Employment Counsel (AI)

Location: Hybrid, based in San Francisco with flexibility to consider alternative locations for qualified candidates; four days in office and Tuesdays currently work-from-home. New York, NY is also listed as a location.

Salary: $189K–$280K annual salary.

Company

Lambda builds AI cloud infrastructure for AI researchers, enterprises, and hyperscalers, with a mission to make compute broadly accessible.

What you will do

• Advise People Partners, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, managers, and business leaders across hiring, onboarding, compensation, leave, accommodations, performance management, discipline, and separation.
• Advise on wage-and-hour compliance, worker classification, contractor and consultant engagements, California requirements, and multi-state employment compliance.
• Own and negotiate employment, confidentiality, invention assignment, contractor, consultant, advisor, separation, and release agreements.
• Support international expansion by advising on EOR and PEO use, local entities, country-specific documentation, policies, compliance, provider management, and employee transitions between models.
• Conduct or oversee workplace investigations and manage agency charges, demand letters, arbitrations, and litigation with outside counsel.
• Own employment policies and training, advise on compensation programs, support M&A and reorganizations, and build scalable processes, templates, and self-service resources.

Requirements

• JD from an accredited law school and active admission to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction; California bar admission preferred or eligibility for California Registered In-House Counsel.
• 7+ years of employment law experience, ideally including law firm labor and employment practice experience and in-house experience at a technology or other high-growth company.
• Hands-on experience supporting international expansion, including hiring through EOR and/or PEO providers, hiring through local entities, and moving employees between models.
• Deep knowledge of U.S. federal and California employment law, plus working familiarity with employment frameworks in the UK, EU, Canada, and APAC.
• Experience conducting workplace investigations and managing employment litigation and agency matters.
• Sound judgment and ability to provide clear, practical advice that balances legal risk and business objectives when information is incomplete.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex issues simply to HR partners, managers, and executives.
• Low ego, high ownership, and comfort building structure in a fast-moving environment.

Nice to have

• Experience at a company scaling from several hundred to several thousand employees or through an IPO.
• Experience with equity compensation and employee or candidate equity questions.
• Experience with employment issues for data center, hardware, operational, or field-based workforces.
• Experience coordinating with immigration and global mobility counsel.
• Familiarity with global HRIS and EOR platforms.

Culture & Benefits

• Four-day in-office schedule with Tuesdays currently designated as work-from-home.
• Cash and equity compensation.
• Health, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents.
• Wellness and commuter stipends for select roles.
• 401(k) plan with a 2% company match for USA employees.
• Flexible paid time off plan.