Legal Counsel (Employment)

The role

The Legal Counsel will serve as the primary legal advisor to the People Team and all business units on employment law matters. This person will lead employment-law strategy and compliance to enable scalable people operations.

What you will do

• Serve as primary legal advisor to the People Team and business units on employment law matters
• Provide counsel on employee relations issues including disciplinary actions and workplace complaints
• Advise on multi-state employment law compliance and AI-use implications
• Provide guidance on employment matters for Vast global entities
• Partner with the People team to draft and maintain employment policies and handbooks
• Monitor federal, state, and local employment legislation for policy updates
• Work with the in-house investigator on workplace investigations
• Develop training for managers on anti-harassment, anti-discrimination, and wage and hour topics
• Identify systemic employment risk trends and recommend process changes
• Partner with Talent Acquisition on offer letters, agreements, and hiring documentation

Required qualifications

• 3-4+ years of experience in a legal role at a private company or law firm
• Subject matter expertise in employment law
• JD with admission to practice law in a state bar in good standing
• Able to practice in-house in California
• Familiarity with contingent workforce
• Strong problem-solving experience and skills
• Strong verbal and writing skills
• Process-oriented and team player
• Good judgment to balance risk and productivity
• Ability to work independently or collaboratively in a fast-pace environment
• Ability to travel up to 15% of the time
• Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones

Nice to have

• Knowledge of computer applications and the ability to easily navigate through different computer software programs
• Experience leveraging AI technology to improve work efficiency
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment
• Ability to make independent judgments with limited information
• Communication skills for relaying data between other employees, vendors, and customers

Benefits

• Company equity
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents
• Generous paid time off
• Up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff
• Up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with ability to cash-out unused vacation annually
• Paid parental leave
• Short and long-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Access to a 401(k) retirement plan
• ClassPass credits
• Personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health
• Snacks, drip coffee & onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge

About the company

Vast is developing next-generation space stations and space infrastructure. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, the company has more than 1,000 employees.