt/hourly workers, including wage and hour laws (FLSA and state-specific equivalents), meal and rest breaks, overtime, and timekeeping practices.
- Proven experience advising on employment law issues specific to operations, manufacturing, supply chain, or distribution center environments.
- Proven experience advising on employment law issues within a retail or similar customer-facing, multi-location environment.
- Extensive experience in developing, updating, and implementing comprehensive employment policies and ensuring enterprise-wide compliance with all relevant labor and employment laws.
Professional experience with:
- Culturally diverse, international workforces.
- Wide array of corporate functions (Marketing, Retail, Operations, Research and Innovation, Manufacturing, Distribution, Sales, Digital, Social Media, Brands, Corporate Functions, etc.)
- Contingent workforces/temporary employees and independent contractors.
- Ability to recognize when to elevate certain matters to the attention of the Vice President, Employment Law and/or the General Counsel and other senior management.
- Establish and maintain relationships, credibility and trust with clients, stakeholders, legal team members, and other colleagues.
- Corporate in-house experience is preferred, though not required if applicant has strong counseling experience.
- Strong communication and writing skills.
- Willingness to travel periodically to locations within the United States and Europe.
- High level of organization, attention to detail, with a collaborative and positive attitude.
- Ability to work on-site at L'Oréal's New York City (Hudson Yards) office three (3) days per week.
