Sr. Director, Legal Corporate at Digital Realty

Job description

Sr. Director, Corporate Counsel Your Role The Sr. Director, Corporate Counsel, Labor & Employment (Americas) serves as the primary legal partner to Human Resources and business leaders on labor and employment matters across the United States and Canada. Reporting to the SVP, Deputy General Counsel (Litigation, Employment & Compliance), this role provides strategic, practical, and business-focused legal counsel while managing employment risk, supporting organizational growth initiatives, leading complex employment matters, and collaborating across Legal, Human Resources, Compliance, Privacy, and business teams in a fast-paced global environment. What You'll Do Labor & Employment Counseling Provide strategic and day-to-day advice on labor and employment matters arising primarily in the United States and Canada, coordinating with other members of the Legal, Human Resources, Compliance, and Privacy Teams, as well as other business stakeholders, as appropriate. Draft, negotiate, and interpret employment-related agreements. Oversee and counsel on employee relations matters, including performance management, workplace conduct, accommodations, investigations, terminations, and development of strategies, policies, and training programs. Advise on wage-and-hour compliance, worker classification, pay transparency and pay equity, restrictive covenants, employee mobility, workplace safety, and federal, state, provincial, and local employment requirements. Advise on compensation and benefits, including equity incentive compensation, severance programs, retirement, and health and welfare matters. Provide employment-law support for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, integrations, restructurings, and other strategic transactions as well as in connection with disclosure, audit, and diligence obligations. Partner with other members of Legal, Human Resources, Compliance, and Privacy Teams in overseeing sensitive workplace investigations. Manage employment litigation, agency charges, demand letters, administrative proceedings, arbitrations, and pre-litigation disputes, including with respect to development of case strategy, assessment of risk exposure, settlement and trial positions, legal holds and discovery, and review of filings and correspondence. Draft , review, and implement employment policies, workplace standards, arbitration and dispute-resolution programs, and related forms and templates, including preparation of practical playbooks, decision tools, checklists, workflows, and guidance for Human Resources and business leaders. Monitor legal and regulatory developments, assess business impact, and lead timely updates to policies, practices, and communications. Design and deliver trainings for Human Resources, managers, executives, and employees on labor and employment topics. Serve as a trusted adviser to Human Resources and senior leadership, balancing legal risk, business objectives, operational realities, and employee experience. Coordinate Americas matters with the global Legal and Human Resources teams to support consistent, practical, and legally compliant approaches across jurisdictions. Lead complex, cross-functional projects and drive continuous improvement of Legal and Human Resources processes. Mentor and provide substantive guidance to other lawyers and legal professionals, and support broader Legal Team priorities as needed. Develop meaningful metrics and reporting to identify trends, improve controls, and support risk-based decision-making. Select, supervise, and evaluate outside counsel; establish strategy, budgets, and staffing expectations; and actively manage legal spend. Develop, implement, and maintain employment policies, workplace programs, training materials, playbooks, workflows, and guidance tools for Human Resources and business leaders. Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership while leading cross-functional initiatives, driving process improvements, developing risk metrics, and supporting informed busine