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Employment & Commercial Counsel

Brooklyn, NY (Rent the Runway HQ)

About Us:

Rent the Runway (RTR) is transforming the way we get dressed by pioneering the world’s first Closet in the Cloud. Founded in 2009, RTR has disrupted the $2.4 trillion fashion industry by inspiring women with a more joyful, sustainable and financially-savvy way to feel their best every day. As the ultimate destination for circular fashion, the brand now offers infinite points of access to its shared closet via a fully customizable subscription to fashion, one-time rental or ownership. RTR offers designer apparel and accessories from hundreds of brand partners and has built in-house proprietary technology and a one-of-a-kind reverse logistics operation. Under CEO and Co-Founder Jennifer Hyman’s leadership, RTR has been named to CNBC’s “Disruptor 50” five times in ten years, and has been placed on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list multiple times, while Hyman herself has been named to the “TIME 100” most influential people in the world and as one of People magazine’s “Women Changing the World.”

 

About the Job:

As Employment & Commercial Counsel, you will play a key role in advising our business partners and driving RTR’s growth. You will work primarily advising and counseling our People Team and executives on employment law matters as well as drafting and negotiating commercial agreements. At the same time, you will be a generalist who is excited and interested to jump into the wide range of questions the Legal team handles every day, including brand relationships, transportation, safety, environmental compliance, and international trade. You’ll be a strategic, hands-on, and creative partner to the business - as well as a practical problem solver. 

You will report to the Chief Legal & Administrative Officer and work collaboratively with the other members of RTR’s lean Legal team. We are an “office centric” company and you will work from Rent the Runway’s Brooklyn headquarters Monday - Thursday.

 

What You’ll Do:

  • Serve as the primary employment counsel for RTR’s US and global workforce. This role will work closely with the Chief Legal & Administrative Officer, Human Resources Business Partner Sr. Director, and operations and safety leadership to design and implement policies and procedures, provide daily legal advice across the company, and manage dispute resolution. 
  • Draft and review of commercial contracts businesswide. These include agreements with designer partners, sponsorships, advertisers/influencers/ambassadors, technology partners including but not limited to, SaaS (software-as-a-service) and software licensing partners, consultants, and more. 
  • Partner with your colleagues on the Legal team to continue to scale RTR’s legal function, including building templates, policies, procedures, and the legal tech stack that enable us to provide top tier legal services as efficiently as possible. 
  • Support RTR’s public company, environmental and privacy compliance. 
  • Pitch in and advise various teams on everything from key business initiatives to one-off “what if…” questions.
  • Develop training materials and other resources for your business partners.
  • Collaborate with other business functions and develop solutions that support the growth of the Company while appropriately managing the legal risk. 
  • Work independently on matters you own, and collaborate on key legal and business deliverables with RTR’s Chief Legal & Administrative Officer, Deputy General Counsel, Sr. Manager of Legal, and leaders across the business.

 

About You: 

  • JD and NY bar membership or eligibility to register as an in-house attorney in NY.
  • 4+ total years of practicing law, including 2+ years experience in employment law and 2+ years of work as in-house counsel for an operating company.
  • Experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements. 
  • Interest in developing skills as a legal generalist.
  • Familiarity with marketing/advertising, traditional or digital media, tech, ecommerce, retail, manufacturing, or contract lifecycle management are a plus.
  • Creative thinker and problem solver. 
  • A practical, proactive, creative, and risk-based approach to counseling and negotiating.
  • Excellent judgment.
  • Systemic and process-driven thinker who is excited about scaling RTR’s Legal services.
  • The ability to translate legal issues into clear, “plain English” guidance and business solutions for non-lawyers.
  • A highly collaborative work ethic, while also exercising autonomy as a subject matter expert.
  • Flexibility necessary to thrive at an ambitious, dynamic growth company, including strong business judgment and an ability to calibrate when we need a quick response versus a deep dive to get something precisely right.
  • An ability to interact effectively with your colleagues and clients, and to build strong relationships and influence across departments.
  • An ability to prioritize and manage multiple critical projects under tight deadlines.

 

Benefits:

At Rent the Runway, we’re committed to the well-being of our employees, and aim to create a workplace that fosters both personal and professional growth. Our benefits include, but are not limited to: 

  • Paid Time Off including vacation, paid bereavement, and family sick leave - every employee needs time to take care of themselves and their family.
  • Universal Paid Parental Leave for both parents + flexible return to work program  - because we know your newest family member(s) deserve your undivided attention. 
  • Paid Sabbatical after 5 years of continuous service - unplug, recharge, and have some fun!
  • Comprehensive health, vision, dental, FSA and dependent care from day 1 of employment - your health comes first and we’ve got you covered.
  • 401k match - an investment in your future. 

 

Rent the Runway is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with applicable law, we prohibit discrimination against any applicant or employee based on any legally-recognized basis, including, but not limited to: race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, childbirth or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, age (40 and over), national origin or ancestry, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), veteran status, uniformed service member status or any other status protected by federal, state or local law.

 

The anticipated base salary for this position is $154,170 to $192,712. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held. This position is also eligible for equity compensation.



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