Deputy General Counsel - Labor, Employment & Employee Relations

ALDI is one of the fastest-growing retailers in the nation, and we are charting an ambitious growth course with plans to expand its footprint to nearly 3,200 locations nationwide by 2028. Join ALDI as a Deputy General Counsel on our National Legal & Compliance team, where you'll lead the Company's labor, employment, and employee relations legal strategy, lead a team of attorneys and professionals, provide expert counsel on complex workplace matters, and oversee high-impact employment litigation and risk management initiatives. This position offers the unique opportunity to partner with key stakeholders across the business, influence strategic decisions and ensure compliance in a fast-paced, growth-driven environment. If you're eager to leverage your legal expertise to make a significant impact and contribute to shaping the future of a respected retail leader, we invite you to apply today!

Position Type: Full-Time
Starting Salary: $305,250
Salary Increases: Year 2 - $320,750 | Year 3 - $341,500
Work Location: Aurora, IL
This role is eligible to participate in ALDI’s Hybrid Work Program, which allows remote work up to 3 days per week (i.e., work remotely up to 3 days per week; work in-office at least 2 days per week).

Duties and Responsibilities:

Must be able to perform duties with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Ensures the training, development, and performance of their team’s staff to retain a motivated, professional workforce that achieves their career objectives.
• Recruits and recommends qualified employees for their team’s staff positions.
• Establishes, communicates and evaluates job responsibilities and performance expectations to their team to ensure a mutual understanding of desired results.
• Understands the overarching company strategy while communicating and modeling the core values of the organization to create a sense of teamwork and membership
among employees.
• Serves as a legal liaison to the National Board and executive management on matters related to employment law including through executive communications and presentations.
• Serves as the lead legal advisor on labor and employment matters, providing strategic counsel on workforce management, employment compliance, workplace policies, and emerging labor and employment risks.
• Oversees labor relations matters, including union organizing activity, collective bargaining strategy, labor grievances, unfair labor practice charges, and compliance with applicable labor laws.
• Leads and advises on complex and high-risk workplace investigations involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, ethics concerns, misconduct, and other employee relations matters.
• Oversees the Company's employee relations strategy, partnering with Human Resources to promote consistent workplace practices, mitigate risk, and support a positive employee experience.
• Manages employment litigation and employment matters, including employment counseling, hiring/firing decisions, reviews and approves position statements prepared by junior-level counsel, EEOC and state agency charges, and other employment law-related topics as applicable.
• Oversees the management of employment/labor law and approves junior counsel work as it relates to employment/labor law, employee relations, and employment law-related topics as applicable.
• Provides expertise and insight on any employment-based and compliance-related law changes which impact the ALDI business including participation in various committee and HR-related strategy meetings.
• Consults with leadership on the development of their team's strategy.
• Advises leadership to source external vendors for applicable services when appropriate.
• Liaises with applicable areas of the business to ensure timely and efficient communication flow.
• Consults with the business to effectively design and streamline applicable processes within the organization.
• Keeps up-to-date on external best practices and relevant changes to their field/area; communicates updates to leadership.
• Oversees a wide range of employment law-related topics, including changes in employment laws which impact the business, business-wide employment counseling, company hiring/firing decisions, and preparation/review of position statements, management of EEOC and state agency charges, and employment litigation.
• Oversees Impact to ALDI law tracking system and management with staff support.
• Manages the in-house employment counseling program.
• Manages the in-house handling of employment charges pilot program
• Leads the review/modification of the Vice President Response Guide and manages legal investigations of serious specific employment-related allegations made to the ALDI Alertline.
• Evaluates and analyzes legal cases, reporting findings to their direct leader; research unique legal issues impacting the organization by identifying applicable statutes, judicial decisions, and codes.
• Oversees and coordinates with outside counsel regarding employment litigation from inception to trial as well as daily case management; mediates escalated matters as appropriate.
• Designs, implements, and drives process improvements, technology, and infrastructure solutions to HR, labor and employment law-specific issues; ensures successful implementation and communication of Legal programs to enhance the effectiveness of the team while providing visibility to key milestones and progress.
• Performs pre-litigation work to minimize risks and maximize legal rights, at the instruction of their direct leader.
• Advises on occupational, safety, and health matters for retail and warehouse operations.
• Manages their team by driving projects and tasks to completion through effective prioritization, work planning, resource allocation, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Provides strategic review and assessments on processes to create and improve and identifies cost-saving opportunities.
• Experience with and ability to lead and develop a team of attorneys and professionals.
• Collaborates across legal department teams to enable efficiencies, effective communications and working relationships with the goal of providing positive business outcomes.
• Serves as the primary link between their team’s staff and leadership to ensure understanding of company goals, objectives, and opportunities for improvement.
• Complies with ALDI privacy and security requirements and policies if job responsibilities include possible access to confidential and/or sensitive information.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job-specific Competencies:

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Consistently demonstrates the ALDI Acts Competencies as outlined for the role.
• Ability to recommend, interpret, and/or apply company policies and procedures.
• Ability to develop rapport, trust, and open communication that enhances the growth and job performance of direct reports.
• Possesses and demonstrates expertise with attention to detail as well as strategic thought leadership.
• Demonstrates strong business acumen, superior judgment, and excellent communication skills, with a proven ability to identify and implement practical solutions that support business objectives while effectively managing risk.
• Understands the history, strategy, organizational authority, interdependence of job duties, products, systems, and services of the company.
• Conflict management skills.
• Advanced knowledge of United States employment law and ability to assist in defending the company against employment-related industry charges.
• Advanced comprehensive understanding of current Equal Employment Opportunity Commission policies and procedures and related federal, state and municipal laws and topics.
• Advanced comprehensive understanding of the National Labor Relations Board policies and procedures and related labor issues and topics.
• Knowledge of the process for recording, classifying, and summarizing financial transactions in accordance with company, statutory, tax, cost and reporting requirements.
• Knowledge of how legal issues affect organizations and the ability to develop strategies to coordinate legal considerations to business objectives.
• Understands cost/benefit analyses.
• Ability to anticipate legal risks, as well as utilize excellent judgement and analytical skills.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• A minimum of 9 years of progressive experience in a legal environment and retail operations required with a focus on employment and labor law.
• Experience in a law firm, corporate legal department and/or in-house legal counsel required.
• J.D. from an ABA accredited law school; licensed to practice in Illinois (or immediate ability to become licensed) required.
• Expertise in employment and labor law required.
• Knowledge of OSHA laws required.
• Or, a combination of education and experience providing equivalent knowledge.

Physical Requirements:

• Work may be performed in an office, remote office or a combination of both where a computer and office equipment may be used as needed to perform duties.
• Regularly required to sit, reach, grasp, stand and move from one area to another.
• Constantly and repeatedly use keyboard/mouse.
• Occasionally required to push, pull, bend, lift and move up to 25 lbs.

Travel:

• International & Domestic travel required.
• Up to 10%.