Employment Counsel

What You Will Be Challenged to Do

• GFT, a leading architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firm with over 5,000 employees across North America, seeks an experienced employment counsel to join its in-house legal team. This role provides strategic and practical legal guidance on employment-related matters. While reporting to Legal, the Employment Counsel will also partner closely with HR, supporting legal compliance, advising on employee relations issues, and counseling leadership on sensitive workforce matters.

   

   

  Key Responsibilities

  Employment Law Advice & Compliance

  • Research and interpret employment, labor, and human rights laws across the firm’s geographic footprint.
  • Develop and update company policies, handbooks, and practices to ensure compliance with applicable laws and evolving regulatory requirements.
  • Monitor legislative and regulatory developments affecting the company’s workforce.

  Employee Relations & HR Partnership

  • Provide day-to-day legal advice to HR and managers on employee relations issues, including discipline, performance management, accommodations, and terminations.
  • Support HR with workforce planning, organizational changes, and employee communications, including severance agreements and releases.
  • Partner with HR to support and advise on employee complaints (harassment, discrimination, retaliation, workplace misconduct), with HR retaining primary responsibility for these processes prior to initiation of an EEOC claim or lawsuit.
  • Partner with HR to develop and deliver training programs for HR, managers, and leadership on employment law topics and best practices.

  Disputes & Investigations

  • Manage responses to administrative charges (EEOC, state agencies, and Ontario Human Rights Tribunal), including drafting and coordinating position statements.
  • Oversee and coordinate employment litigation, working with outside counsel as needed.
  • Coordinate litigation holds and information gathering in partnership with HR and business leaders.

  Executive Employment & Talent Acquisition

  • Draft, review, and negotiate executive employment agreements, severance packages, and restrictive covenant agreements.
  • Provide guidance and enforce restrictive covenant obligations, including non-compete, non-solicitation, and confidentiality agreements.
  • Advise on standard contract templates for talent acquisition agreements (retained search firms, staff augmentation agencies, direct hire referral agreements).

  Employee Agreements & Privacy

  • Manage and review employment-related NDAs, intellectual property agreements, and post-employment obligations related to data access and confidentiality.
  • Advise and contribute to policy development on privacy of employee data.
  • Review and advise on use of independent contractor agreements to avoid misclassification.
  • Advise on prevailing wage and similar requirements applicable to company projects.
  • Provide guidance on workers’ compensation and unemployment compensation issues.

  Compliance & Ethics

  • Assist the CLO/Ethics Officer and Compliance Specialist with business ethics and compliance oversight, investigations, expense reviews, and policy improvements that align with employee policies.

  Broader Legal Department Support

  • Collaborate with the Legal team on broader corporate matters, including project-related contract review, commercial agreements, and compliance initiatives.

  Provide general corporate support as needed; approximately 25–30% of this role may involve non-employment-related legal work, including project and vendor contract reviews, and corporate compliance.

What You Will Bring to Our Firm

• J.D. and admission to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 6–10 years of employment law experience, preferably a mix of law firm and in-house roles.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. federal and multi-state employment laws; familiarity with Canadian (Ontario) employment law and cross border working arrangements highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience handling employee relations, workplace investigations, agency charges, and employment litigation.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with ability to provide practical, business-oriented advice.
• Comfort flexing into general corporate and contract review work.
• Experience in the AEC or professional services industry a plus.

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At GFT, a privately held AEC firm, we innovate where transportation, water, power, and buildings converge. We call this the Infrastructure of Life. We measure our success by the strength of our relationships – that’s why we’re the employer of choice for 5,000+ of the industry’s brightest engineers, planners, architects, inspectors, designers, and more.

Our clients choose us for our expertise and prefer us for our nimble approach, creativity, and personal touch. Backed by over a century’s experience, together we’re building a lasting legacy for future generations: stronger communities, a healthier planet, and better lives.

GFT: Ingenuity That Shapes Lives™ is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veterans’ status or other characteristics protected by law.

Unsolicited resumes from third party agencies will be considered the property GFT.

Core Business Hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Employment Status: Full-Time
Salary Range: $135-190K

Salary dependent upon experience and geographic location

GFT does require the successful completion of a criminal background check for all advertised positions.

"California Applicants"
Applicants in the County of Los Angeles - Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.
Applicants in the City of San Francisco - Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Applicants in the State of California - Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act.