Senior Paralegal, Labor & Employment (L&E)

$112,590 - $168,958/Yr

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - Seattle, WA

Full-time - Senior

Seattle, WA

251-500 employees

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations

About the position

The Senior Paralegal for Labor & Employment (L&E) at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation plays a crucial role in supporting global labor and employment legal activities. This position is designed for an experienced paralegal who will apply their technical expertise to assist with the foundation's policies and processes related to labor and employment law. The Senior Paralegal will serve as a subject matter resource, developing documentation and guidance materials that support legal training and organizational change efforts. This role offers the opportunity to engage in various compliance and labor and employment legal projects, including those related to the foundation's global expansion efforts. The Senior Paralegal will also assist in the development and delivery of project communications and partner management, ensuring that all legal activities align with the foundation's strategic objectives. In this position, the Senior Paralegal will be responsible for responding to global labor and employment matters, conducting initial assessments of cases, and providing legal advice and documentation support. They will work closely with the legal team to conduct audits, manage legal projects, and identify opportunities for process improvements. The role requires strong communication skills to facilitate interactions with internal employees, third parties, and outside partners. Additionally, the Senior Paralegal will assist with all phases of labor and employment litigation, including document collection and management of eDiscovery databases. This position is integral to maintaining the foundation's compliance and minimizing legal risks while supporting its mission to fight poverty, disease, and inequity worldwide.

Responsibilities

• Respond to and serve as point-person for global labor and employment matters submitted largely through an intake tracker tool.
• Conduct initial case or matter assessment, including internal compliance escalations.
• Annotate, summarize, or categorize legal advice, documents, or other information; assist with determining relevance and privilege.
• Support auditing activities across the legal department and in partnership with the foundation auditing team, project manager, and attorneys.
• Run and/or support a wide range of legal projects and processes and their related technology solutions, while proactively identifying and supporting opportunities for improvement.
• Identify and analyze business, legal, strategic, and reputational risks, and understand which partners and decision-makers need to be involved.
• Conduct quality interactions, including clear and consistent communications, with internal foundation employees, third parties, and outside partners.
• Conduct due diligence, document review, and document production in response to formal discovery requests or other requests for production.
• Assist with all phases of labor and employment litigation, pre-litigation, and dispute resolution.
• Lead collection of documents, including the management of labor and employment eDiscovery litigation databases, supervise and communicate legal hold notices and related requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and/or Paralegal certificate required.
• 10+ years of experience working as an employment paralegal, with experience in both law firm and in-house settings required.
• In-house global labor and employment paralegal experience is strongly preferred.
• Sophisticated oral and written communication skills in an environment requiring tact and good judgment.
• Strong ability to work both independently and as an excellent teammate in a collaborative environment that moves work toward the achievement of goals.
• High level of interpersonal skills to develop and maintain positive relationships, establish trust, and treat others with dignity and respect.
• Creative problem-solving and ability to balance constantly evolving priorities and demands.
• Experience establishing organizational systems to improve efficiency and functioning in a changing environment.
• Experience using technology-based solutions, including electronic database management and current software and technology.
• MSFT Office suite (Excel, SharePoint proficiency required).

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in a nonprofit organization or similar mission-driven environment.
• Familiarity with global labor laws and compliance issues.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums.
• Generous paid time off.
• Paid family leave.
• Foundation-paid retirement contribution.
• Regional holidays.
• Opportunities to engage in several employee communities.