Head of Global Employment Law & Litigation

The 8x8 Legal team advises on strategic and operational decisions that impact the company globally. Practical legal and business judgment, competence, ability to collaborate and communicate across functions, workload management, and a client-focused approach are critical to success on our team. Working in a global, fast-paced technology company also demands that we are solutions-oriented and comfortable operating in a rapidly changing environment.

As Head of Global Employment Law & Litigation, you will be primarily responsible for global employment matters and litigation/dispute resolution. You will report directly to the Chief Legal Officer. You will work closely with members of the Global 8x8 Legal team and business leaders throughout the company. Your primary partner is People & Workplaces (also known as HR). P&W will define major initiatives and drive routine processes in which you play a pivotal role. You will also routinely collaborate with finance, security, and operations teams.

This role is fully remote.

Key Focus Areas

Global Employment Law

The ideal candidate brings strong expertise and experience in global employment law, including recruiting and hiring, internal investigations, disciplinary and performance management, HR advice, support and training, disability and accommodations, and employment litigation. This role requires deep experience in U.S. employment law plus meaningful experience beyond the U.S. (in particular, UK, EU and APAC are important to us), with a willingness and ability to develop expertise across specific jurisdictions.

Litigation & Dispute Management

The ideal candidate has strong communication skills, solid judgment, and the ability to take ownership of litigation and dispute matters-including employment and commercial matters. This role will direct all stages of litigation and engage/oversee outside counsel where appropriate, including pre-dispute engagement, initial case assessment, pleadings, factual investigation, discovery, dispositive motions, mediation, trial preparation, appeal, and settlement.

AI & Legal Technology

8x8's Legal team is committed to leveraging artificial intelligence and legal technology to enhance efficiency, quality, and speed. The ideal candidate is enthusiastic about adopting and championing AI tools-such as AI-assisted research, contract analysis, document review, and workflow automation-and will actively contribute to the team's culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

This is a unique opportunity for the right attorney to help define and execute the company's global employment roadmap for employment and litigation matters.

Responsibilities

Employment Law Advisory
• Deliver business-oriented, risk-balanced advice and counsel on the full range of employment law issues, including hiring, disciplinary actions, dismissals, reductions in force, complex employee relations issues, restructurings/redundancies, works councils, compensation and benefits, leaves, and employee privacy matters.
• Advise on FMLA compliance, disability accommodations under the ADA and analogous state and global laws, including complex situations involving overlapping leave, fitness-for-duty issues, and reasonable accommodation requests across 8x8's remote and distributed workforce.

• Partner with People & Workplaces on works council and collective employee relations matters.
• Create and revise global policies and procedures consistent with 8x8's values and compliant with applicable laws.
• Conduct and oversee internal employee investigations in coordination with Security and People & Workplaces
• Support global employment projects, including jurisdiction-specific policy development, handbook review and approval, and code of conduct updates.
• Advise on and support compliance with evolving pay transparency and pay equity requirements across 8x8's jurisdictions, including the EU and U.S.
• Monitor changes in global employment laws, regulations, and industry practices and provide proactive, practical guidance to the business.

Litigation & Dispute Resolution
• Lead all aspects of litigation and dispute resolution, including formulating strategy, managing discovery, preparing witnesses, drafting motions, and overseeing outside counsel through trial or resolution.
• Manage employment claims, commercial disputes, and administrative proceedings (EEOC, state agencies, arbitrations).
• Draft pre-litigation correspondence, demand letters, and subpoena responses.
• Work closely with legal, product, engineering, and business teams to proactively identify, counsel on, and mitigate litigation risks.
• Oversee and continuously improve internal litigation processes, matter management tools, and workflows.
• Identify, retain, and manage outside counsel; ensure accurate budgets, cost discipline, and timely accruals.

AI & Legal Innovation
• Actively use and champion AI-powered legal tools (e.g., AI-assisted legal research, document review, contract analysis, and workflow automation) to increase efficiency and quality of legal work product.
• Contribute to the Legal team's AI strategy by identifying opportunities to apply technology to employment law and litigation workflows.
• Stay current on AI developments in the legal industry and share best practices with the team.

Required Qualifications
• J.D. from a nationally recognized law school with strong academic credentials; active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar.
• 10+ years of relevant employment law and litigation experience, ideally combining 4+ years at a well-regarded law firm practicing employment litigation with meaningful in-house counsel experience at a multinational technology company.
• Substantial hands-on litigation experience, including managing discovery, deposing witnesses, drafting dispositive motions, guiding strategy, and overseeing matters through trial or resolution in state and federal courts as well as arbitrations.
• Deep expertise in U.S. employment law, with demonstrated experience advising on employment matters in at least the UK, EU or APAC.
• Proven ability to operate effectively as a strategic business partner-delivering practical, solutions-oriented legal advice that aligns with company goals and priorities and ability to calibrate risk effectively.
• Demonstrated AI fluency and enthusiasm for leveraging artificial intelligence tools to enhance legal work product, research, and operational efficiency. Comfort with emerging legal technology is essential.
• Excellent judgment, self-motivation, and integrity; ability to handle complex matters independently with minimal supervision in a remote environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a proven ability to build deep, trust-based relationships with stakeholders across functions and geographies.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced, complex organization-managing a substantial workload of time-sensitive matters while advancing longer-term strategic projects.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and promptly to both legal and non-legal audiences.

Preferred Qualifications
• Prior in-house experience at a publicly traded, multinational technology company.
• Experience managing or mentoring legal team members.
• Employment-related M&A experience, particularly employment-related diligence, integration, and risk assessment.
• Experience with eDiscovery platforms, matter management systems, and legal operations technology.
• Familiarity with navigating employment law and employee data concerns in light of global data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA).
• Experience advising on the employment law implications of AI deployment in the workplace (e.g., automated hiring tools, workforce monitoring, AI-driven performance management).
• Experience with employment aspects of corporate transactions, including TUPE, WARN Act, and workforce integration.

What We Offer
• A fully remote position within the United States with flexibility and autonomy.
• The opportunity to work on an AI-forward legal team that is redefining how in-house legal teams operate.
• Direct partnership with the Chief Legal Officer and executive leadership on strategic matters.
• A collaborative, high-trust culture that values innovation, intellectual curiosity, and continuous learning.
• Competitive compensation and benefits commensurate with experience.
• Access to cutting-edge AI and legal technology tools.

The compensation range reflects the Company's good faith belief at the time of posting. 8x8 has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. The range above reflects the potential base pay across the U.S. for this role; the applicable base pay range will depend on what ultimately is determined to be the candidate's primary work location. Further, individual base pay depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience, knowledge, success, education and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time. Certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, including discretionary merit increases, bonus and/or stock. Certain roles have the opportunity to earn sales variable compensation incentives based on the terms of the plan and the employee's role.

Salary Ranges:
$207,750.00 - $346,250.00