Senior Counsel, Employment Law and Litigation

POSITION OVERVIEW

Reporting to the Assistant General Counsel and Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer, this role will be responsible for providing legal research and advice in all aspects of   equal employment/non-discrimination laws such as Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA); and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), employee benefits, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), executive compensation, including 409A, wage and hour, as well as provide support and expertise on Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), as well as general litigation matters (including but not limited to litigation related to employment, business torts, and contracts). The role will also include counseling on daily human resources matters, delivering timely, accurate, and effective legal guidance, performing Company investigations, updating policies, managing outside legal resources effectively and developing strong relationships internally and externally. The Senior Counsel will be forward-thinking and have strong expertise and presence to be front-facing internally and externally.  This is a strategic role in assessing risk and managing litigation matters.

KNOWLEDGE

The Senior Counsel, Employment Law and Litigation will have substantive knowledge on core civil rights and constitutional law principles and precedents; must be familiar with federal and state statutory and constitutional law issues and aware of federal court rules, policies, and procedures. Must possess a broad domain expertise within all aspects of human resources and employment law, including benefits, executive compensation, worker classification and wage hour matters. Litigation experience, investigations, catastrophe/incident or government response experience is also required.  Senior Counsel should also have experience in business litigation related to contract, tort, and non-compete/non-solicitation agreements and related motion practice, discovery, and all aspects of litigation.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Work directly with business clients and Human Resources department to provide sound and  prompt legal service and advice regarding employment matters.
• Advise business clients regarding employment related laws, such as Title VII, ADA, FMLA, ADEA, FLSA, and state law equivalents.
• Advise business clients regarding potential litigation remedies related to contract, tort, non-compete/non-solicitation and other legal and equitable remedies, as well as oversee court and arbitration filings and attend appearances in proceedings.
• Conduct and/or support investigations, draft and interpret policies, prepare and negotiate employment agreements.
• Provide advice regarding the implications of new or existing employment laws substantially impacting the Company.
• Provide counsel on both the business and legal ramifications of Company strategic imperatives.
• Oversee litigation matters, settlement negotiation, and dispute resolution with an emphasis on labor and employment and other business disputes.
• Develop and oversee preventive measures, particularly with respect to the legal risks associated with business practices and developing policies, and provide guidance and direction to Senior Management regarding compliance with current and proposed equal employment, antitrust, privacy, corporate conduct, OSHA/Safety compliance and/or investigative matters and other relevant laws and policies.
• Oversee periodic risk assessment processes that ensure overall compliance and identify and anticipate legal, business and reputational risk.
• Review, support and provide counsel on the drafting of severance, retention, and other  employment-related agreements.
• Review, support and provide counsel on the design and implementation of employee benefit plans, programs and arrangements maintained by the company.
• Review, support and provide counsel on the drafting of executive compensation plans and documents.
• Investigate and draft Position Statements for submission to the EEOC.
• Review, support and provide counsel on drafting and revising policies Company-wide and working with internal subject-matter experts to ensure compliant with up to date law and best practices.
• Draft and present interactive training to employees involving employment law and compliance related topics.
• Support and oversee the management of outside counsel as appropriate.
• The duties and responsibilities described are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time; or the scope of the job may change as necessitated by business demands.

QUALIFICATIONS (EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS)

• Education: A Bachelor’s degree and J.D. degree are required for this role. Strong academic credentials preferred.
• Experience: Eight (8) to ten (10) years of prior or current experience with a law firm and/or in- house legal with a variety of experience on all employment and benefit related employment matters. Experience with litigation and other general corporate matters is required. Applicants with experience within the energy sector or an asset based operating environment, strongly preferred.
• Skills/Competencies:
  • Strong interpersonal skills and presence with the ability to effectively interact with all levels within the organization and externally
  • Practical and business minded.
  • Ability to think critically, solve problems independently and exercise excellent judgment and common sense.
  • Exceptional oral and written communication and legal research skills.
  • Highly organized and detail-oriented but able to also pull back and be strategic/conceptual.
  • Ability to effectively work with and manage outside counsel.
  • Able to multi-task in fast-paced environment.
  • Self-starter.
  • Impeccable ethics.

DIRECT REPORTS

No direct reports

FREEDOM TO ACT

Operates independently within approved guidelines, and with minimum supervision; delivers pertinent information in a timely manner to superiors and to management.

WORK CONDITIONS

Job is performed in a typical office environment, but is subject to time pressures and constraints, and is often dependent on input from others.

ADA JOB REQUIREMENTS

Reasonable accommodations will be made to ensure that the essential functions of the job can be performed and not hinder the employee's performance due to physical, mental or emotional disability.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Cheniere Energy is an equal opportunity workplace. All employment decisions are made without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected categories. This includes providing reasonable accommodation if requested for disabilities or religious beliefs and practices.