Lead Legal Counsel, Employment (EMEA)

An overview of this role

This position is remote and ideally based in the United Kingdom or Ireland.

As Lead Legal Counsel, Employment, you’ll serve as a senior legal advisor to GitLab on matters spanning the full employment relationship, from recruiting and onboarding through compensation, performance, leave management, separation, and, when necessary, litigation. You’ll provide practical, business-focused guidance that helps GitLab manage legal risk and meet business needs across a globally distributed, all-remote organization.

You’ll independently lead complex employment-law matters, serve as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, and help strengthen how GitLab manages employment risk across jurisdictions. You’ll also contribute to scalable legal processes, share subject-matter expertise, and mentor legal colleagues and cross-functional partners.

What you’ll do

• Provide senior, practical employment-law advice to team members and stakeholders across GitLab, balancing legal risk, business objectives, and GitLab’s values.
• Advise on matters across the employment lifecycle, including recruiting and onboarding, compensation, performance management, leave management, employee relations, works council processes, organizational changes, separation, and post-employment issues.
• Counsel People Business Partners, Team Member Relations partners, and business leaders on complex and sensitive team-member relations concerns.
• Advise on, draft, maintain, and review employment agreements, separation agreements, policies, templates, and related documentation across multiple jurisdictions.
• Review, draft, and negotiate employment-related agreements, including separation agreements and other documents supporting employee lifecycle decisions.
• Advise on employment compliance requirements across EMEA, identify when advice from local counsel is needed, and incorporate that advice into strategies that match the business.
• Monitor and analyze changes in employment, privacy, and related laws; identify legal risks; and translate developments into practical recommendations and implementable guidance.
• Advise on the employment-law and privacy implications of team-member data, including familiarity with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other local privacy requirements.
• Support employment litigation, appeals tribunals, agency investigations, employment disputes, and other contentious matters, including strategy, fact development, and coordination with internal stakeholders.
• Manage and oversee outside counsel matters, including selecting or coordinating local counsel, defining scope, and maintaining effective relationships and advice across jurisdictions.
• Provide employment advice in regions outside EMEA as needed.
• Lead the development and continuous improvement of scalable employment-law processes, systems, playbooks, templates, and supporting documentation for the Legal and People teams.
• Build clear, consistent approaches that enable stakeholders to handle recurring employment matters efficiently while escalating complex or high-risk issues appropriately.
• Serve as a subject-matter resource for legal colleagues and cross-functional partners, sharing expertise and helping improve team-wide employment-law practices.
• Mentor and support junior legal colleagues and other partners by contributing to training, practical guidance, and knowledge-sharing programs.
• Use GitLab to collaborate transparently and work effectively in an asynchronous, globally distributed environment.

What you’ll bring

• Substantial experience advising a multinational company with works councils in various regions on employment matters across the employment relationship.
• A Juris Doctor (JD), Bachelor of Laws (LLB), or local equivalent, with admission to an applicable governing body in an EMEA jurisdiction.
• Deep knowledge of employment compliance requirements across EMEA, with the judgment to identify when advice from local counsel is needed.
• Experience counseling People Business Partners, Team Member Relations partners, and business leaders on sensitive and complex team-member relations matters, investigations, litigation, compensation, and works council strategy.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating employment agreements, separation agreements, policies, templates, and related documentation across multiple jurisdictions.
• Experience drafting employment policies that apply across multiple EMEA jurisdictions.
• Familiarity with GDPR and other local privacy requirements related to team-member data.
• Experience managing employment disputes, litigation, appeals tribunals, agency investigations, works council relationships, and outside-counsel matters.
• Experience building or significantly improving legal processes, systems, playbooks, templates, and documentation that produce consistent outcomes at scale.
• Strong issue-spotting, risk-assessment, and judgment skills, with the ability to provide clear recommendations and practical solutions.
• The ability to manage a high volume of complex legal matters independently and bring them to resolution with limited supervision.
• Clear communication and relationship-building skills, including the ability to serve as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders across Legal, People, and the business.
• A practical and creative approach to problem-solving, sound business judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to work across functions, time zones, and cultures.
• Comfort working in a remote, globally distributed, asynchronous environment; willingness to learn and use GitLab in your day-to-day work.
• We welcome candidates with different backgrounds and transferable experience.

About the team

The Employment Legal team supports GitLab throughout the employment relationship and works closely with People Business Partners, Team Member Relations, Legal colleagues, and other teams across the business.

The team helps GitLab navigate employment requirements across multiple jurisdictions, manage disputes and investigations, build clear, scalable processes for an all-remote organization, and educate stakeholders regarding employment law requirements. This role will help lead complex EMEA employment matters while contributing to consistent, practical legal support and stronger employment-law processes across GitLab.

How GitLab will support you

• Benefits to support your health, finances, and well-being
• Flexible Paid Time Off 
• Team Member Resource Groups
• Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Growth and Development Fund
• Parental leave 
• Home office support

Please note that we welcome interest from candidates with varying levels of experience; many successful candidates do not meet every single requirement. Additionally, studies have shown that people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to a job unless they meet every single qualification. If you're excited about this role, please apply and allow our recruiters to assess your application.