Job DescriptionPosition Summary Serves as a key legal advisor to executive leadership and business partners across a large, multi-state construction enterprise, with a strong emphasis on California & Texas operations, overseeing all labor and employment legal matters.
Focuses on union relations, wage-and-hour compliance, class/collective action/PAGA strategy, and high-volume litigation risk, bringing deep expertise in all areas of employment law within a complex, fast-paced environment.
Position Details- Labor Relations and Union Strategy: Advise on collective bargaining agreements, project labor agreements, union negotiations, grievances, and arbitrations in heavily unionized environments; guide responses to union organizing activity and NLRB matters, including unfair labor practice charges; monitor significant developments in the NLRA, and partner with HR and Division to align labor strategy with project execution, particularly in California and Texas.
- California Employment Law and Compliance: Serve as subject matter expert on California employment law, including wage/hour, PAGA, CFRA, paid sick leave, and Cal/OSHA; develop California-specific policies and field guidance; and advise on classification issues (exempt/non-exempt and contractor status).
- Wage and Hour Litigation: Comprehensive guidance on wage and hour pay policies, with a particular focus on "per diem" or other expense reimbursement policies or incentive pay policies in union and non-union space; conduct wage/hour audits and manage FLSA suits, collective actions, and California class and PAGA representative actions.
- Litigation and Dispute Management: Oversee a high volume of employment litigation, including class actions; manage agency matters (DLSE, EEOC, DOL, Cal/OSHA, CA CRD); direct outside counsel and control legal spend; oversee and coordinate with internal partners on litigation holds, depositions and document production, and lead internal investigations and enterprise-wide risk mitigation.
- Business Partnership: Advise executives, HR, and operations on workforce decisions in a high-risk regulatory environment; support M&A activity with a focus on California / Texas labor and employment matters; and partner with payroll and HRIS teams to ensure compliance in execution.
- Policy and Governance: Build scalable compliance frameworks for high-regulation jurisdictions; monitor developments in employment law (including the ADA, FMLA, Title VII, PWFA, and state laws), wage/hour enforcement trends, particularly under the FLSA and CA law, Cal/OSHA developments, and restrictive covenants; and drive consistency and accountability across business units and project sites.
- Exercises significant independent legal judgment in overseeing labor and employment matters, leading class/collective/CA PAGA and litigation strategy, and directing outside counsel, within the authority delegated by the VP & General Counsel.
Qualifications - J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar membership required (California strongly preferred).
- Twelve or more years of labor and employment law experience with significant exposure to California/ Texas law, including at least five to seven years in-house handling sophisticated labor and employment issues. Construction, infrastructure, or project-based industry experience with unionized workforces strongly preferred.
- Deep expertise in California and/or Texas labor and employment regulatory environment, including PAGA and wage/hour law.
- Experience managing complex litigation, including class actions and representative actions, and strong familiarity with FLSA and multi-state compliance frameworks.
- Strategic, solutions-oriented mindset with strong risk judgment.
- Executive presence and the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
- Ability to balance legal risk with operational realities in the field.
- Strong negotiation and communication skills.
- Scholarly or ABA published writings, articles, CLE or client training on a L&E subject, demonstrating SME in this field.
- Primarily an office-based role; prolonged periods of sitting and computer/phone use.
- Occasional travel may be required to support investigations, hearings, mediations, and business needs across company locations, including California, Texas, and Northern Virginia.
Benefits As a 100% employee-owned company, we offer a comprehensive benefits package for you and your family:
- 401(k) plan with 50% company match (no cap) and immediate 100% vesting
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance (100% paid for employee)
- Annual bonus program based upon performance, achievement, and company profitability
- Term life, AD&D insurance, and voluntary life insurance
- Disability income protection insurance
- Pre-tax flexible spending plans (health and dependent care)
- Paid parental leave
- Paid holidays, vacation, and personal time
- Training/professional development opportunities and company-paid memberships for professional associations and licenses
- Wellness benefits
Pay: Final pay is determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data. For California this ranges from $240,000.00 - $270,000.00 plus annual incentive, benefits, and retirement program as outlined above.
Contingent Employment: All employment offers are contingent upon successful drug tests, background checks, and professional reference checks. Roles that include driving as an essential job duty will be required to have a successful Motor Vehicle Record check (MVR). We are not able to offer sponsorship of employment at this time.
External Agency Announcement: Its Southland Industries' policy not to accept candidate submissions from recruiting agencies without an active and authorized work order. Candidate ownership can only be established after a bona fide work order is issued by a member of the Southland Industries Talent Acquisition team and the candidate is appropriately submitted through our Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
