Director, Legal - Employment

As Director, Legal – Employment, you will own GitLab’s matters spanning the full employment relationship in EMEA, from recruiting and onboarding through compensation, performance, leave management, separation, and, when necessary, litigation. You will independently lead complex employment law matters end-to-end, including representing GitLab before works councils and labor courts, as well as setting the strategy for managing employment risk in the region. You will also build scalable legal processes to meet the business needs across a globally-distributed, all-remote organization, while sharing subject-matter expertise and mentoring legal colleagues and cross-functional partners.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Provide senior, practical employment-law advice to team members and stakeholders across GitLab, balancing legal risk, business objectives, and GitLab’s values, serving as a subject-matter resource for legal colleagues and cross-functional partners.
• Directly manage matters across the employment lifecycle, including recruiting and onboarding, compensation, performance management, leave management, employee relations, works council processes, organizational changes, separation, and post-employment issues.
• Directly negotiate and engage with works councils and employee representative bodies across EMEA jurisdictions, and lead consultation processes for organizational change.
• Represent GitLab in, or directly manage outside counsel appearances for, labor courts, employment tribunals, and agency investigations, including case strategy, fact development, witness preparation, and settlement decisions.
• Counsel People Business Partners, Team Member Relations partners, and business leaders on complex and sensitive team-member relations concerns.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and maintain employment agreements, separation agreements, policies, templates, and related documentation across multiple jurisdictions.
• Own employment compliance across EMEA and incorporate outside-counsel input into strategies that match the business.
• Monitor and analyze changes in employment, privacy, and related laws; identify legal risks; and translate developments into practical recommendations and implementable guidance.
• Lead the development and continuous improvement of scalable employment-law processes, systems, playbooks, templates, and supporting documentation for the Legal and People teams.
• Provide employment advice in regions outside EMEA as needed.
• Use GitLab to collaborate transparently and work effectively in an asynchronous, globally distributed environment.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• A Juris Doctor (JD), Bachelor of Laws (LLB), or local equivalent, admitted to practice in at least one EMEA jurisdiction.
• Substantial, firsthand experience advising a multinational company with works councils across EMEA, including direct hands-on negotiation and consultation experience.
• A demonstrated track record of advocating or managing outside counsel in labor courts, employment tribunals and analogous proceedings .
• Deep knowledge of employment compliance requirements across EMEA, with the judgment to identify when advice from local counsel is needed.
• Experience counseling People Business Partners, Team Member Relations partners, and business leaders on sensitive and complex employment matters, including works council strategy.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating employment agreements, separation agreements, policies, templates, and related documentation across multiple jurisdictions.
• Fluency with GDPR and other local privacy requirements related to team-member data.
• Experience building or significantly improving legal processes, systems, playbooks, templates, and documentation that produce consistent outcomes at scale.
• Strong issue-spotting, risk-assessment, and judgment skills, with the ability to provide clear recommendations and practical solutions.
• The ability to manage a high volume of complex legal matters independently and bring them to resolution.
• Clear communication and relationship-building skills, including the ability to serve as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders across Legal, People, and the business.
• A practical and creative approach to problem-solving, sound business judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to work across functions, time zones, and cultures.
• Comfort working in a remote, globally distributed, asynchronous environment; willingness to learn and use GitLab in your day-to-day work.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Employment Legal team works closely with People Business Partners, Team Member Relations, Legal colleagues, and other teams to navigate employment requirements across multiple jurisdictions, manage disputes and investigations, build clear, scalable processes for an all-remote organization. This role will lead complex EMEA employment matters while contributing to consistent, practical legal support and stronger employment-law processes across GitLab.

HOW GITLAB SUPPORTS FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES

• Benefits to support your health, finances, and well-being
• Flexible Paid Time Off
• Team Member Resource Groups
• Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Growth and Development Fund
• Parental Leave

Please note that we welcome interest from candidates with varying levels of experience; many successful candidates do not meet every single requirement. Additionally, studies have shown that people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to a job unless they meet every single qualification. If you're excited about this role, please apply and allow our recruiters to assess your application.

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Country Hiring Guidelines: GitLab hires new team members in countries around the world. All of our roles are remote, however some roles may carry specific location-based eligibility requirements. Our Talent Acquisition team can help answer any questions about location after starting the recruiting process.

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GitLab will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. See also GitLab’s EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know during the recruiting process.