Counsel, Employment

Location: While this position is posted in a specific location, all of Oyster’s positions are fully remote and you can work from home. Forever. To create the best experience for our new hire (you?!) this role does require that you are based within +/-6 UTC.

Oyster is looking for an Employment Counsel to contribute to Oyster’s growth to become the world leader in global distributed working. This role will be a part of our growing Employment Law Team and will focus on Oyster’s operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 

Reporting to the Managing Counsel Global Employment Law, your responsibilities will include providing advice and counsel to internal stakeholders regarding employment law and employment-related issues in various countries by: researching issues and advising internal colleagues; creating easy-to-digest collateral around employing workers in EMEA countries; and supporting Oyster’s Platform and Products teams in building a scalable, marketable, and successful technology platform. Assisting with immigration issues in EMEA may also be required.

Oyster needs someone with extensive knowledge and experience in European Employment Law (experience with multiple jurisdictions and/or cross-border matters is preferred), including advising and supporting HR, and drafting policies and employment agreements. Knowledge of immigration rules and regulations or employee benefits would be helpful as well.

Additional responsibilities may include risk and claim management, corporate diligence support, contract creation, negotiation and execution; and developing organizational policies and procedures. 

What you’ll do…

We are looking for someone bright, energetic, and a self-starter. The successful candidate will be able to handle any responsibility assigned, who can successfully work on their own but is also not afraid to ask for help.

• Providing advice and counsel to internal stakeholders regarding employment law and employment-related issues in various countries
• Researching issues and advising internal colleagues
• Liaising with outside counsel as necessary 
• Create easy-to-digest collateral around employing workers in EMEA countries
• Support Oyster’s Platform and Products teams in building a scalable, marketable, and successful technology platform.
• Other duties as assigned

📜 What we’re looking for 

• Juris Doctorate or other qualified lawyer admitted to practice in one or more jurisdictions
• At least 2+ years PQE practicing employment law
• Fluent English language skills
• Experience advising on employment law compliance in one or more European countries; 
• Experience with drafting employment and non-compete agreements, and handling employment terminations, transfers and employee complaints;
• Ability to handle complex legal issues involving various EMEA countries laws (including employment-related questions and global workforce issues)
• Capable of explaining complex legal theory, terminology, and issues in easy-to-understand language for digestion by Oyster Team Members and Customer Companies
• Experience in one or more of the following areas would be beneficial:
• advising or handling employment disputes or legal claims;
• advising on employee benefits (retirement and welfare plans, equity or stock options, or executive compensation);
• advising a multinational organization on cross-border compliance issues; 
• Excellent analytical, communication, and research skills
• A positive attitude and willingness to assist others no matter how small the task
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-output, team-oriented, practical environment
• [BONUS] Remote work experience a plus
• [BONUS] Prior experience in a corporate legal department, a plus
• [BONUS] Experience with growing and supporting a team
• [BONUS] Proficient in Google Suite of products (Gmail, Google Doc, Google Sheets)
• [BONUS] Working in Notion, Asana and Zendesk

You’ll also need…

• A reliable home internet connection (or be able to get one)

🦪 How we work together at Oyster

Our values guide the work we do, the decisions we make, and the culture that makes us special. We elevate talent. 🙌 We build trust. 🤝 We thrive together. 🌍

Our mission is to create a more equal world—one global hire at a time. Everything we do ladders up to our mission—and that doesn’t just mean building software. We develop programs, participate in workshops, and create dedicated teams to ensure we successfully support companies and knowledge workers in this new world of work. 

We embrace asynchronous communication and collaborative work—and we share how we work in the Oyster Public HQ —to help other global teams learn from our experiences.

💌 How YOU work

Different countries have different statutory benefits, different cultures have different norms, and different people have different needs! In order to best support and encourage our diverse team, we’ve created How YOU Work; a program of policies, practices, and perks to support your whole human experience as an employee at Oyster.

• Work from anywhere: Oyster is a borderless, HQ-less company. As long as your work gets done on time, your team has the support they need, and you’re authorized to work where you live, the world is truly your Oyster.
• Paid time off: We’re all about taking breaks—we all need it. Oyster provides employees with 40 days off each year, which includes public/bank holidays and vacation/holiday leave (unless your country mandates more).
• Mental health support: We consider your mental health a top priority. We offer access to Plumm, a mental well-being service, to support your mental health.
• Wellbeing allowance: Each month, Oyster will top up your Juno wallet with a wellbeing allowance. Juno Points can be applied to anything that helps you show up to work as your best self, whether that’s your internet bill, a class, gym membership, or houseplants. The choices are endless!
• Flexible parental leave: Families are created in lots of different ways. Our parental leave policy applies to all employees who are becoming parents, regardless of how they become a parent. Oysters are eligible for a minimum of three months of paid parental leave and your job will be held for 12 months (or longer if required by local jurisdiction).
• WFH stipend: $3000 stipend to spend on your laptop and any other equipment you need for your home office; we’ll get you up and running in no time!

✨ The best jobs should be available to everyone 

At Oyster, we celebrate a variety of perspectives and experiences and we’ve intentionally built our product and our company with an inclusive, global mindset. We know from experience that people from underrepresented groups often don’t apply for roles they don’t feel they meet all the criteria for. We’re committed to elevating talent by creating a trust-based environment where we can all thrive together. So if you think you have what it takes, but don’t necessarily check every single box, please consider applying. We’d love to hear how you might contribute to our mission and our team.

Oyster is committed to ensuring equal opportunity of employment for qualified persons with disabilities and actively fosters an inclusive work environment. Please email jobs@oysterhr.com with the subject line: Interview Accommodations if you require any reasonable accommodations throughout the recruiting process.