Director Counsel

Address: USA-ME-Scarborough-145 Pleasant Hill Rd
Store Code: Legal (5157451)
Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of global food retailer Ahold Delhaize, is part of the U.S. family of brands, which includes five leading omnichannel grocery brands - Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. Our associates support the brands with a wide range of services, including Finance, Legal, Sustainability, Commercial, Digital and E-commerce, Technology and more.
Primary Purpose
The primary purpose of this position is to provide legal advice, counseling, and support in the areas of employment, labor, and benefits law to Human Resources and business leaders at Ahold Delhaize USA Services, LLC and its affiliated companies in the United States (collectively the "Companies"). The Companies include two service companies and five grocery retailers (Food Lion, The Giant Company, Giant Food, Hannaford and Stop & Shop), including some non-union and some primarily union workforces located in 18 states and the District of Columbia.
Reporting to the Vice President, Deputy General Counsel for Employment, Labor & Benefits, the Associate General Counsel will handle a wide range of employment, labor, and benefits law issues, including complex class and single-plaintiff litigation, support strategic projects, and may serve as strategic legal support for union campaigns. This role will partner closely with senior leaders in Human Resources, Communications, Store and Supply Chain Operations, Government Affairs, IT, Asset Protection and Pharmacy.
Our flexible/ hybrid work schedule includes 3 in-person days at one of our core locations and 2 remote days. Our core office locations include Salisbury, NC, Quincy, MA, Carlisle, PA, and Scarborough, ME.
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.
Duties and Responsibilities
1. Legal Advice and Support - Provide legal advice to enable the Companies to achieve business objectives while operating within legal parameters

• Address wide range of employment law issues, such as recruitment and hiring, performance management, discipline, termination, internal investigations, wage and hour compliance, disability-related accommodations, leaves of absence, diversity and inclusion initiatives, pay equity, non-competition and solicitation, organizational restructuring, and acquisitions.
• Support management response to union campaigns, collective bargaining and labor contract drafting, administration, and interpretation.
• Advise on employee benefits matters, including incentive plans, welfare plans, retirement plans, benefits documentation, and claims.
• Provide advice on and/or draft various employee-facing policies, forms, agreements, communications, and systems.
• Manage responses to and resolution of wage and hour, I-9 and other government audits.

2. Dispute Resolution - Manage employment, labor and benefits disputes

• Advise HR and management on handling internal employee complaints and grievances.
• Manage and negotiate resolution of attorney-represented claims.
• Actively manage outside counsel in defending litigation, labor arbitrations, and government agency charges.
• Strategic lead for complex class-action employment litigation for all companies of ADUSA
• Drive and participate in all aspects of mediation proceedings.

3. Training and Compliance - Provide communication and training on evolving legal issues and requirement s

• Proactively monitor relevant legal developments; regulatory, industry and business trends; and employment-related topics.
• Promote communication and awareness of legal developments, compliance issues and requirements, and best practices.
• Conduct training on employment and labor law matters.
• Draft and continually update training materials and processes.

4. Support, Mentor and Develop ELB Legal Team

• Provide supervision (direct or indirect), development, and mentorship of a team of attorneys performing day-to-day employment, labor, and benefits legal work to the companies of Ahold Delhaize USA. This role will perform the duties below, including support of two or more operating companies. Under the leadership and direction of the Vice President, Deputy General Counsel for Employment, Labor & Benefits, this role will provide strategic support for complex legal issues across the companies of ADUSA and within the ELB Legal team.

5. Strategic Projects & Leadership - This roll will support certain strategic projects in ELB and other legal teams.

• Provide strategic legal support for special projects and cross-functional teams. Projects frequently involve senior leadership and include topics such as restructurings, legal entity design, and designing ways of working for a company or business unit.
• Partner with brands as they design labor strategies for union negotiations and campaigns
• Partner with business teams on strategic global sustainability projects involving human rights and social impacts

6. Other responsibilities

• Provide input on proposed legislation, potential impacts on business, and implementation issues.
• Advise on and participate in internal audits.
• Contribute to regular functional and corporate reporting.
• May serve as brand counsel, supporting leadership team of a brand as legal and business partner

Qualifications

• J.D. degree
• State bar license
• 14+ years relevant experience practicing law

Preferred Qualifications

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Executive presence, advocacy, and persuasion
• Integrity
• Supervisory/leadership skills
• Strategic planning
• Negotiation Skills
• Presentation Skills
• Highly sophisticated legal judgment
• Customer focused orientation
• Organization and attention to detail
• Initiative
• Organizational awareness
• Sense of humor

#LI-LL1 #LI-Hybrid
At Ahold Delhaize USA, we provide services to one of the largest portfolios of grocery companies in the nation, and we're actively seeking top talent. Our team shares a common motivation to drive change, take ownership and enable our brands to better care for their customers. We thrive on supporting great local grocery brands and their strategies.
We offer an experience where our associates are valued; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging are infused in our business and our employees are representative of the communities that we serve. We believe in total wellness, which encompasses a blend of physical, financial and emotional wellness.
We believe in collaboration, curiosity, and continuous learning in all that we think, create and do. While building a culture where personal and professional growth are just as important as business growth, we invest in our people, empowering them to learn, grow and deliver at all levels of the business.
Job Requisition: 419387_external_USA-ME-Scarborough