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Senior Counsel, Employment & Commercial

New York, NY

Studs is a category-defining ear piercing and earring brand named one of “the 10 most innovative companies in retail for 2023” by Fast Company. Studs connects ear piercing with aftercare and earring shopping to create an end-to-end Earscaping® experience. We offer a better retail and digital experience that prioritizes safety and expertise in a cool, fun and welcoming environment, along with a wide earring assortment—all at an accessible price point.

Based in New York, NY, the Senior Counsel, Employment & Commercial will work closely with Studs’ Chief Legal & Compliance Officer and other business leaders as we continue to quickly expand our retail footprint - in 2024, we grew from 20 to 30 studios in 12 states, and we anticipate the same pace of growth in 2025 and beyond. First and foremost, you will be a critical partner to our HR department, also known as our People Team, using your significant experience with employment and labor matters to give them practical, solutions-focused advice on a variety of employment and labor issues. The ideal candidate will also have strong business acumen, and a desire and ability to become a crucial business partner to leaders on our Retail Operations, Store Development, Marketing, Merchandising and Digital teams, helping them define processes and appropriately manage risk as they navigate interesting challenges. To truly succeed in this role, you will be an enterprise-level thinker with a flexible and future-oriented mind set ready to provide informed advice and legal risk assessments in the best interests of the company, and in the face of ambiguity and a dynamic and fast-paced environment.

Salary Range: $200,000 - $225,000, plus equity

Key Responsibilities:

Employment & Labor

  • Serve as the go to business and legal partner for members of our People Team, helping them design and maintain effective processes for managing all employment and labor matters that come with running a multi-unit retail business with a geographically diverse employee population.
  • Develop a scalable strategy with the People Team for our compliance with complex and varied employment and labor laws including compliance with federal, state and local employment laws, accommodations and disability and leave related matters, compensation plans, restrictive covenant protections, diversity equity and inclusion practices, ERISA and benefits law and wage and hour compliance.
  • Advise our People Team members on all employee relations matters such as discipline and terminations, investigation of internal complaints, allegations of discrimination, harassment and retaliation, and employee disability issues, leaves and accommodation requests.
  • Support the People Team’s compensation efforts including advising on pay practices and compensation plans, and drafting related documentation such as deferred compensation plans as applicable.
  • Draft and maintain employment related agreements and templates including offer letters, severance agreements, retention agreements and employee and company policies.
  • Support regular audits and maintenance of HR policies, systems and processes including our employee handbook, company policies, HR reporting and HR recordkeeping.
  • Ensure proper use of ADP, our HRIS system, as a compliance tool.
  • Advise on HR training programs for our employees.
  • Manage any employment litigation as applicable.
  • Assist with equity administration.

Commercial

  • Provide commercially-minded legal and strategic advice to the retail operations, digital, store development, marketing and merchandising teams.
  • Draft and negotiate a variety of commercial agreements including non-disclosure agreements, IT and other technology platform agreements, manufacturing and supply chain agreements, master services agreements, other vendor/service provider agreements, and data protection and privacy agreements.
  • Maintain an efficient commercial agreement review process including Lexion, our document management system.
  • Serve as a thought leader and strategic partner for business leaders in support of their transactions and the day-to-day operations of the company.
  • Build out and improve the legal department’s template library.

Requirements:

  • J.D. and New York state bar membership or registered in-house attorney status in New York.
  • 4+ years of relevant work experience in a law firm and, preferably, in-house legal department.
  • Experience advising high growth, venture-backed companies is a plus.
  • Very strong understanding of employment and labor laws. Experience with privacy, IP and consumer protection regulations is a plus.
  • Driven, creative problem solver that consistently acts with integrity and speaks up.
  • Owner’s mindset, with the ability to approach feedback and problems with a positive attitude.
  • Ability to interact effectively at all levels of the organization in a fast-paced environment while building strong internal relationships and influence across departments.
  • Comfort with working in a dynamic organization that is not afraid to change for the better.
  • Have a practical, business-oriented approach to problems and ability to translate legal issues into clear, “plain English” guidance for non-lawyers.
  • Be a team player who rolls up their sleeves and takes on additional responsibilities, while also being comfortable working independently and thinking strategically.
  • Be flexible and able to thrive in a fast-paced environment, including having strong business judgment and knowing when to provide quick responses versus deep dives.
  • Ability to prioritize and manage multiple critical projects under tight deadlines. 

Benefits & Perks

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, including $0 in-network mental health visits, commuter benefits and 401k
  • HSA (Health Savings Account) or FSA (Flexible Spending Account)
  • Additional mental health resources such as Talkspace and Headspace
  • Gender affirmation support services, EAP sessions and work/life resources 
  • Flexible Work Environment (3 days in office, 2 days work from home)
  • 4 weeks accrued Paid Time Off, 7 days accrued Sick Time, 11 paid holidays, and 4 Quarterly Wellness Days (where the whole team takes time off together to recharge)
  • Three months of paid Parental Leave (biological, adoptive, and foster parents are all eligible)
  • A paid sabbatical after four years of full-time service
  • Ongoing learning & development, opportunities for upward mobility, performance reviews, and consistent coaching to help you grow professionally
  • Discounts on piercings and products (we’ve got your friends and family covered too!)
  • Access to PerkSpot and additional benefits such as pet insurance, discounted tickets, personal finance coaching, healthy rewards and extended life insurance

Studs is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a work environment that fosters diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity without regard to race, color, gender, age, creed, sex, religion, national origin, disability (physical or mental), marital status, citizenship, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, or any other legally protected status. Studs considers qualified applicants with criminal histories. We comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment in every jurisdiction in which we operate. If you require an accommodation for the application process, please fill out this form.

Click here for the Studs Privacy Notice for California Applicants.

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