Counsel II (Employment)

Key Responsibilities

• Providing excellent legal advice and counsel to a broad assortment of internal partners on a variety of topics with a particular emphasis on mitigating litigation risks.
• Preparing and reviewing legal documents and providing legal analysis, interpretations, and recommendations in compliance with corporate policies and applicable law.
• Overseeing and assisting with document collection and discovery matters.
• Overseeing and conducting internal investigations.
• Representing the company in depositions, agency complaints, and other legal matters.
• Educating and training internal partners on legal topics and risk mitigation.
• Implementing best practices and procedures that will mitigate the company’s risk.
• Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders.

Legal Services – Legal Practice

• Provide timely and practical legal advice to the executive team, Human Resources, and other departments on daily labor and employment matters including hiring, performance management, terminations, leaves of absence (FMLA, ADA), compensation, benefits, wage & hour, and interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement.
• Manage employment-related litigation, including administrative complaints (EEOC, DOL, state agencies) and demand letters.
• Develop case strategies, conduct discovery and witness preparation, and manage outside counsel to ensure efficient and favorable resolutions.
• Represent the company in labor arbitrations and before the National Labor Relations Board.
• Draft, review, and implement company-wide policies, procedures, and employee handbooks to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
• Proactively monitor issuance of executive orders and changes in legislation and translate them into corporate policy.

Workplace Investigations

• Oversee and advise on complex internal workplace investigations, ensuring fairness, thoroughness, and legal compliance.

Outside Services Consulting

• Consulting with Senior Managing General Counsel regarding when to engage outside counsel or other outside services;
• Establishing statements of work and objectives;
• Serving as the primary point of contact for outside services;
• Negotiating rates;
• Overseeing performance to established statements of work and monitoring completion.

Risk Mitigation

• Supporting risk mitigation for areas of engagement, ensuring risks are identified and internal partners have information on potential risk mitigation strategies.

Legal Education/Experience/Certifications

• Requires a Juris Doctor degree.
• Typically, eight or more years of experience in employment.
• Litigation and/or experience in labor are a plus.
• Admitted to the Oregon State Bar or be willing and able to become a member of the Oregon State Bar.

Competencies (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities)

• Prior experience in government, in-house or at a law firm in any of the following areas: litigation, investigations, employment, or labor.
• Working knowledge of applicable laws, regulations and legal practice in multiple practice areas.
• Basic skills for identifying risk, problem solving and strategic thinking in nonroutine operations and ambiguous situations.
• Basic skills in distilling complex legal concepts and issues in a manner to make them understandable to nonlegal specialists up and down the corporate reporting chain.
• Basic skills in understanding and supporting the technical needs of a regulated utility and advocacy on behalf of the Company to advance its position or interests.
• Advanced skills in legal research and writing to analyze, summarize, and draft legal documents.
• Basic analytical thinking skills.
• Basic decision-making skills.
• Basic presentation/facilitation skills.
• Basic project management skills.
• Basic enterprise/business awareness skills.

General Competencies

• Ability to lead positive change.
• Ability to engage employees.
• Ability to achieve results.
• Ability to build capability.
• Ability to design work.
• Ability to uphold values.
• Consulting skills.
• Decision-making skills.
• Enterprise/business awareness skills.
• Negotiation skills.
• Organization and prioritization skills.
• Resource management skills.

Physical and Cognitive Demands

• Cognitive Level: Substantial.
• Physical Capabilities: Travel - Frequently (at least once a week or more) – in service territory.
• Computer use: Computer use (use computer regularly for entire work shift).
• Environment: Indoor/Outdoor Office environment – hybrid – 3 days in office.

Actual Total Compensation

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