Senior Employment Counsel

sierra· Legal
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📍 San Francisco, CAFullTime💰 USD 225K–275K

About this role

About us

At Sierra, we’re building a platform to enable every company in the world to build better, more human customer experiences with AI. We partner with industry leaders such SoftBank, Uber, Rivian, CLEAR, and Sutter Health. We are primarily an in-person company based in San Francisco, with growing offices across North America, Europe, and Asia.

We are guided by a set of values that are at the core of our actions and define our culture: Trust, Customer Obsession, Craftsmanship, Intensity, and Family. These values are the foundation of our work, and we are committed to upholding them in everything we do.

Our co-founders are Bret Taylor and Clay Bavor. Bret currently serves as Board Chair of OpenAI. Previously, he was co-CEO of Salesforce (which had acquired the company he founded, Quip) and CTO of Facebook. Bret was also one of Google's earliest product managers and co-creator of Google Maps. Before founding Sierra, Clay spent 18 years at Google, where he most recently led Google Labs. Earlier, he started and led Google’s AR/VR effort, Project Starline, and Google Lens. Before that, Clay led the product and design teams for Google Workspace. 

What you'll do

We’re hiring a Senior Employment Counsel to be a core member of Sierra’s legal team. We are looking for someone who has deep expertise in employment and labor matters, including global employment/HR matters. You will thrive in dynamic environments, enjoy tackling challenges beyond your comfort zone, and be excited to contribute across the business. In return, we’ll provide the support and opportunities you need to grow and excel as a lawyer. You’ll be part of a legal team that is highly respected within both the company and the broader legal industry—committed to excellence, collaboration, and making a meaningful impact.

  • Employment and Labor Counseling: Serve as the primary employment law advisor to Sierra's People team and business leaders on a broad range of employment and labor matters, including recruiting and hiring, employee relations, performance management, terminations and separations, wage and hour compliance, leaves of absence, accommodations, immigration, secondments, and employee classification.

  • Employment Agreements; Playbooks: Draft, negotiate, and advise on employment-related documents including offer letters, PIIAs, separation and release agreements, equity documentation, compensation plans. Develop and maintain policies, templates, and playbooks to drive consistency and speed at scale.

  • Compensation and Equity: Advise on employment aspects of equity compensation programs, including offer letter and compensation structuring, tax considerations, and international plan mechanics.

  • Scaling: Support employment law matters across Sierra's international offices, working with local outside counsel to ensure jurisdictional compliance while maintaining alignment with global People practices and guidelines.

  • Partnership: Collaborate closely with the People, Finance, and business teams to support hiring, organizational change, and scaling in a high-growth environment. Develop and deliver training programs on employment law topics for People team members, managers, and employees.

What you'll bring

  • 6+ years of legal experience, with a combination of large law firm and in-house experience at a tech company.

  • Demonstrated depth in US state and federal employment law and broad US employment matters.

  • Experience advising on international employment across multiple jurisdictions, with exposure to UK, EU, APAC, and/or LatAm employment law strongly preferred.

  • Excellent drafting skills and the ability to produce clean, business-ready employment documents with minimal supervision.

  • Strong judgment and the ability to operate as a trusted advisor to HR and business leaders, translating legal risk into practical, actionable guidance.

Even better...

  • A passion for AI, with a deep understanding of AI products, LLMs and the related legal issues, and personal experience with integrating AI into your work.

  • Significant law firm experience at a top-tier, internationally recognized law firm.

  • Experience working at and scaling a global employment/HR program at a high-growth technology company.

  • Experience with international equity compensation mechanics and other non-US employee equity programs.

Our values

  • Trust: We build trust with our customers with our accountability, empathy, quality, and responsiveness. We build trust in AI by making it more accessible, safe, and useful. We build trust with each other by showing up for each other professionally and personally, creating an environment that enables all of us to do our best work.

  • Customer Obsession: We deeply understand our customers’ business goals and relentlessly focus on driving outcomes, not just technical milestones. Everyone at the company knows and spends time with our customers. When our customer is having an issue, we drop everything and fix it.

  • Craftsmanship: We get the details right, from the words on the page to the system architecture. We have good taste. When we notice something isn’t right, we take the time to fix it. We are proud of the products we produce. We continuously self-reflect to continuously self-improve.

  • Intensity: We know we don’t have the luxury of patience. We play to win. We care about our product being the best, and when it isn’t, we fix it. When we fail, we talk about it openly and without blame so we succeed the next time.

  • Family: We know that balance and intensity are compatible, and we model it in our actions and processes. We are the best technology company for parents. We support and respect each other and celebrate each other’s personal and professional achievements.

What we offer

We want our benefits to reflect our values and offer the following to full-time employees:

  • Flexible (unlimited) paid time off

  • Medical, dental, and vision benefits for you and your family

  • Life insurance and disability benefits

  • Retirement plan dependent on country of employment

  • Parental leave

  • Fertility and family building benefits through Carrot

  • Lunch, as well as delicious snacks and coffee to keep you energized 

  • Discretionary benefit stipend giving people the ability to spend where it matters most

  • Free alphorn lessons

These benefits are further detailed in Sierra's policies, may vary by region, and are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefits plans. Eligible full-time employees can participate in Sierra's equity plans subject to the terms of the applicable plans and policies.

Be you, with us

We're working to bring the transformative power of AI to every organization in the world. To do so, it is important to us that the diversity of our employees represents the diversity of our customers. We believe that our work and culture are better when we encourage, support, and respect different skills and experiences represented within our team. We encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't precisely match the job description. We strive to evaluate all applicants consistently without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the Senior Employment Counsel role at sierra?
The listed salary for this Senior Employment Counsel position at sierra is USD 225K–275K. This is an FullTime role.
Where is the Senior Employment Counsel position at sierra located?
This Senior Employment Counsel role at sierra is based in San Francisco, CA. The position is listed as on-site or hybrid. Check the full job description or apply directly to confirm the work arrangement.
Is the Senior Employment Counsel role at sierra full-time or part-time?
This is listed as a FullTime position. It is posted as a Senior Employment Counsel role in the Legal department at sierra.
Which team or department does the Senior Employment Counsel at sierra belong to?
This Senior Employment Counsel position is part of the Legal department at sierra. See the full job description for more information about the team structure and responsibilities.
How do I apply for the Senior Employment Counsel position at sierra?
Click the "Apply Now" button on this page. You will be redirected to sierra's official application portal hosted on ashby where you can submit your application directly.
When was the Senior Employment Counsel job at sierra posted?
This Senior Employment Counsel position at sierra was posted on Jun 26, 2026. Apply as soon as possible — early applications are often reviewed first.
Senior Employment Counsel
sierra · 💰 USD 225K–275K
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