Employment Counsel

The Role GTI is seeking an experienced in-house employment attorney to join our Legal team. In this role, you'll serve as a trusted partner to the People team and business leaders across GTI's multi-state operations – providing practical, business-focused guidance across the full employee lifecycle, from day-to-day employment matters and EEOC charges to complex leave and accommodation issues. The ideal candidate brings strong employment law experience, a solutions-oriented mindset, and the ability to build trusted partnerships across the organization – delivering clear, actionable legal guidance that enables the business to move quickly while protecting the company. Responsibilities • Serve as the dedicated employment law advisor to GTI’s People team and other business partners across all multi-state retail, production, and corporate operations, providing practical, risk-calibrated guidance across the full employee lifecycle – from hiring and onboarding through performance management, compensation, accommodations, and separations. • Advise on internal workplace investigations involving employee misconduct, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, ensuring outcomes are consistent, lawful, and aligned with GTI’s values. • Own GTI’s EEOC charge and administrative agency complaint process end-to-end – drafting position statements, coordinating fact-gathering, responding to agency requests, and driving matters to resolution prior to litigation. • Collaborate closely with the Associate General Counsel – Litigation when matters escalate beyond the administrative stage, ensuring seamless handoff and consistent strategy on active employment-related cases. • Serve as a trusted legal advisor on complex employee benefits escalations, interpreting applicable laws and regulations, counseling cross-functional partners, and identifying emerging legal risks requiring further action. • Advise the People team on complex leave of absence and reasonable accommodation matters across GTI’s operating states, ensuring consistent application of federal and state requirements. • Partner with the People team to proactively manage risk, draft and maintain employment policies, and advise on workforce strategy, employee relations, and all aspects of employment law compliance. • Review form employment agreements, offer letters, separation and severance agreements, and the templates People and Talent Acquisition teams use day-to-day. • Design and deliver practical employment law training for managers and the People team, covering high-risk areas such as terminations, accommodations, investigations, and wage and hour compliance. • Collaborate with Assistant General Counsel – Labor, as needed, to support GTI’s labor relations strategy and union matters. • Stay current on federal, state, and local employment law developments across GTI’s operating markets; manage compliance plans in response to legislative changes and translate developments into actionable guidance for business partners. • Partner with the People team and other business leaders to spot early warning signs across complaints, investigations, and exits, and drive corrective action where possible. • Own and maintain the employee handbook and all state-specific addenda, ensuring policies remain current, legally compliant, and reflective of regulatory changes across all jurisdictions in which GTI operates. Qualifications • J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar admission in the state where the attorney resides, or eligibility to practice as registered in-house counsel. • 6+ years of employment law experience, with in-house experience preferred. • Strong working knowledge of employment laws – including discrimination, employee leave, wage and hour, and employee relations – under federal, state, and local frameworks. • Experience navigating multi-state compliance complexity; cannabis industry or other highly regulated industry experience a plus. • Demonstrated ability to partner effectiv…