The American Museum of Natural History is seeking an experienced attorney to handle employment and labor law for museum. Reporting to the General Counsel, the Assistant/Associate Counsel provides legal counsel in the areas of employment law, labor law, employee benefits, immigration matters, and governance and policy. At times, the Assistant/Associate Counsel will also assist on transactional matters. This individual has the opportunity to join an exceptional and passionate staff in the pursuit of delivering on the museum’s mission.

Click here to apply and learn more about the position.

Principal Responsibilities

• Devote substantial portion of time counseling institutional leaders and Human Resources on employment and labor laws in all aspects of the employee life cycle, such as hiring practices, performance management, proactive training of employees, diversity and inclusion initiatives, affirmative action compliance, employee policies, compensation, wage and hour issues, accommodations and leave issues, terminations, organizational restructuring, employee benefits, and other employment-related matters.

• Partner with Museum colleagues including Human Resources, and managers to build efficient processes to maintain compliance with employment laws and regulations.

• Provide strategic and tactical thought leadership on how best to manage all types of employment-related disputes in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

• Consult on, draft, and maintain employment related documents, policies, and processes.

• Keep current on changes to employment law and communicate changes and potential impact to Human Resources and other stakeholders.

• Coordinate and drive completion of employment-related projects, including privileged internal audits and internal process reviews, new policy rollouts and implementation, and training programs that explain the various employment related risks and focus on reducing a client's exposure to legal claims.

• Provide pre-litigation and litigation support for employee-related disputes.

• Provide legal advice and guidance to Human Resources on a variety of issues including Title VII, FMLA, ADA, and ADEA, and assisting with the development of internal policies and procedures.

• Counsel on and seek resolution to issues related to student and academic affairs.

• Oversee and manage external counsel for major employment litigations, mediations, and labor arbitrations, including strategy and spend.

• May perform other duties including handling a variety of discrete transactional matters as assigned.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have the following professional and personal skills, competencies, and characteristics:

• J.D. (from an ABA-accredited law school) and state bar admission in New York or eligibility for immediate membership.

• 5+ years of experience in employment law.

• Contract drafting experience, in addition to labor and employment experience.

• Broad knowledge of federal and state employment laws and regulations; working knowledge of global labor and employment laws and regulations.

• Experience drafting and negotiating employment-related and personal services agreements.

• Experience conducting employment-related investigations.

• Professional experience providing legal services to non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education or cultural organizations and familiarity with key higher education and non-profit laws and regulations, including Title IX, FERPA, laws and regulations governing reasonable compensation and deferred compensation applicable to non-profit employees, and applicable state laws.

• Ideally will have prior in-house experience in a unionized environment.

• Excellent judgment and the ability to balance legal risks with business strategy.

• Strong team player who works well with others, and has excellent verbal and written communication skills, the ability to multi-task and manage multiple diverse matters at once, and inspire confidence among colleagues and institutional clients.

Compensation and Benefits

The expected salary range for the Assistant/Associate General Counsel is $165,000 - $210,000. The AMNH offers an extensive benefits package designed to meet the needs of our dedicated and diverse community.

Pay will be determined based on several factors. The hiring range for the position at commencement is based on the type of work and the scope of responsibilities. The salary and placement offered is based on a number of individualized factors, including, but not limited to, skills, knowledge, training, education, credentials, areas of specialization and depth and scope of experience.