Associate Employment Counsel

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation.

At AHEAD, we prioritize creating a culture of belonging, where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected, and heard. We create spaces to empower everyone to speak up, make change, and drive the culture at AHEAD. 

We are an equal opportunity employer, and do not discriminate based on an individual's race, national origin, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived. 

We embrace all candidates that will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives at AHEAD. 

The Associate Employment Counsel will manage a caseload of employment cases and assist AHEAD’s Employment Counsel, which will include all aspects of employment work including, but not limited to: counseling AHEAD’s People & Culture team on employment-related decision-making; overseeing investigations; responding to federal and state administrative charges; preparing demand letters; drafting severance and settlement agreements; interpreting various employment laws, including wage and hour laws, workplace safety, rest break laws, disability leave laws, workplace harassment, employee discrimination, discipline and terminations; developing and maintaining employment policies, practices, procedures, and training programs that comply with multi-jurisdictional legal requirements; and researching and tracking legal developments.

The ideal candidate should have experience in employment counseling and litigation. This includes experience counseling clients on employment-related decision-making, employment agreements, and developing and maintaining employment policies, practices, procedures, and training programs that comply with multi-jurisdictional legal requirements. Additionally, the candidate should be comfortable with federal and state labor and employment litigation and private arbitrations.

This position will report to AHEAD’s Employment Counsel. 

• Create, manage, and update litigation folders in SharePoint to include relevant emails and documents;
• Create accurate pre-litigation documents, such as Tables of Contents and Timeline of Events;
• Maintain federal, state, and local law statutory trackers, and apprise Employment Counsel of relevant changes;
• Draft severance, settlement, and equity buy-back agreements using approved templates;
• Draft documents for filing with courts or administrative agencies;
• Track deadlines for litigation and other matters;
• Draft and send demand letters and other documents;
• E-file documents with courts and agencies in accordance with applicable rules;
• Update policies as necessary based on statutory and/or organizational changes, as directed by Employment Counsel;
• Other duties as determined by Employment Counsel.

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school;
• Active license to practice law in at least one state (preference of Illinois or New York);
• 2+ years of experience in employment law;
• Previous in-house experience preferred.

• Experience with WestLaw or similar legal research database.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Time management skills, including ability to prioritize conflicting priorities, meet critical deadlines, and operate in a fast-paced environment while maintaining productivity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and negotiation skills to drive execution to suitable conclusion.
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.
• Knowledge of legal holds and discovery processes.
• Knowledge of state and federal judicial systems, and agency procedures in labor and employment law.
• A high level of confidentiality and good judgment.  

Why AHEAD:

Through our daily work and internal groups like Moving Women AHEAD and RISE AHEAD, we value and benefit from diversity of people, ideas, experience, and everything in between.

We fuel growth by stacking our office with top-notch technologies in a multi-million-dollar lab, by encouraging cross department training and development, sponsoring certifications and credentials for continued learning.

USA Employment Benefits include: 

- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance 

- 401(k) 

- Paid company holidays 

- Paid time off 

- Paid parental and caregiver leave 

- Plus more! See benefits https://www.aheadbenefits.com/ for additional details.