Director, Associate Employment Law Counsel - Vacaville, CA

Today, Lonza is a global leader in life sciences operating across three continents. While we work in science, there’s no magic formula to how we do it. Our greatest scientific solution is talented people working together, devising ideas that help businesses to help people. In exchange, we let our people own their careers. Their ideas, big and small, genuinely improve the world. And that’s the kind of work we want to be part of. 

Following our agreement with Roche to acquire the Vacaville manufacturing facility, we are now looking to recruit a Director, Associate Employment Law Counsel for the Vacaville site! 

Key Responsibilities:

The Director, Associate Employment Law Counsel will provide day-to-day employment law advice and counseling on a broad range of federal and state employment issues. This position will serve as the company’s California employment law expert for advice and counseling and litigation. The successful candidate will be the primary employment law support for the company’s California operations.

The ideal candidate will leverage their prior California law firm and/or in-house experience to provide thoughtful, timely, practical and business-minded legal advice to a variety of internal stakeholders including Lonza’s Human Resources department including HR Business Partners, Total Rewards, Benefits, Payroll, HR Services and business stakeholders. In particular, the Director, Associate Employment Law Counsel will provide day-to-day advice and counseling on all employment law matters including HR practices, performance management, internal investigations, terminations, reductions in force/reorganizations, recruiting, hiring, drug testing, leaves of absence, employee accommodations, pay equity, compensation and benefits, worker classification, and wage and hour matters.

The role requires counsel who has significant ability to provide pragmatic, solution oriented day-to-day employment advice and counseling on a broad range of employment issues in order to balance business impact and legal risk. This role will oversee outside counsel in handling administrative charges, government investigations and litigation while monitoring budgetary oversight on these matters.

In this role, the Director, Associate Employment Law Counsel will be a key contributor to the Lonza Legal team and report to a Senior Director, Employment Law Counsel.

Key Requirements:

• JD Degree required
• Deep knowledge and understanding of federal and California state employment laws to allow for timely advice and counsel on employment law issues that properly mitigate risk and meet business objectives.
• Partner closely with internal business stakeholders on employee complaints and investigations, and performance management.
• Conduct or oversee wage and hour practice audits to ensure compliance with the FLSA, the California Labor Code, including with respect to exempt/non-exempt classification, worker/independent contractor classification, administration of compensation programs, and timekeeping and payroll practices.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to develop strong processes to ensure compliance with applicable state and federal laws.
• Facilitate collection of data and preparation of state and federally mandated employment reports such as EEO-1, California Pay Data, and OFCCP.
• Provide support in employment litigation and administrative agency matters by developing strategy, assisting with discovery, and managing outside counsel.
• Develop and deliver various training to managers and employees.
• Monitor legislation, regulations, case law, and government enforcement activities relating to employment issues and provide proactive, strategic advice to the relevant stakeholders as necessary.
• Work and build trust with cross-functional partners from teams across the Legal Department and the company by providing accurate employment law advice in a way that business partners will understand and be able to utilize.
• Identify areas of company risk and make proposals for and lead implementation of mitigation strategies.
• Local travel required to Lonza’s Vacaville location on an as-needed basis.

This position is contingent upon Lonza’s successful completion of the acquisition of the site located in Vacaville, California (the “Closing”), currently anticipated to occur in H2, 2024.  If the Closin