Senior Counsel, Employment Law

The Senior Counsel - Employment Law serves as a senior legal advisor and strategic business partner, providing expert employment law counsel across a broad range of complex and high-impact matters. This role partners closely with Human Resources, Employee Relations, Compliance, business leadership, and Legal colleagues to identify risks, develop practical solutions, and support organizational objectives while ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
The Senior Counsel independently manages significant employment law matters, including those involving substantial legal, financial, regulatory, or reputational risk. This individual is expected to exercise exceptional judgment, influence senior stakeholders, and proactively anticipate emerging legal developments affecting the organization. The role also provides leadership within the Employment Law Team by mentoring junior attorneys and legal professionals, driving process improvements, and contributing to the development of enterprise-wide employment practices and strategy.

Responsibilities:
•    Serve as a primary legal advisor to Human Resources, Employee Relations, business leaders, and other stakeholders on complex employment law matters.
•    Provide practical, risk-based legal guidance regarding compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, including but not limited to the ADA, ADEA, Title VII, FMLA, FLSA, FCRA, and other applicable employment and labor regulations.
•    Advise on high-risk employee relations matters, including investigations, accommodations, leaves of absence, discrimination and harassment claims, reductions in force, discipline, terminations, and wage and hour issues.
•    Partner with business and HR leaders on strategic workforce initiatives, organizational changes, restructurings, and enterprise-wide employment programs.
•    Direct legal strategy for administrative charges, demand letters, pre-litigation disputes, and employment litigation.
•    Oversee responses to claims filed before federal, state, and local agencies, including the EEOC, DOL, and comparable regulatory bodies.
•    Manage outside counsel on employment litigation, ensuring effective legal representation, alignment with internal strategy, and cost-efficient management of legal spend.
•    Monitor and assess legislative, regulatory, and judicial developments impacting employment practices; identify emerging employment law risks and develop proactive mitigation strategies.
•    Draft, review, and revise employment-related policies, procedures, guidelines, handbooks, legal memoranda, and communications.
•    Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on employment-related agreements, including arbitration agreements, separation and release agreements, restrictive covenant agreements, retention agreements, and executive employment arrangements.
•    Provide legal guidance regarding restrictive covenants, confidentiality obligations, employee mobility issues, and emerging legal developments affecting post-employment restrictions.
•    Mentor and provide guidance to junior legal professionals on the employment law team.
•    Lead or participate in cross-functional working groups and enterprise initiatives involving employment law considerations.
•    Develop and deliver training for Human Resources professionals, Employee Relations teams, managers, and business leaders on employment law developments and risk management strategies.
•    Contribute to the strategic priorities of the Legal department through leadership, collaboration, and professional engagement.

Qualifications:

•    Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
•    Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction and in good standing.
•    Minimum of 10+ of legal experience, with substantial experience focused on employment law.
•    Demonstrated experience advising sophisticated organizations on complex employment law matters.
•    Significant experience managing administrative claims, employment litigation, and outside counsel relationships.
•    Strong business judgment and ability to provide practical, solution-oriented legal advice in a fast-paced environment.
•    Excellent written, verbal, analytical, and interpersonal communication skills.
•    Proven ability to influence senior leaders and effectively manage competing priorities across numerous matters.
Preferred Qualifications
•    In-house employment law experience within a large, complex, highly regulated organization.
•    Experience supporting national employers operating across multiple jurisdictions.
•    Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and driving enterprise-wide employment law compliance programs.
 

If you will be working at home occasionally or permanently, the internet connection must be obtained through a cable broadband or fiber optic internet service provider with speeds of at least 10Mbps download/5Mbps upload.

About The Cigna Group

Doing something meaningful starts with a simple decision, a commitment to changing lives. At The Cigna Group, we’re dedicated to improving the health and vitality of those we serve. Through our divisions Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Health Services, we are committed to enhancing the lives of our clients, customers and patients. Join us in driving growth and improving lives.

Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, age, disability, sex, childbirth (including pregnancy) or related medical conditions including but not limited to lactation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital or familial status, genetic information, status with regard to public assistance, citizenship status or any other characteristic protected by applicable equal employment opportunity laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete the online application process, please email [email protected] for assistance.  Please note that this email inbox is dedicated to accommodation requests only and cannot provide application updates or accept resumes.

The Cigna Group has a tobacco-free policy and reserves the right not to hire tobacco/nicotine users in states where that is legally permissible. Candidates in such states who use tobacco/nicotine will not be considered for employment unless they enter a qualifying smoking cessation program prior to the start of their employment. These states include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Washington State.

Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with all federal, state and local ordinances.