Senior Counsel, Incident Investigation and Litigation Management

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JOB DESCRIPTION

Primary Purpose

The Senior Counsel, Incident Investigation and Litigation Management provides practical legal support to Operations, Projects, Human Resources, Compliance, Risk, and company leadership.

This role will manage and advise on legally directed or legally led internal incident investigations, support litigation and pre-litigation matters, preserve applicable privileges, and help guide the company’s response to sensitive operational, workplace, compliance, safety, project, contractor, and employee-related matters.

The Senior Counsel will also be responsible for managing external counsel, developing litigation and investigation strategy in partnership with outside counsel, coordinating internal information flow, and keeping relevant internal stakeholders appropriately informed while protecting privilege and confidentiality.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential duties and responsibilities

• Lead, manage, or provide legal oversight for internal incident investigations involving operations, projects, HR, compliance, safety, employee conduct, contractor issues, policy violations, or other sensitive business matters.
• Provide legal advice on investigation strategy, witness interviews, document review, credibility assessments, findings, legal risk, remediation, and corrective actions.
• Manage litigation and pre-litigation matters arising from incidents, employment issues, project disputes, regulatory inquiries, contractor matters, or other business risks.
• Retain, manage, and direct external counsel and other third-party experts, including forensic, technical, regulatory, or investigative consultants.
• Develop and execute investigation and litigation strategy with external counsel, including case assessment, risk analysis, discovery strategy, settlement considerations, regulatory response, and dispute resolution approach.
• Coordinate with and inform relevant internal stakeholders, including Operations, Projects, HR, Compliance, Risk, Finance, executive leadership, and other business partners, while maintaining privilege, confidentiality, and appropriate need-to-know limitations.
• Prepare or oversee privileged legal memoranda, investigation reports, executive briefings, litigation updates, and related legal analyses.
• Preserve attorney-client privilege and attorney work-product protections by maintaining appropriate separation between privileged legal investigation materials and non-privileged business action plans.
• Partner with Human Resources on workplace investigations, employee relations issues, discipline, termination, retaliation, discrimination, harassment, policy compliance, and employment law risk.
• Support regulatory inquiries, audits, subpoenas, litigation holds, document preservation, external reporting considerations, and governance-related escalation.
• Develop and improve investigation protocols, litigation management processes, privilege practices, templates, training, corrective action tracking, and governance procedures.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school (top 25% of class).

Experience/Specific Knowledge:

• Minimum of seven years of legal experience with meaningful in-house counsel experience being preferable.
• Experience managing internal investigations, litigation, pre-litigation disputes, employment matters, operational incidents, compliance issues, regulatory matters, or project-related legal risk.
• Demonstrated experience managing external counsel and developing legal strategy in coordination with outside counsel.
• Strong understanding of attorney-client privilege, attorney work product, confidentiality, legal holds, litigation management, investigation documentation, and remediation practices.
• Ability to communicate effectively with internal stakeholders and senior leaders while protecting sensitive legal and business information.
• Excellent judgment, discretion, communication skills, and ability to manage confidential, high-risk, and time-sensitive matters.

Certifications, Licenses & Registrations:

• Active license to practice law and good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Must be licensed to practice law in at least one U.S. state.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license and a driving record satisfactory to the company and its insurers (for travel).

Competencies, Skills & Abilities:

• Strong legal judgment and risk assessment.
• Litigation and investigation strategy.
• External counsel management.
• Sound investigative and analytical skills.
• Ability to balance legal risk with operational and business realities.
• High integrity and discretion.
• Clear, concise, and practical communication.
• Executive presence and credibility with senior leaders.
• Cross-functional collaboration.
• Strong project and matter management.
• Ability to manage multiple urgent, confidential, and high-risk matters simultaneously.

Physical Demands:

All the physical requirements listed below are those that may be necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential function of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Must be able to sit for prolonged periods of time.
• The employee is regularly required to use hands to type, touch, handle, or feel. The employee is required to talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to stand and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to walk and climb or balance. The employee must regularly lift and /or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Working Conditions

• Will work non-traditional hours as needed.
• May be required to carry a cell phone and be available to respond during working and non-working hours.
• Candidates will be required to clear a drug screen and complete a background check, including a credit report for certain positions after an offer has been extended and prior to being employed.

Supervisory Responsibility

• None

Preferred Education, Experience, Certifications, Competencies, Skills & Abilities:

Above the minimum requirements, not required but advantageous in this position:

• In-house experience managing litigation and leading investigations.
• Experience in an operations-heavy, project-based, industrial, construction, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, logistics, engineering, or similar business environment.
• Background in litigation, employment law, internal investigations, compliance, regulatory matters, safety, environmental issues, contractor disputes, or project claims.
• Prior law firm experience in litigation, employment, regulatory, compliance, investigations, or commercial disputes.
• Experience reporting to or supporting senior leadership, compliance committees, audit committees, special committees, or boards.
• Experience managing outside counsel budgets, legal spend, matter reporting, and litigation reserves.
• Experience developing investigation playbooks, privilege protocols, litigation management procedures, corrective action frameworks, or compliance training.