Counsel - Labor & Employment

Eaton’s legal organization is hiring a passionate Counsel, Labor & Employment. The preferred location will be Beachwood, Ohio at Eaton's US HQ. However, the team will consider remote talent with travel as needed.

What you’ll do:

Job Summary:    
We are seeking an exceptional employment and labor lawyer who is a courageous advisor, a skilled negotiator, and a genuine partner to the business to join Eaton’s Labor, Employment & Benefits practice group. This is a high-impact, hands-on role with frequent exposure to senior HR and business leaders and a platform to shape to how a growing global enterprise scales its global workforce and attracts, engages, protects, and inspires its people. This strategic leadership role will work closely with others to bring a single, connected perspective across our multiple businesses, spot geographic and site trends, and share lessons learned with key stakeholders.

Reporting to the Vice President and Chief Employment Counsel, the Counsel, Labor & Employment will help solve the consequential workforce questions that come with growth, counseling across the full employee lifecycle and, importantly, serving as a trusted partner in labor relations and collective bargaining, where preparation, judgment, and steadiness under pressure make all the difference.

The ideal candidate pairs deep employment and labor law expertise with impeccable judgment, high emotional intelligence, and the courage to speak up and drive alignment across a global, matrixed organization.

Job Responsibilities:    

Labor Relations & Collective Bargaining
Much of our growth, innovation and transformation happens at the plant floor. This is where you keep operations moving and relationships durable.

• Help prepare for and conduct collective bargaining negotiations, shaping bargaining strategy, drafting and pressure-testing contract proposals and collective bargaining agreement (CBA) language, analyzing the legal impact of proposals, and advising the bargaining team both at and away from the table so we reach agreements that let plants run and people thrive.
• Provide legal counsel on grievances, arbitrations, NLRB proceedings, union organizing activity and and works council matters, so growth is never slowed by avoidable disputes.
• Partner closely with the Employee & Labor Relations Center of Excellence and HR business partners to get ahead of risk and keep the work moving.

Employment Counsel
As we scale our global workforce, you are the practical legal partner who helps leaders move fast and get it right.

• Provide practical, business-aligned counsel to HR and business leaders on hiring, investigations, discipline, terminations, reorganizations, reductions in force, accommodations, leaves, and the policies that need to scale with us.
• Address EEOC and other agency charges, attorney demands, and related investigations, spotting the trends and root causes behind them and partnering on any necessary corrective and preventive solutions that stick.
• Direct outside counsel effectively and champion lessons learned across the enterprise    

Qualifications:

Education Level Required:

• Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university. Juris doctorate from an accredited law school; active license to practice law in at least one U.S. state; eligibility to practice in or register as in-house counsel in Ohio.

Years and Area of Experience Required:

• Minimum of 10 years of employment law experience, including meaningful labor relations experience. Direct experience supporting collective bargaining negotiations, grievance arbitration, and NLRB / unfair labor practice matters is strongly preferred. A combination of law firm and in-house experience is ideal.

Technical Knowledge:

Command of federal and state employment law (e.g., Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, and state equivalents) and of the National Labor Relations Act, collective bargaining, grievance arbitration, union organizing. Works councils experience preferred. Demonstrated ability in:

• Negotiation, strategic thinking, drafting, and persuasive presenting;
• Proactive issue-spotting and creative problem-solving;
• Attention to detail, follow-through, and execution; and
• Managing competing priorities and limited resources to drive results.

Skills:

•  Leads with courage, emotional intelligence, and accountability. Stays curious.
•  Balances sound risk management with business or market realities to drive practical, business-minded decisions. 

•  Effectively builds relationships at all levels of the organization and across stakeholders with different interests and perspectives.
•  Works beyond boundaries & collaboratively in a team environment to advance the success of the group or enterprise.
•  Communicates clearly and effectively in spoken, written, and platform settings, adapting messages to relate to audiences at all levels and influence internal and external stakeholders. and stays steady under pressure

Additional Information:

All positions may require participation in video and in-person interviews as part of the hiring process. All candidates will be evaluated based on job-related competencies, and all candidates’ privacy rights and data security will be protected in accordance with applicable laws. 

At Eaton, we strive to provide compensation and benefits that attract, engage, and retain the best talent. This includes competitive pay and a variety of benefit programs for eligible employees. The expected annual salary range for this role is $165000 - $242000 a year.  This role is also eligible for a variable incentive program. Please note the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon candidate skills, experience, and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.

We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

Eaton believes in second chance employment. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction history will be considered regardless of their arrest or conviction history, consistent with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act and other local laws.

You do not need to disclose your conviction history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Eaton is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

To request a disability-related reasonable accommodation to assist you in your job search, application, or interview process, please call us at 1-800-836-6345 to discuss your specific need. Only accommodation requests will be accepted by this phone number.

We know that good benefit programs are important to employees and their families. Eaton provides various Health and Welfare benefits as well as Retirement benefits, and several programs that provide for paid and unpaid time away from work. Click here for more detail: Eaton Benefits Overview. Please note that specific programs and options available to an employee may depend on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

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