Head of Employment Law and Litigation #4939

Head of Employment Law and Litigation

We are seeking a Head of Employment Law and Litigation to lead our employment law and litigation department. Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, this role will serve as the primary legal partner to our People leadership team and a trusted advisor to senior executives on complex employment and non-IP litigation matters.

• Lead strategy for employment litigation, administrative proceedings, and pre-litigation disputes.
• Provide legal guidance to the employee relations function on sensitive workplace investigations.
• Enhance employment policies, agreements, playbooks, training, and manager guidance that enable consistent and scalable practices.
• Direct outside counsel, litigation strategy, discovery, settlement decisions, drafting motions, budgets, and resolution of significant matters related to non-IP litigation.
• Draft pre-litigation correspondence, demand letters, and subpoena responses.
• Identify emerging litigation risks and recommend proactive strategies, policies, processes, and controls to mitigate them.
• Partner across Legal, People, Compliance, Finance, Security, Communications, and other teams on matters involving significant legal, employee, business, or reputational risk.
• Serve as a member of GRAIL’s Legal Leadership Team.

Required Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• Licensed to practice law in California.
• 15+ years of legal experience with significant depth in employment law and litigation.
• 2+ years experience in a senior leadership or management role, including leading attorneys and managing multi-functional legal teams.
• Strong litigation experience from a nationally or regionally recognized law firm, including direct employment litigation experience.
• Deep knowledge of federal and state employment laws, with experience advising on complex and high-risk employee matters.
• Demonstrated experience leading significant litigation, managing outside counsel and legal spend, and evaluating litigation and settlement strategy.
• Experience overseeing sensitive workplace investigations.
• Track record of advising senior executives and People leaders with sound judgment, discretion, and a practical business mindset.
• Trial, arbitration, mediation, and deposition experience.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-moving environment, navigate ambiguity, and communicate complex issues clearly.

Preferred Qualifications

• Meaningful in-house experience in public companies within the biotechnology, life sciences, diagnostics, pharmaceutical, medical device, or laboratory industry.
• Experience with UK and other international employment matters.

Physical Demands & Working Environment

• Standard executive office environment with hybrid flexibility depending on organizational needs.
• Requires extensive review of governance documents, contracts, and regulatory filings, with significant computer use.
• Extended hours are common during major transactions, governance cycles, or litigation events.

Compensation

The expected, full-time, annual base pay scale for this position is $274K-$392K. This role may be eligible for other forms of compensation, including an annual bonus and/or incentives, subject to the terms of the applicable plans and Company discretion. Employees in this role are also eligible for GRAIL’s comprehensive and competitive benefits package, offered in accordance with our applicable plans and policies.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are committed to building a workplace where every individual can thrive, contribute, and grow. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws. Additionally, GRAIL will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in a manner consistent with applicable law and provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please contact us at rc@grailbio.com if you require an accommodation to apply for an open position. GRAIL maintains a drug-free workplace. We welcome job-seekers from all backgrounds to join us!