MCCA Career Center

Harris Legal Search has been exclusively engaged to recruit a Vice President, Legal, Employment to serve as lead counsel on global and domestic employment law matters for Expedia Group, a public global company with 14,000 employees in more than 50 countries worldwide.  The VP, Legal, Employment will have global accountability for employment law compliance, risk management strategy of HR matters, and inclusion and diversity initiatives.  This attorney will report to the Chief Legal Officer and partner closely with internal stakeholders including the Chief People Officer and Chief Inclusion and Diversity Leader.  The role includes managing the employment law team, presently two senior employment lawyers based in the U.K.

RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Provide timely, high-quality, and practical legal advice and counsel to senior leaders and internal stakeholders on a full spectrum of domestic and global employment matters, including employee relations, Inclusion & Diversity initiatives, policy development and Code of Conduct enforcement, employee investigations, compensation and benefits, restructuring, employment litigation and dispute resolution, work authorization uses, employee communications, and corporate development projects.
• Direct internal and external employment lawyers on enterprise-wide initiatives, divisional/regional HR initiatives, and strategic projects.
• Articulate domestic and global statutory requirements for all HR and Inclusion & Diversity actions, including legal risk assessment, strategic design, documentation, and resolution of implementation issues.
• Determine and recommend appropriate risk tolerance for practical business solutions. Set global risk strategy.
• Select and manage outside employment counsel globally.
• Make final recommendation on appropriate resolution of employment disputes.
• Work closely with business leaders, including HR, Inclusion & Diversity, Legal, Communications, Corporate Development, and Corporate Audit teams.
• Coordinate employment law compliance and implementation efforts for major company initiatives include code of conduct issues, Inclusion & Diversity programs, and M&A Matters.
• Partner with the global communications team on matters with employment law impacts.
• Advise the legal team and HR group on compensation and benefits programs, including executive compensation matters.
• Provide timely, accurate, and practical legal advice and materials necessary for business partners and HR to successfully implement employment decisions.
• Demonstrate effective risk management by absence of compliance issues or employee disputes.
• Instill confidence in stakeholders that matters reviewed and approved, or guardrails established, are sufficiently vetted and ready to implement.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 10 years of in-house and law firm legal experience focused on employment counseling and litigation.
• Expert knowledge of major U.S. employment laws and regulations.
• Experience handling a broad range of global employment law matters and exposure to European employment law, including works council, Unions and collective labor relations.
• Experience managing internal employment lawyers and working closely with HR professionals.
• Experience managing outside employment counsel.
• Team leadership and people management experience and capabilities.
• Ability to identify potential issues, exercise mature judgment, and coordinate with Expedia colleagues to solve employment problems and issues.
• Pragmatic business perspective gained by advising on employment matters in a fast-paced corporate environment.
• Ability to prioritize and manage competing obligations in a high-volume environment.
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.

COMPANY

Founded in 1999, Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) powers travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers. Expedia Group's family of brands includes: Brand Expedia®, Hotels.com®, Expedia® Partner Solutions, Vrbo®, trivago®, Orbitz®, Travelocity®, Hotwire®, Wotif®, ebookers®, CheapTickets®, Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, Expedia Local Expert®, CarRentals.com™, and Expedia Cruises™.

Expedia Group corporate headquarters is located at a beautiful waterfront campus in Seattle.  Expedia is known for the high quality of its legal department, and this attorney will work alongside bright, personable colleagues.