Lead Legal Counsel, Employment (EMEA)

ABOUT THE ROLE GitLab is a global leader in DevSecOps, empowering more than 50 million developers to ship secure, high‑quality software faster. As Lead Legal Counsel, Employment (EMEA), you will be a key partner in shaping how our all‑remote organization manages employment risk across diverse jurisdictions. Your strategic guidance will help align legal compliance with our mission to innovate, scale, and maintain the highest standards of fairness and inclusion. You will work closely with People Business Partners, Team Member Relations, and senior leaders to navigate the full employment lifecycle—from recruitment and onboarding to compensation, performance, leave, and separation. Your insights will drive the development of scalable legal processes, templates, and playbooks that enable consistent, efficient handling of recurring matters while ensuring the organization remains agile and compliant. WHAT YOU'LL DO You will provide senior, practical employment‑law advice to stakeholders across GitLab, balancing legal risk, business objectives, and company values. You will counsel on all phases of the employment relationship, including recruiting, onboarding, compensation, performance management, leave, employee relations, works council processes, organizational changes, separation, and post‑employment matters. You will draft, review, and negotiate employment agreements, separation agreements, policies, and related documentation across multiple EMEA jurisdictions, incorporating local counsel input where necessary. You will monitor legislative changes, assess legal risks, and translate developments into actionable recommendations for the organization. You will support litigation, appeals, agency investigations, and other contentious matters, coordinating strategy, fact development, and internal communication. You will lead the continuous improvement of scalable employment‑law processes, systems, and training programs for legal and People teams, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and mentorship. WHAT YOU'LL NEED You will hold a Juris Doctor, Bachelor of Laws, or equivalent, with admission to a governing body in an EMEA jurisdiction. You will have substantial experience advising a multinational company with works councils across multiple regions on employment matters throughout the employee lifecycle. You will possess deep knowledge of EMEA employment compliance requirements and the judgment to identify when local counsel is required. You will be adept at counseling senior leaders on sensitive and complex employee relations issues, investigations, litigation, compensation, and works council strategy. You will demonstrate strong drafting, negotiation, and communication skills, with a proven track record of translating complex legal concepts into clear, business‑focused guidance. WHY REMOTE GitLab’s distributed, asynchronous culture enables teams to collaborate across time zones without sacrificing productivity or connection. Our remote model offers a flexible schedule that respects individual work rhythms while ensuring alignment with global business needs. BENEFITS We provide comprehensive health coverage, a generous paid time off policy, a remote work stipend, and a dedicated learning budget to support your professional growth.