Corporate Counsel - Employment
El Segundo, California /
Corporate – Legal /
Full-time
/ On-site
ABL Space Systems was founded in 2017 by veterans of SpaceX and Morgan Stanley to develop low-cost launch vehicles for the small satellite industry. More importantly, we’re building a launch system we are truly proud of – no gimmicks or over-design, just reliable, rapidly deployable launches. We’re an ambitious team with big goals and, together, we’re determined to prove that reaching space can be simple, efficient, and routine.
When launch day arrives, we want you by our side
ABL is looking for a Corporate Counsel - Employment to join the growing Legal team! As Corporate Counsel – Employment, you will work in close collaboration with Human Resources, Finance, and Management to define, collaborate, and advise on employment, benefits, and labor issues, and develop compliant employment programs and practices. The ideal candidate has experience in manufacturing environments, and balances strong technical expertise with effective, practical application. To the extent workload allows, this role will also have the opportunity to generalize with contract review and other general needs of the Legal team.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Partner with HR as the main Legal team point of contact to provide both strategic and day-to-day employment guidance on a broad spectrum of employment law issues including talent acquisition, equity, diversity, and inclusion, employee relations, performance management, terminations, contract labor, leaves of absence and accommodations, wage and hour, pay equity, internal investigations, compensation and benefits, privacy, contingent workers, employment verification, and ITAR/EAR regulations with a particular focus on California-specific laws and regulations.
- Partner with HR to develop and maintain employment agreements and to evaluate, develop, and maintain employment related policies, procedures, guidelines, handbooks, forms, and other employment law compliance initiatives.
- Partner with HR to conduct regular proactive audits on areas such as time and pay, compliance, classification, employee relations, etc.
- Investigate and respond to concerns of discrimination and other labor law violations.
- Respond to claims, demand letters, agency charges, administrative complaints, audits, grievances, subpoenas, summonses, and other employment items that require legal action.
- Represent ABL in mediations, hearings, depositions, investigations, and settlement conferences, and manage employment-related arbitration and litigation.
- Support broader legal strategies and partner with outside counsel to advise on full breadth of employment issues.
- Monitor important developments in federal and California employment law in jurisdictions across the country.
- Provide guidance on training and education programs for employees and managers.
- Provide legal support and advice to various business units across the organization.
- Provide support to other members of the Legal team on matters including contract review and other special projects, as bandwidth permits.
BASIC QUALFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Juris Doctor from an accredited law school and active membership in the California State Bar or the ability to register as in-house counsel in California.
- 5+ years practicing employment law in California, including experience with government contractors.
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- A practical, business-oriented approach and excellent communication skills with the ability to distill complex legal concepts into simple, actionable recommendations.
- High level of integrity, professionalism, intellectual curiosity and willingness to grow (e.g., expand skillset to include basic contract review).
- Familiarity with export regulations (ITAR and EAR)
- Employment litigation experience
- Experience or willingness to develop strong experience advising on and monitoring compliance with OFCCP regulations, including affirmative action plans, record-keeping, and reporting requirements.
- Experience supporting OFCCP audits and investigations.
- Working knowledge and familiarity with data privacy and protection laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and European General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) a significant plus.
- Aerospace, defense, manufacturing and/or government contractor experience
The salary range for this role is $170,000 - $219,000. This is the lowest to highest salary we reasonably and in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee’s pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.
We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, and 401(k) to eligible employees.
ITAR Requirement
This position requires access to information protected under US export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and/or the Export Administration Regulations. As such, US person status (including US citizens, permanent residents, asylees, and refugees) is a required qualification for this position.
Equal Opportunity Employer
We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, genetics, or citizenship status (when otherwise legally authorized to work and access export-controlled data) and will not be discriminated against on the basis of such characteristics or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We encourage applicants of all ages.
