Associate Counsel- Employment

About Rippling Rippling gives businesses one place to run HR, IT, and Finance. It brings together all of the workforce systems that are normally scattered across a company, like payroll, expenses, benefits, and computers. For the first time ever, you can manage and automate every part of the employee lifecycle in a single system. Take onboarding, for example. With Rippling, you can hire a new employee anywhere in the world and set up their payroll, corporate card, computer, benefits, and even third-party apps like Slack and Microsoft 365—all within 90 seconds. Based in San Francisco, CA, Rippling has raised $1.4B+ from the world’s top investors—including Kleiner Perkins, Founders Fund, Sequoia, Greenoaks, and Bedrock—and was named one of America's best startup employers by Forbes. We prioritize candidate safety. Please be aware that all official communication will only be sent from @ Rippling.com addresses. About the role We are looking for a sharp, highly-motivated attorney to join as the third Employment Counsel on our Legal & Compliance team. In this role, you will partner closely with our HR Team, recruiting function, and various product and business teams to shape employment and HR compliance for Rippling's rapidly expanding global workforce (~6000 employees). Creative, proactive, and pragmatic legal guidance will be crucial to this role, and you will have an opportunity to make real impact at scale. You will also help drive the compliance culture at Rippling and embed integrity in all of our operations as the company continues to grow. What you will do Advise on a broad range of employment law matters, including terminations, accommodations, recruiting, employee relations, compensation and benefits, wage and hour, and workplace investigations. Partner with our human resources and talent teams to develop scalable, forward-looking employment policies, programs, and training. Leverage AI to streamline and scale HR and legal operations, while ensuring our use of AI remains legally sound and compliant. Manage employment litigation matters across all stages with external counsel from pre-litigation (demand letters, agency charges) through formal proceedings (arbitrations, civil litigation). Design and drive internal HR audits (documentation, classification/wage and hour, I-9s, etc.). Partner with outside counsel on global employment matters to shape internal global employment and HR compliance at Rippling (employment agreements, policies, day-to-day operations, performance management, terminations). Monitor and self-study on regulatory developments relevant to the HR industry and drive compliance on new employment laws. Assist with Rippling's general corporate legal activities, including ethics, litigation and risk management, and more — there's no shortage of interesting work here. What you will need 3+ years of experience directly related to this role, including at a law firm, in-house, and/or other relevant roles. Solid grounding in employment law with experience advising on major federal and California employment laws. Bonus points for wage and hour experience (particularly California/PAGA) and/or global employment law expertise. Entrepreneurial mindset (flexible, self-starting and hard-working) in generating new and innovative solutions to build out the Legal & Compliance program. Tech-forward mindset with hands-on experience using AI, or a strong interest in doing so — you're excited about using technology to scale your impact and are thoughtful about the compliance and risk considerations that come with AI in employment law. Demonstrated solution-oriented business and legal judgment. Strong project management and organizational skills. Excellent communicator both internally and externally, with the ability to break down complex legal jargon into easy-to-understand and practical advice. Sense of humor. Law degree (e.g. JD or equivalent). Additional Information Rippling is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed t