Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global Biopharma company committed to a single mission: to discover, develop, and deliver innovative medicines focused on helping millions of patients around the world in disease areas such as oncology, cardiovascular, immunoscience and fibrosis.
Join us and make a difference. We hire the best people and provide them with a work environment that places a premium on diversity, integrity, collaboration and personal development. Through a culture of inclusion, we create a better, more productive work environment. We believe that the diverse experiences and perspectives of all our employees help to drive innovation and transformative business results.
Senior Counsel - Employment Law
Reporting to the Assistant General Counsel, Human Resources (HR) Law, the Senior Counsel – Employment Law will oversee a diverse array of employment matters. This attorney will partner with HR and management to provide guidance on all facets of employment law, play a leading role in ensuring multijurisdictional compliance, supervise outside counsel on employment litigation matters and perform a variety of other legal duties as needed. This position will handle all aspects of employment and labor legal responsibilities and litigation in United States and Puerto Rico (primarily) and globally as needed. This position is based in Lawrenceville, NJ.
Major Responsibilities:
Litigation:
Manage employment, benefit and non-compete litigation, including providing strategic guidance and attending depositions, court hearings, mediations and arbitrations; supervise internal investigations; respond to government agency charges and OFCCP, wage and hour/DOL audits; provide timely updates to business leaders and supervisors to ensure alignment on strategy.
Employment Counseling:
Provide legal advice and support to business and HR leaders; advise internal clients on recruitment, leaves of absence, performance management, discipline, terminations, restructuring, transactions, acquisitions, divestitures and reorganizations, due diligence, union contract management, outsourcing, whistleblower management, contingent workforce issues, sensitive employee relations matters, executive hiring and exits, diversity initiatives, pay equity, immigration, accommodations, wage and hour issues, terminations, affirmative action, diversity, non-compete matters, severance, WARN compliance, and oversight of workforce analytics; interact directly with counsel representing incoming, current and departing employees on employment-related issues; ensure compliance with state and federal employment and labor laws, company policies/directives/SOPs and proactive partnership with HR to enhance and simplify processes and further improve compliance efforts; keep abreast of legal landscape and update and maintain policies, communications and practices to ensure compliance with changing laws, enhance employee engagement and prevent employment litigation and disputes; proactively identify future trends and recommend legal strategies to meet current and future business needs in employment law; develop and deliver practical education for clients and actively collaborate with HR and business colleagues to implement positive change.
Investigations:
Oversee and manage internal investigations and remedial actions related to a wide variety of employment matters; author investigation reports; drive root cause analysis and implement corrective action to drive compliance and effective business practices and prevent employee misconduct.
Qualifications and Preferred Skills/Experience:
- J.D. with a strong academic record, and membership in good standing in at least one state bar in the U.S. (NJ preferred; non-NJ licensed attorney must obtain an NJ limited in-house counsel license upon hire).
- Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience, primarily in employment and labor law and litigation either in a firm setting or as in-house counsel.
- Experience providing counsel and advise on a full range employment law matters.
- Broad knowledge of all federal and state employment and labor laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Federal WARN Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the NLRA, OSHA, Worker’s Compensation, and various wage and hour laws, and experience conducting or overseeing internal investigations relating to same.
- Experience managing complex employment litigations and negotiating settlement agreements and releases.
- Experience representing clients at EEOC, NLRB, FEP agencies, DOL, OSHA and other government agencies, mediation and settlement conferences.
- Experience handling union matters, executive compensation issues, immigration, and ERISA.
- Demonstrated ability to act as a strategic business partner (solutions focused vs. risk focused) and appropriately assess risk in a fast paced, complex environment.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated record of collaboration, being a team player and forming strong working relationships with clients.
- Excellent judgment, professional presence and the ability to interact effectively with, and establish credibility with clients, including senior leadership.
- Strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to understand complex problems and articulate conclusions and solutions clearly and concisely.
- Strong work ethic, well-organized, attention to detail, and the ability to produce high quality work quickly and efficiently in a fast-paced work environment.
- Excellent negotiation and conflict management skills.
- Ability to manage and handle sensitive and confidential information with the highest levels of integrity, ethical standards and discretion.
- Ability to travel across U.S. and Puerto Rico as necessary to perform job responsibilities effectively.
- Strong grasp of New Jersey employment law preferred; knowledge of and experience in California employment and leave laws is a plus.
- Knowledge of and experience on international employment/labor law is a plus.
- Ability to speak and converse in Spanish is a plus, but not required.
- Prior pharmaceutical legal experience is a plus.
Bristol-Myers Squibb recognizes the importance of balance and flexibility in our work environment. We offer a wide variety of competitive benefits, services and programs that provide our employees the resources to pursue their goals, both at work and in their personal lives.
