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GitLab is seeking a Director, Legal – Employment to lead employment law matters across EMEA. This is a senior individual contributor role (no direct reports) focused on owning the full employment relationship lifecycle for a globally distributed, all-remote organization.
You will independently manage complex employment law matters end-to-end, including representing GitLab before works councils and labor courts, setting employment risk strategy for the region, and building scalable legal processes. Key responsibilities include:
• Provide senior employment-law advice to team members and stakeholders, serving as a subject-matter expert for legal colleagues and cross-functional partners
• Directly manage matters across the employment lifecycle: recruiting, onboarding, compensation, performance management, leave, employee relations, works council processes, organizational changes, separation, and post-employment issues
• Negotiate and engage with works councils and employee representative bodies across EMEA jurisdictions; lead consultation processes for organizational change
• Represent GitLab in labor courts, employment tribunals, and agency investigations; manage outside counsel appearances; develop case strategy and handle settlement decisions
• Counsel People Business Partners, Team Member Relations partners, and business leaders on complex employment concerns
• Draft, review, negotiate, and maintain employment agreements, separation agreements, policies, and templates across multiple jurisdictions
• Own employment compliance across EMEA and incorporate outside-counsel input into strategies
• Monitor employment, privacy, and related law changes; identify risks and translate into practical recommendations
• Lead development and continuous improvement of scalable employment-law processes, systems, playbooks, and documentation
• Provide employment advice in regions outside EMEA as needed
• Work effectively in an asynchronous, globally distributed, all-remote environment using GitLab tools
GitLab is the intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps, enabling organizations to increase developer productivity, improve operational efficiency, reduce security and compliance risk, and accelerate digital transformation. More than 50 million registered users and over 50% of the Fortune 100 trust GitLab.
QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:
• Juris Doctor (JD), Bachelor of Laws (LLB), or local equivalent; admitted to practice in at least one EMEA jurisdiction
• Substantial, firsthand experience advising a multinational company with works councils across EMEA, including direct hands-on negotiation and consultation experience
• Demonstrated track record of advocating or managing outside counsel in labor courts, employment tribunals, and analogous proceedings
• Deep knowledge of employment compliance requirements across EMEA, with judgment to identify when local counsel is needed
• Experience counseling People Business Partners, Team Member Relations partners, and business leaders on sensitive and complex employment matters, including works council strategy
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating employment agreements, separation agreements, policies, templates, and documentation across multiple jurisdictions
• Fluency with GDPR and other local privacy requirements related to employee data
• Experience building or significantly improving legal processes, systems, playbooks, templates, and documentation that produce consistent outcomes at scale
• Strong issue-spotting, risk-assessment, and judgment skills with ability to provide clear recommendations and practical solutions
• Ability to manage a high volume of complex legal matters independently and bring them to resolution
• Clear communication and relationship-building skills; ability to serve as trusted advisor to senior stakeholders across Legal, People, and business
• Practical and creative approach to problem-solving, sound business judgment, attention to detail, and ability to work across functions, time zones, and cultures
• Comfort working in remote, globally distributed, asynchronous environment; willingness to learn and use GitLab in day-to-day work
