Senior Associate General Counsel

Job Title: Senior Associate General Counsel for Employment and Labor Relations

Department: Legal

Location: Remote, Oakland, CA, Chicago, IL, or Washington, DC

Reports To: General Counsel for Employment and Senior Director for Labor Relations

Supervises: up to 2 staff 

Context: At the Sierra Club, we believe in the power of togetherness. Together, we remain committed to the fight for a healthy climate built on a foundation of environmental, racial, economic, and gender justice – a future where all people benefit from a healthy, thriving planet and a direct connection to nature. As the climate crisis and deeply entrenched systemic racism all fuel inequity, we will continue to fight for a bold, transformational agenda that recognizes the interconnectedness between our planet, our humanity, and our democracy. By recognizing that our destinies are tied, we continue to name that all things are fundamentally connected, and the overlap between ecology, race, gender, and representative government will move to either advance our collective humanity or to oppress it.

Sierra Club is comprised of staff across the country and a network of local chapters that support our grassroots engagement. We are also proud to be a unionized employer, with three labor unions representing more than half of our employees. 

Scope: The Senior Associate General Counsel for Employment and Labor Relations is a full-time senior attorney and subject matter expert in labor relations and employment matters. They work closely with the General Counsel for Employment and Senior Director for Labor Relations and Chief Legal Officer to support and facilitate organizational compliance with all applicable labor and employment laws. The Senior Counsel for Employment and Labor Relations assists with developing and implementing training programs. They assist with managing employment litigation, administrative proceedings, and administering the collective bargaining agreements to which Sierra Club is a party.  They also assist with investigating internal claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other violations of applicable local, state and federal employment and labor laws.

• Provide legal advice and counsel on labor relations, employee relations and a broad range of employment and labor laws.
• Manage employment litigation and administrative proceedings, including the development of pre-litigation, litigation and alternative dispute resolution strategies.
• Conduct legal research and case research, and oral and written legal advocacy.
• Investigate, draft investigative reports and/or provide legal guidance on claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, other violations of employment law and violations of Sierra Club’s policies
• Assist with managing collective bargaining, impacts and effects bargaining, grievances, arbitrations, EEOC complaints, and other confidential labor and employment proceedings.
• Prepare or manage Sierra Club’s responses to complaints or inquiries from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and other agencies charged with administering labor and employment laws.
• Assist with Interpreting and ensuring the proper administration of collective bargaining agreements (including any related side letters, memoranda of understanding and other labor agreements) and train and advise management and other stakeholders accordingly.
• Assist with supporting Sierra Club’s enterprise risk management function, as it pertains to labor and employment regulatory and enforcement issues.
• Drive a culture of compliance by assisting with drafting policies and guidance, developing learning modules on risk management initiatives, human resources best practices, equal opportunity and other labor and employment laws.
• Keep abreast of judicial, administrative, and other changes in laws and regulations related to the function of Sierra Club’s programs and recommend appropriate courses of action to the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for Employment and Senior Director for Labor Relations.
• Assist with auditing Sierra Club employment policies, practices and the administration of collective bargaining agreements to ensure legally sufficient organizational policies and practices.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• This position may require occasional out-of-town travel, evening and/or weekend work and deliverables, and attendance at meetings, retreats, or other events outside of normal business hours. 
• This position may require physical in-office work during certain or specified periods.

• A J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school and admission in good standing to a state bar within the United States.
• At least ten years of employment law and labor relations experience with broad exposure and expertise in organized employee units, compliance, litigation management and dispute resolution.
• At least five years of work experience supporting an employer with a unionized workforce.
• Sound judgment and strong legal writing and oral advocacy skills and abilities.
• Experience interpreting and advising organizational clients on wage and hour laws, workplace safety, laws regarding rest and breaks, disability and leave requirements, workplace harassment, and discrimination.
• Knowledge of NLRB rules and regulations and experience engaging with and/or appearing before the NLRB and EEOC.
• Demonstrated skill and effectiveness in interpreting collective bargaining agreements, preparing instructional materials and conducting training.
• Demonstrated innovation, facilitation, communication, and decision-making skills in the context of a highly decentralized organization.
• Experience providing thoughtful and practical legal advice and counsel in or to a complex advocacy organization.
• Strategic thinking and demonstrated success in planning and implementing new strategies and being a thought partner across an organization.

• Experience managing challenging group dynamics in ways that build credibility, trust, collaboration, respect for individual differences, and equitable outcomes across all levels of an organization.
• An understanding and commitment to the Sierra Club’s core values of Anti-racism, Balance, Collaboration, Justice and Transformation.
• A passion and commitment to the Sierra Club mission.
• Culturally competent, inclusive, and adept at meeting people where they are.

To Apply

The Sierra Club provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all staff members.

Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, lived experience and skills. The Sierra Club does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, immigration status, socioeconomic status, ancestry, age, size, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, familial status, veteran status, disability, AIDS/HIV status, medical condition, prior conviction, arrest history, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The Sierra Club values applicants who are people that identify as Black, Indigenous, and other minoritized groups; women; queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid people.

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