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Lambda is a leader in AI cloud infrastructure serving tens of thousands of customers globally. As Employment Counsel, you will be the primary legal partner to Lambda's People team and business leaders on employment matters across a fast-growing, increasingly global workforce. You will report to the Associate General Counsel, Corporate, and advise on the full employee lifecycle in the U.S. and internationally.
Key Responsibilities:
Employment Counseling: Provide day-to-day advice to People Partners, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, and managers across the employee lifecycle, including hiring, onboarding, compensation, leave and accommodation, performance management, discipline, and separation. Advise on wage and hour compliance (including exempt/non-exempt classification and California-specific requirements), contractor and consultant classification, and multi-state employment compliance. Handle sensitive employee relations matters and separations, including drafting and negotiating separation and release agreements.
Hiring & Recruiting Support: Partner with Recruiting and the People team on offers and hiring. Own Lambda's employment templates, including offer letters, employment agreements, and confidentiality and invention assignment agreements. Draft and negotiate bespoke employment agreements for senior and specialized hires. Draft and maintain contractor, consultant, and advisor agreements, and advise on the right engagement model for each role.
International Expansion & Global Employment: Partner with People, Finance, Tax, and Corporate on how Lambda hires in new countries, including when to use an EOR or PEO and when to establish a local entity. Manage those providers and transitions between models. Own the employment side of building out local entities, including country-specific documentation, policies, and compliance. Advise on international employment matters across the employee lifecycle and manage local outside counsel.
Investigations & Disputes: Conduct or oversee workplace investigations into complaints of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and misconduct. Manage agency charges, demand letters, arbitrations, and litigation with outside counsel, focusing on cost-effective outcomes.
Policies, Programs & Compliance: Own and update the employee handbook, policies, and required notices across U.S. states and international locations. Advise on compensation programs with employment implications, including incentive and commission plans, pay transparency, and pay equity requirements. Support employment compliance for data center and operations workforce, including scheduling, overtime, and workplace safety matters. Design and deliver training for managers and the People team.
Corporate Transactions & Special Projects: Support the employment aspects of M&A, reorganizations, and reductions in force, including WARN and international collective consultation requirements. Partner with corporate and securities counsel on employment matters tied to Lambda's growth and public company readiness. Build scalable processes, templates, and self-serve resources so the People team can handle routine matters and knows when to escalate.
Lambda is a 500+ employee company founded in 2012, backed by notable investors including NVIDIA, ARK Invest, Andrej Karpathy, and others. The company offers generous cash and equity compensation, health/dental/vision coverage, wellness and commuter stipends, 401k with 2% match, and flexible paid time off. The position is based in San Francisco with a four-day in-office schedule (Tuesdays work-from-home); flexibility to consider alternative locations for qualified candidates.
Requirements:
- JD from an accredited law school and active admission to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (California bar preferred, or eligibility for California Registered In-House Counsel)
- 7+ years of employment law experience, ideally including time at a law firm with a recognized labor and employment practice and time in-house at a technology or other high-growth company
- Hands-on experience supporting international expansion, including hiring through EOR and/or PEO providers, hiring directly through local entities, and moving employees between those models
- Deep knowledge of U.S. federal and California employment law, plus working familiarity with employment frameworks in key international markets such as the UK, EU, Canada, and APAC
- Experience conducting workplace investigations and managing employment litigation and agency matters
- Sound judgment and ability to give clear, practical advice that balances legal risk against business objectives, including when information is incomplete
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to explain complex issues simply to HR partners, managers, and executives
- Low ego, high ownership, and comfortable building structure in a fast-moving environment
Nice to Have:
- Experience at a company scaling from several hundred to several thousand employees, or through an IPO
- Experience with equity compensation, including working with Recruiting and Equity Administration teams on employee and candidate equity questions
- Experience with employment issues for data center, hardware, or other operational and field-based workforces
- Experience coordinating with immigration and global mobility counsel
- Familiarity with global HRIS and EOR platforms
