Description:
About the role:Gopuff is seeking a Senior Counsel, Employment & Litigation to join our Legal team at a pivotal moment in the company's growth. This role will report to the VP, Legal and have significant exposure to the General Counsel and senior leadership on important, high-impact matters.
The Senior Counsel will take meaningful ownership of the day-to-day management and strategy of the company's litigation docket and employment counseling, including advising on independent contractor compliance and related workforce issues, while also having the opportunity to work across a range of legal areas, including commercial contracting, product counseling, and other strategic initiatives that support a fast-moving, consumer-facing business.
This is a highly visible role for a self-starter who thrives with autonomy, values real responsibility, and is motivated by the opportunity to meaningfully accelerate professional growth by building the breadth of experience, judgment, and business partnership skills foundational to senior legal leadership roles.
Why This Role
This role offers end-to-end ownership of the litigation function and core employment matters, significant visibility, and exposure to complex and evolving legal issues in a fast-moving business. For the right candidate, it provides an opportunity to accelerate professional growth, develop broad legal judgment, expand into generalist legal areas over time, and make a tangible impact while working alongside a collaborative and high-performing Legal team.
Culture & Team
This is a lean, collaborative Legal team that values ownership, accountability, and sound judgment. Team members are trusted to operate independently, take initiative, and deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced environment. We work closely together, support one another, and hold ourselves to high standards, with an emphasis on thoughtful execution, clear communication, and professionalism.
This team is built for lawyers who take pride in their work, want to be deeply engaged in the business, and are motivated by responsibility, impact, and continuous growth.
What You'll Do:
- Own and lead the company's full litigation docket, including a substantial employment litigation portfolio and responsibility for all commercial and other litigation matters
- Serve as lead in-house counsel on litigation matters, owning strategy from intake through resolution and directing outside counsel on case posture, discovery, motion practice, settlement strategy, and outcomes
- Handle appropriate matters directly in-house, including pre-litigation disputes, demand responses, and settlement negotiations, while exercising sound judgment on when to engage outside counsel
- Act as the primary internal point of contact for litigated matters, coordinating closely with internal stakeholders
- Partner closely with the VP, Legal on significant, complex, or high-risk matters, escalating issues and aligning on strategy as appropriate
- Provide practical, business-oriented employment counseling to HR, Operations, and other stakeholders on day-to-day matters, including performance management, investigations, accommodations, leaves, terminations, wage-and-hour, and compliance issues
- Advise the business on independent contractor and gig economy workforce issues, including classification, policy development, risk assessment, and evolving legal requirements, in partnership with cross-functional stakeholders
- Partner with business leaders to deliver timely, actionable guidance that balances legal risk with operational needs
- Own the strategic and operational management of the litigation function, ensuring matters across the docket are appropriately prioritized, resourced, and aligned with business objectives
- Manage outside counsel relationships, including selection, scoping, performance management, and cost control
- Partner with the VP, Legal on litigation budgets, forecasting, and spend management, supporting thoughtful allocation of resources and cost discipline
- Develop and maintain litigation data, analytics, and reporting, in collaboration with the VP, Legal, to provide regular updates and insights to the General Counsel and senior leadership
- Identify trends, systemic risks, and recurring issues across the docket and drive preventative and risk-mitigation strategies
- Help build and refine litigation processes, playbooks, and reporting to support informed decision-making and leadership visibility
- Support commercial contracting and other business agreements as needed, applying sound legal and business judgment to manage risk in partnership with cross-functional teams
- Provide product and operational counseling on new initiatives, features, and evolving business models, in partnership with cross-functional stakeholders
- Collaborate with senior legal leadership on high-impact and novel matters, including regulatory, litigation, and strategic issues in the gig economy and independent contractor space
- Take ownership of discrete projects from inception through execution, often helping build structure or process in evolving areas of the business
Who You Are:
- 5–10+ years of relevant legal experience
- Strong preference for candidates with significant litigation experience, including employment litigation, combined with employment counseling experience
- Demonstrated ability to manage matters independently and supervise outside counsel
- Experience managing multiple litigation matters simultaneously and exercising sound judgment around prioritization, escalation, and resource allocation
- Experience with independent contractor, gig economy, or worker classification issues is a plus
- Exposure to additional practice areas (e.g., commercial contracts, corporate, real estate, product, or regulatory) is highly valued
- We recognize this role spans multiple areas of practice. Candidates may come from a primarily employment litigation background or a primarily commercial litigation background, and we are open to strong litigators who are excited to build depth across both. While experience with employment law and counseling is highly valued, we are equally focused on judgment, ownership mindset, and the ability to learn new areas quickly.
- We are also open to exceptional candidates from broader corporate or generalist backgrounds who bring strong legal judgment, demonstrated ownership mindset, and meaningful exposure to litigation basics, and who are excited to lean into a litigation-heavy role with appropriate support and mentorship.
- Regardless of background, this role requires comfort owning complex matters, working closely with outside counsel, and exercising sound judgment on litigation strategy and risk.
- A self-starter who identifies issues and takes initiative
- Highly organized, communicative, and effective at managing multiple workstreams with minimal oversight
- Resourceful, pragmatic, and solutions-oriented, with strong judgment and follow-through
- Comfortable operating in ambiguity and building structure where needed
- Business-minded and able to translate legal risk into clear, actionable guidance
- Collaborative, team-oriented, and supportive of colleagues
Qualifications:
- JD from an accredited law school
- Admitted and in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar
- Hybrid position with 3 days in office at our Spring Garden HQ
Compensation:
- Gopuff pays employees based on market pricing and pay may vary depending on your location. The salary range below reflects what we'd reasonably expect to pay candidates. A candidate's starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. Exceptions may be made for exceptional individuals. For additional information on this role's compensation package, please reach out to the designated recruiter for this role.
- This role is eligible for a discretionary annual cash bonus and participation in Gopuff's equity incentive plan.
- Base Salary Range: $180,000 - $225,000
Benefits Overview:
- Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
- HSA or FSA eligibility
- Long and Short-Term Disability Insurance
- Mental Health Benefits
- Fitness Reimbursement Program
- 25% employee discount & FAM Membership
- Flexible PTO
- Group Life Insurance
- EAP through AllOne Health (formerly Carebridge)
We're assembling a team of thinkers, dreamers & risk-takers...the kind of people who know the value of peace of mind in an unpredictable wo
