Senior Counsel, Employment and Product at Nerdwallet

Job description

At NerdWallet, we’re on a mission to bring clarity to all of life’s financial decisions and every great mission needs a team of exceptional Nerds. We’ve built an inclusive, flexible, and candid culture where you’re empowered to grow, take smart risks, and be unapologetically yourself (cape optional). Whether remote or in-office, we support how you thrive best. We invest in your well-being, development, and ability to make an impact because when one Nerd levels up, we all do. NerdWallet is seeking a corporate generalist with broad experience managing labor and employment matters and supporting product-commercial strategy to join its legal department as Counsel. This position will report directly to the Deputy General Counsel. It will support the development and implementation of human resources policies, assist with employee relations matters, and support M&A activity and integration. This role will also provide product-consumer guidance to vertical leaders supporting the areas of contract review, digital marketing, compliance, privacy, and data. In this role, you will have an opportunity to flex your versatility, acting as a hybrid Employment Counsel and Product Counsel. In this role, you will support the People Team by advising the team on risk related to employee relations matters and investigations, while also ensuring that our legal documents, policies, and employment practices are always up to date. You will also support our vertical teams by acting as an embedded advisor, guiding everything from contracts and partnership terms to negotiating vendor terms and supporting M&A. Where you can make an impact: Employment Counsel • Review and update employment policies as needed. • Provide practical, actionable advice on employment matters including reasonable accommodations, compliance, performance management, terminations, recruiting, hiring, and compensation and benefits. • Manage and update, as needed, the company’s legal documents, including offer letters, employment agreements, separation agreements and handbooks. • Conduct diligence related to employment matters in M&A transactions. • Work with HR Business Partners to handle and support employee issues and internal investigations. • Manage employment law claims and arbitration, including all aspects of litigation and discovery. • Educate internal clients and stakeholders on important legal developments affecting our business and proactively ensure risk mitigation. • Identify and assess legal risks and opportunities in the employment area and advise accordingly. Product Counsel • Support product and marketing teams across multiple initiatives. • Review, draft, and negotiate a wide range of revenue and vendor agreements. Provide practical, timely, and concise advice to internal partners regarding the same. • Respond promptly to legal requests from product, business development, data and privacy, finance, marketing, senior leadership team, and other clients. Summarize and communicate legal concepts in a pragmatic, clear, and concise manner. • Implement streamlined and thoughtful processes to ensure product compliance. • Support the continuous improvement of NerdWallet and the legal department by identifying and implementing improvements in processes, forms, and operations. • From time to time, you may assist with M&A deals and onboarding integrated teams • Negotiating new vendor and referral agreements • Collaborate with team leads to evaluate new product ideas and review copy Your experience: • Experience : 6+ years of relevant experience, including a combination of both in-house and law firm practice at a major law firm. • 3+ of years as Employment Counsel; and • 3+ of years as Product Counsel; or • 3+ of years as Corporate Counsel • Certification : • Deep knowledge of California and/or New York employment laws and applicable federal laws. • A member of at least one state bar, preferably California or New York. • Judgment : You leverage sound and practical judgment, person