Job Description

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Associate General Counsel

Full Time Auburn Hills, MI, US

3 days ago Requisition ID: 1301

Position Summary

Reporting the General Counsel, the Associate General Counsel - Labor and Employment will serve as a strategic legal advisor supporting the corporate office, joint ventures, startup operations, and manufacturing facilities in the electric vehicle, energy storage system, and advanced-battery industry.

This role will provide practical, business-focused advice on traditional labor law, employment law, litigation, employee benefits, immigration, regulatory compliance, and workforce-related corporate initiatives. The attorney will work closely with executive leadership, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Employee Relations, and Operations to identify and proactively address legal risks while enabling the company’s business and operational objectives.

In addition to being an expert in employment law, the ideal candidate will have traditional labor-law experience and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, evolving, multi-state, and international joint-venture environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic advice and counsel to executive leadership, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Employee Relations, and Operations on U.S. labor and employment law matters.
• Serve as a collaborative subject-matter expert who translates complex legal requirements into practical, business-oriented guidance for internal stakeholders.
• Identify and proactively address labor and employment risks as a creative problem-solver committed to excellent and responsive client service.
• Support greenfield and brownfield plant launches, production ramp-ups, workforce transitions, organizational restructurings, reductions in force, and the development of scalable employment practices.
• Advise on joint venture and affiliated-company workforce matters, including employee-leasing arrangements, secondees, shared services, parent-company governance, confidentiality obligations, and joint-employer risks.
• Counsel the company on matters arising under the National Labor Relations Act, including union organizing, protected concerted activity, unfair labor practice charges, representation proceedings, NLRB investigations, and lawful workplace communications.
• Support collective bargaining, including first-contract negotiations, contract renewals, grievance handling, arbitration, contract interpretation, and day-to-day labor agreement administration.
• Advise on strikes, picketing, work stoppages, union access, information requests, subcontracting, staffing changes, operational contingency planning, and other labor-relations matters.
• Counsel stakeholders on employment matters involving recruiting, hiring, discipline, termination, performance management, workplace investigations, accommodations, leaves of absence, retaliation, pay equity, compensation, wage-and-hour compliance, and reductions in force.
• Monitor and advise on new and pending legislation, regulations, and case law involving the NLRA, Title VII, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, ADEA, USERRA, WARN Act, pay-transparency laws, and other applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
• Oversee pre-litigation disputes, government agency charges, employment litigation, settlement negotiations, discovery, document preservation, and other dispute-resolution processes.
• Manage outside counsel and key internal and external stakeholder relationships in labor, employment, benefits, immigration, and related matters.
• Advise on U.S. employee benefit plans and related legal matters under ERISA in coordination with internal specialists and outside counsel.
• Advise on inbound U.S. immigration matters, Form I-9 compliance, E-Verify, and related workforce-authorization requirements.
• Develop, draft, and review employment policies, work rules, employment agreements, separation agreements, settlement agreements, training materials, and employee communications.
• Conduct legal training and educational programs for executives, managers, Human Resources professionals, and other company stakeholders.
• Support ESG, ethics, human-rights, and corporate compliance initiatives involving workforce practices, labor standards, and employee-related risks.
• Develop practical legal strategies that support workforce stability, operational flexibility, regulatory compliance, and the company’s broader business objectives.

Minimum Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar (Michigan or Indiana preferred)
• At least 6 years of relevant professional experience as a practicing attorney.
• Significant experience practicing U.S. labor and employment law in a corporate legal department, law firm, or both.
• Experience managing employment litigation, government agency matters, outside counsel, and legal budgets.
• Working knowledge of wage-and-hour law, workplace investigations, employee benefits, immigration, and Form I-9 compliance.
• Ability to travel to manufacturing facilities and other company locations as business needs require.

Preferred Qualifications

• In-house experience with an international or multi-state manufacturer, automotive company, battery company, energy company, technology firm, or other complex industrial organization.
• Demonstrated traditional labor-law experience, including collective bargaining, union organizing, labor-contract administration, arbitration, and NLRB proceedings.
• Experience supporting joint ventures, startup organizations, greenfield or brownfield plant launches, international parent companies, or rapidly growing manufacturing operations.
• Experience advising operations with represented workforces and supporting first-contract or mature collective-bargaining relationships.
• Familiarity with the legal and operational issues associated with electric vehicle, energy storage system, or advanced-battery manufacturing.
• Ability to speak Korean is a plus.

Preferred Capabilities

• Strong business judgment and the ability to translate complex legal requirements into clear, practical, and actionable guidance.
• Excellent negotiation, advocacy, investigation, drafting, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and make sound decisions in a fast-paced and evolving business environment.
• Executive presence and confidence advising senior leaders on sensitive, complex, or high-risk matters.
• Ability to work effectively across different organizational, professional, and national cultures.
• Strong commitment to confidentiality, integrity, collaboration, accountability, and responsive client service.

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