Associate General Counsel - Labor and Employment

Job Description Summary

The Office of the Senior Vice President and General Counsel at the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine seeks a full-time Labor and Employment attorney to provide sophisticated legal expertise in advising and representing the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine in all aspects of labor and employment-related matters and activities.

Job Responsibilities

Employment Counseling & Compliance

• Provide practical, risk-based guidance on compliance with federal, state and local employment laws, including wage and hour, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, leave entitlements, and workplace accommodations.
• Analyze and advise on the intersection of employment laws and collective bargaining obligations, ensuring alignment between policies, CBAs, and statutory requirements.
• Stay abreast of legal and compliance issues that may affect higher education and/or academic medical centers from a labor and/or employment perspective and partner with internal stakeholders to appropriately address such issues.

Employment Actions & Investigations

• Counsel HR and management on discipline, performance management, investigations, and employee separations, including just-cause standards and contractual procedures where applicable.
• Advise on restructurings, reductions in force, and operational changes, including bargaining obligations and union notice requirements.

Litigation & Administrative Proceedings

• Represent or manage employment and labor matters before agencies such EEOC, PHRC, PCHR, DOL, OSHA, NLRB, NJ DCR and state and federal courts.
• Oversee responses to administrative charges, subpoenas, and agency investigations involving both labor and employment claims.

Labor Relations & Union Environment

• Serve as a legal advisor on labor relations in a unionized setting, including collective bargaining strategy, contract interpretation, and labor-management relations.
• Advise management on compliance with the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and applicable state labor laws.
• Draft, review, and interpret collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), memoranda of understanding, side letters, and labor-related policies.
• Advise management on CBA interpretation, including with respect to grievances.
• Support management during collective bargaining negotiations, including preparation of proposals, analysis of counterproposals, and risk assessment, as well as during CBA implementation.
• Represent management in or oversee arbitrations and unfair labor practice matters, including preparation of cases and/or coordination with outside counsel as needed.
• Counsel on union organizing activity, protected concerted activity, strikes, work stoppages, and other labor disputes.

Policies, Training & Strategic Support

• Draft and update employment policies, labor-related procedures, and management guidance applicable to unionized and non-unionized employees.
• Develop and deliver training for leadership, clinicians, managers, and HR personnel on labor relations, contract administration, and employment law compliance.
• Partner with leadership to proactively identify labor and employment risks and develop strategic solutions.
• Provide on-call attorney advice periodically to Penn Medicine clients.