The General Counsel - Global Employment Law will provide labor and employment-related legal advice and counsel to the company’s Human Resources professionals and company leadership worldwide.  This includes legal research, drafting and counseling on a broad range of international and employment/labor legal issues.  Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, this role will contribute to the protection of NielsenIQ’s legal interests, compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and facilitate the achievement of corporate objectives by providing timely, high-quality, thorough and cost-effective counsel concerning complex legal employment issues.Duties and Responsibilities:Global Employment Law Oversight: Provide expert legal guidance on employment law across all jurisdictions where the company operates, ensuring compliance with local labor laws, regulations, and best practices in each country.Management & Dispute Resolution: Identify, evaluate, and proactively address employment-related risks. Cost-effectively manage outside counsel in all employment litigated mattersEmployment Contracts & Agreements: Draft and review employment agreements, offer letters, non-compete and non-disclosure agreements, severance agreements, sales incentive plans, and other employee-related contracts, ensuring consistency and compliance with global legal requirements.Employee Relations & Investigations: Advise on employee relations issues, including grievances, terminations, disciplinary actions, and investigations. Help ensure the company fosters a positive and inclusive work environment.Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with the Chief Human Resources Officer, HR leadership and other internal clients to develop and implement global human resources and employment policies and practices.Leadership & Team Management: Lead, mentor, and manage a lean team of employment lawyers and professionals. Collaborate with cross-functional attorneys to provide effective labor and employment advice to internal clients.  Foster a collaborative, high-performance team culture, ensuring alignment with the company’s strategic goals.Training & Development: Create and deliver training programs for internal teams, including HR and business leaders, on global employment law trends, compliance requirements, and best practices for managing international workforces.IPO Readiness & Compliance: Partner with key internal stakeholders (including HR, finance, and compliance) to ensure that employment law matters are thoroughly addressed in preparation for the company’s IPO. This includes advising on executive compensation, equity plans, employee stock options, and ensuring regulatory compliance.Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Support: Provide legal counsel in relation to employment matters in M&A transactions, including due diligence, employee integration, and compliance with labor laws in various jurisdictions.Requirements:Qualified lawyer in an US or European jurisdiction. Minimum of 12+ years of experience as an employment attorney, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.Significant experience managing global employment law issues for a multinational company is required and with strong knowledge of the European legal employment law framework.Experience in evaluating employee disciplinary matters.In-house experience strongly preferred, but not required.
Skills & Competencies:Must be a team playerHands-on, roll up the sleeves attorney who can work well in a fast-paced environment.Must be a self-starter and finisher with the ability to efficiently complete projects with minimal oversight.Highly motivated and proactive, the ability to build and maintain strong relationships and collaboration with relevant internal stakeholders.Ability to problem-solve and think strategically in ambiguous situations.Ability to distill complex legal concepts and issues in a manner to make them understandable to non-legal specialists.Strong decision-making aptitude.Solutions-oriented approach to problem solving.Excellent risk identification and mitigation skills.