Senior Employment Counsel

Employment Counsel

Full time • San Francisco • Hybrid

Flynn Restaurant Group seeks an exceptional Senior Employment Counsel to join its industry-recognized legal team. Reporting to the Associate General Counsel, Employment, you will litigate, counsel, and support compliance efforts for the country's largest restaurant franchisee, with more than 2,300 restaurants and 73,000 employees nationwide.

This is a unique opportunity to join a diverse and dynamic in-house legal department in a high-visibility, high-impact role with direct access to senior leadership. It is the perfect position for someone looking to play a meaningful part in the growth-story of a company featuring some of the most iconic and beloved restaurant brands in the nation (Applebee's, Taco Bell, Panera, Arby's, Wendy's, and Pizza Hut).

Responsibilities

• Litigate! You will lead your own litigation and arbitration matters from start to finish, as well as oversee and coordinate outside counsel litigation efforts. You will interview witnesses, take depositions, handle motions practice, engage in pre-trial dispute resolution, and first-chair arbitration and/or trial. This job is perfect for an employment litigator ready to leave behind law firm billable hour and business development requirements, but who still wants to be in the courtroom.
• Respond to agency charges, government audits, and demand letters.
• Provide advice and counseling across a broad spectrum of employment issues, including wage and hour, payroll, benefits, hiring, performance management, internal investigations, leaves of absence, discipline, terminations, employee classification, and employee privacy.
• Collaborate with Legal, HR, Payroll, Operations, Risk, and Training on employment-related compliance matters, including conducting wage and hour compliance audits, identifying additional areas of employment-related compliance opportunities, advising on preventative and corrective action plans, updating internal business clients on new laws and legal trends, and supporting training initiatives.
• Support updating/revising company policies per changes in external laws and regulations.
• Monitor federal, state, and local legislation, regulations, and case law on employment-related matters pertinent to the company; communicate updates and recommendations as needed.
• Travel involved.

Key Qualifications

• 7+ years of employment law experience, including California wage and hour litigation.
• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school; must have California Bar admission in good standing.
• Experience leading all facets of employment litigation through trial/arbitration, as well as knowledge of federal and state employment laws and regulations (including Title VII, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, FEHA, PAGA) and federal and state agencies (DOL, EEOC, DLSE, DFEH).
• Experience with both class/collective actions and single-plaintiff cases.
• Entrepreneurial mindset that enables you to work independently with little guidance, while using good judgment to escalate issues when needed.
• Demonstrated ability to guide multiple objectives and initiatives simultaneously.
• Ability to operate as a team player who can effectively work with and manage legal staff and collaborate with business partners across the company.
• Dedication to exceptional client service.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
• A sense of humor and an upbeat, can-do attitude, in keeping with the company's “Own It!” philosophy.
• And you should love being a lawyer!

If you have a passion for client service, believe in the power of teamwork, and love to learn, we hope you will apply, even if you do not yet possess all of the experience above.

Company Background

Greg Flynn founded Flynn Restaurant Group (Flynn) in 1999 with the acquisition of eight Applebee's restaurants in Washington State. Since then, the company has grown at over 30% a year, added five leading brands in Taco Bell, Panera, Arby's, Pizza Hut, and Wendy's, and has become the largest restaurant franchise and third largest restaurant operator in the United States.

Today, through its six wholly-owned subsidiaries, Apple American Group, Bell American Group, Pan American Group, RB American Group, Hut American Group, and Wend American Group, Flynn owns and operates over 440 Applebee's, 280 Taco Bells, 130 Panera cafes, 360 Arby's, 930 Pizza Huts, and 190 Wendy's representing $4.1 billion in sales and employing almost 73,000 people in 44 states.

Going forward, the company plans to continue its aggressive growth by building and acquiring additional restaurants as well as opportunistically expanding into other brands and businesses.

Work for Flynn?

Flynn Restaurant Group offers a variety of benefits and perks to encourage and empower our employees. We are committed to helping each employee work and live to his or her fullest potential.

We offer a variety of benefits and perks while working for us:

• Medical / Dental / Vision
• Retirement and Savings Plan
• Short and Long Term Disability
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Basic Life Insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid Time Off
• Flexible Work Schedules
• San Francisco Commuter Benefits
• Company Outings
• Dining Discounts

The good faith estimated range of pay for the above position is $165,000 - $195,000 depending on factors including but not limited to experience and skill. There is a target discretionary incentive bonus of 20%.

Flynn Restaurant Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer

For a copy of Flynn Restaurant Group's Workplace Privacy Notice, please visit http://www.flynnrestaurantgroup.com/workplace-privacy-notice/