Senior Employment Law & HR Compliance Legal Counsel

About the Opportunity

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is seeking a specialized and highly skilled Senior Employment Law & HR Compliance Legal Counsel to join its Office of General Counsel. Reporting directly to the General Counsel, this critical role is designed for a legal professional who excels at proactive risk management and hands-on workplace culture architecture. The selected counsel will ensure that all stages of the employee lifecycle—from recruitment to post-employment—are legally sound and ethically grounded within a complex public agency environment.

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Legal Counsel will perform complex and highly specialized legal duties, exercising independent judgment. Primary responsibilities include:

• Compliance Audits: Auditing and overhauling agency-wide practices to ensure strict adherence to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) classifications, FMLA/CFRA, and ADA/FEHA interactive processes.
• Agency Defense: Serving as primary counsel in defending the agency against claims filed with the EEOC, DLSE, or equivalent state civil rights departments.
• Disability & Accommodation: Providing direct legal oversight for complex disability requests, ensuring the agency meets its "good faith" obligations while maintaining operational standards.
• Investigations & Training: Assisting with high-level privileged investigations into sensitive allegations of discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, or misconduct, and developing customized legal training for supervisors.
• Public Sector Discipline: Guiding management through the legal requirements of public sector discipline, including advising on administrative evidentiary hearings.

Typical Qualifications

To be considered for this senior-level role, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Education & Bar Admission: A Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and active membership in the California State Bar.
• Experience: A minimum of five (5) years of experience practicing employment law. Candidates with a mix of private firm defense and public agency experience are highly encouraged.
• Legal Knowledge: Deep knowledge of Title VII, the ADEA, state-specific employment codes, and Constitutional Law as it pertains to public employment (e.g., First Amendment retaliation claims and Fourth Amendment privacy expectations).
• Background Checks: The final candidate selected for this position must successfully pass a pre-employment criminal background check and credit check.

Compensation & Key Details

• Salary Range: The annual salary range for the Senior Legal Counsel is $138,570 to $214,802, with the final offer based on qualifications and experience.
• Expected Start Date: August 2026.
• Employment Type: Full-time, Mid-Senior level.

Application Process

This recruitment is open for a two-week period or until a sufficient number of applications are received, and it may close at any time without prior notice. Applicants are highly encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible via the official application portal.