Sr. Counsel, Labor & Employment, and Litigation

Overview

sweetgreen is on a mission to build healthier communities by connecting people to real food. We passionately believe that real food should be convenient and accessible to everyone. Every day in each sweetgreen, our 6,000 team members make food from scratch, using fresh ingredients and produce delivered that morning. And in our local communities, we’re committed to leaving people better than we found them.

We’re in the business of feeding people, and we’re out to change what that means. Our teams are our most valuable ingredient - the heart of our company, the face of our brand, and what truly makes the sweetgreen experience special and unique.

Sr. Counsel, Labor & Employment, and Litigation will be a key member of the Legal Team, supporting the Company’s legal compliance and growth plans from a labor and employment standpoint, helping manage litigation for the organization (employment and non-employment) and handling smaller matters. In this role, you will be part of a collegial environment where you will work as a trusted legal advisor, driving first-class employment law processes and practices and serving as a key member of various cross-functional project teams.

The ideal candidate will possess the skills needed to execute the key objectives and results, including driving process and program improvements through training on best practices, creation of toolkits, and the implementation of other effective solutions that can be scaled to achieve broad impact and sustainability.

As Sr. Counsel, Labor & Employment, and Litigation you will partner with members of our Legal, People, Operations, Risk & Safety, and Executive teams to provide advice, counsel, and support on a broad range of labor and employment law and litigation matters. To be successful in this role, you must have excellent written and verbal communication skills and be able to simplify legal concepts into appropriately risk-adjusted, business-oriented advice, appropriately balance legal risk with business objectives, marshal buy-in, drive change, and create effective and relevant presentation and training materials.

This position will report to our Vice President, Deputy General Counsel. This role is based in our Los Angeles offices and requires you to be in office at least 4 x a week (non-negotiable). Candidates must be local to the Greater Los Angeles area.

Labor & Employment

• Provide proactive and strategic counsel on all labor and employment law matters under federal and state laws where we operate, including those related to wage and hour compliance, predictive scheduling (Fair Workweek laws), payroll, benefits, hiring, performance management, internal investigations, leaves of absence, discipline, terminations, and employee classification
• Monitor federal, state, and local legislation, regulations, and case law on employment-related matters pertinent to the company; communicate updates and recommendations as needed
• Assist People Team in developing and implementing policies, procedures, and training programs to drive compliance with labor and employment laws
• Provide support for or lead internal investigations
• Actively participate in a collaborative manner in cross-functional business teams to identify, evaluate, and resolve complex business issues and risks
• Project manage and partner with cross-functional stakeholders on various initiatives to build long-term, sustainable processes and policies that support legal compliance and risk mitigation as the company scales
• Draft and negotiate agreements related to employment, including employment, mandatory arbitration, non-disclosure, restrictive covenants, separation, and settlement agreements as well as independent contractor and vendor agreements
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders on configuring its HRIS system to ensure best practices for compliance with federal, state, and local labor and employment laws and provide a positive user experience

• Help manage all litigation matters for the company (employment and non-employment), including hiring and overseeing outside counsel, developing litigation strategy, reviewing all pleadings and other filings, and…