Employment & Labor Relations Counsel

Position: Employment & Labor Relations Counsel

Program: Administration

Department: People & Culture

Reports to: Chief People Officer

Compensation: $155,736 - $164,388 Annually

Status: 100%, Full-Time, Regular, Exempt

Probation: 180 days

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, and Long-Term Disability Insurance, Employee Assistance Program, and 403(b) Retirement Plan

CENTER’S MISSION: Building a world where LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society.

ORGANIZATIONAL SUMMARY: The Los Angeles LGBT Center is the world’s largest LGBT organization of any kind. In 10 locations across Los Angeles, the Center’s nearly 800 employees and hundreds of volunteers offer programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, Leadership, and Advocacy. The Center is an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a better world.

JOB SUMMARY: Reporting to the Chief People Officer and partnering with the General Counsel, the Employment & Labor Relations Counsel provides comprehensive legal advice and guidance to Center leadership, management, and the People & Culture team on a wide range of complex employment and labor law matters. This position is instrumental in ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Employment Law Counseling (30%):
   • Provide expert legal advice to Center leadership on employment matters, including wage and hour, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, leave policies, disability accommodations, and related claims.
   • Conduct legal research to stay current on evolving employment laws and regulations.
   • Monitor regulatory changes and industry trends to identify legal risks and develop mitigation strategies.
   • Draft and review employment contracts, severance agreements, and other legal documents.
   • Offer privileged and confidential legal reports to leadership as needed.
2. Labor Relations (30%):
   • Provide strategic legal advice to management on collective bargaining negotiations.
   • Represent the organization in collective bargaining negotiations, arbitrations, and grievance proceedings.
   • Draft and review collective bargaining agreements, labor contracts, and other union-related documents.
   • Develop and implement strategies to maintain positive labor relations and minimize labor disputes.
   • Stay informed on labor law trends, including union organizing and bargaining developments.
   • Advise management on best practices for managing unionized workforces.
3. Policy Development and Compliance (15%):
   • Partner with People & Culture leadership to ensure compliance through guidance, training, and support.
   • Develop, review, and update policies and procedures to comply with employment laws.
   • Oversee implementation and enforcement of employment policies, providing training to staff and management.
   • Conduct regular audits of policies and procedures to identify compliance gaps and implement corrective actions.
4. Case Management and Representation (15%):
   • Manage employment-related cases, including investigations, disciplinary actions, and terminations.
   • Represent the organization in administrative proceedings, mediations, and arbitrations.
   • Assist General Counsel with employment-related litigation as needed.
5. Government Reporting and Regulatory Compliance (10%):
   • Oversee preparation and timely filing of EEO-1, VETS-4212, and other government reports.
   • Serve as the primary contact for government agencies, including the EEOC, OFCCP, and DOL, on compliance matters.
   • Provide guidance on affirmative action plans and diversity and inclusion initiatives.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• A passion for the Center’s work and its mission to make the world a better place for LGBTQ people.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with people of diverse races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expression, socio-economic backgrounds, religions, ages, English-speaking abilities, immigration statuses, and physical abilities in a multicultural environment.
• Experience working with the LGBTQ+ community, especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color LGBTQ+ communities.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in employment law.
• Experience with labor law and relations and collective bargaining negotiations with strong understanding of federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, and California Labor Code.
• Experience developing and implementing strategic plans.
• Experience with grant management.
• Demonstrated success managing high level teams and supporting leaders in very diverse environments.
• Ability to build trust, relationships, and credibility quickly with people in various roles at all levels of the organization.
• Ability to manage time independently and effectively in an environment with multiple work streams, competing priorities, and a dispersed team, as well as ability to collaborate with a team.
• Ability to navigate conflict and objectively analyze problems to support the creation of solutions.
• Strong communication, analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and time-management skills with a high level of attention to detail, while maintaining discretion with confidential and sensitive information.

EDUCATION AND LICENSURE:

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Admitted to practice law in California.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Inside counsel experience at a large organization.
• Bilingual skills (Spanish/English fluency).

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to fostering diversity within its staff. Applications are encouraged from all persons regardless of their race, color, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, sex, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, religion, disability, age, military or veteran status, including status as a victim of domestic violence, assault or stalking, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation or activities, medical or health conditions, and marital status.

The Center has implemented a policy requiring all staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, subject to applicable federal, state and local laws. For more information, please contact jobs@lalgbtcenter.org.