Assistant General Counsel - Labor & Employment
Job Summary
Geisinger is seeking an experienced Labor & Employment Attorney to provide strategic counsel and tactical legal support across a complex, mission-driven healthcare system. This role is designed for a sophisticated practitioner who is equally comfortable handling day-to-day labor and employment matters and advising executive and operational leaders on workforce-related risk, strategy, and decision-making. This attorney will serve as a trusted partner to Human Resources and operational leaders, owning a broad portfolio of labor and employment work while also contributing to enterprise-level thinking on workforce practices, compliance, and organizational change. The role requires strong judgment, practical problem-solving skills, and the ability to move fluidly between tactical execution and strategic advisory responsibilities. This is a high-impact role for an attorney who values proximity to the work and influence on strategic matters.
Job Duties
Serves as primary counsel on a wide range of labor and employment matters, personally handling issues across the full employee lifecycle, including hiring, compensation, performance management, discipline, leaves and accommodations, separations, and workforce reductions.
Provides timely, practical legal guidance to HR, clinical, and operational leaders on day-to-day employee relations matters, balancing legal risk, operational needs, and organizational culture.
Leads or directly supports internal investigations involving employee complaints, workplace conduct, discrimination, retaliation, and compliance concerns.
Advises on labor relations matters, including unionized environments, collective bargaining preparation, grievances, arbitrations, and unfair labor practice issues, as applicable.
Manages employment-related claims, administrative charges, and litigation, including oversight of outside counsel, litigation strategy, settlement considerations, and cost management.
Serves as a key escalation point for complex or high-risk employment matters requiring judgment and discretion.
Evaluates the appropriateness of utilizing outside counsel for specific projects or issues, determine the suitability of experience to effectively engage and utilize such resources, hold those outside resources accountable to their budget and act as the primary liaison to monitor performance.
Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of employees, including executive leadership.
Partners with HR leadership and operational teams to provide forward-looking counsel on workforce strategy, organizational change, and evolving employment models.
Identifies trends, risks, and opportunities within labor and employment law that may impact the organization, proactively advising on mitigation strategies and best practices.
Contributes to the development and refinement of employment-related policies, frameworks, and governance approaches aligned with legal requirements and Geisinger values.
Advises and supports the organization on communication needs related to employment and labor relations matters.
Supports preventive risk management through training, guidance, and practical tools for leaders and HR partners.
Promotes consistent, legally sound people practices across the organization by translating complex legal requirements into clear, actionable guidance.
Collaborates closely with peers across the Division of Legal Services to ensure integrated, consistent legal support and shared accountability for outcomes.
Work is typically performed in an office environment or work is done remotely. Accountable for satisfying all job specific obligations and complying with all organization policies and procedures. The specific statements in this profile are not intended to be all-inclusive. They represent typical elements considered necessary to successfully perform the job.
Position Details
Desired Attributes:
Comfortable operating in both tactical and strategic modes, depending on the situation.
Strong executive presence with the ability to communicate clearly and credibly at all levels of the organization.
Practical, business-minded approach to risk and problem-solving.
High integrity, sound judgment, and discretion in sensitive matters.
Collaborative mindset and commitment to Geisinger’s mission and values.
Additional Required Experience:
Demonstrated experience supporting complex, regulated organizations; healthcare or similarly regulated industry experience strongly preferred.
Strong working knowledge of federal and state labor and employment laws, including wage and hour, discrimination, leaves and accommodations, and labor relations.
Benefits at Geisinger:
Full benefits (health, dental and vision) starting on day one
Three medical plan choices, including an expanded network for out-of-area employees and dependents
Pre-tax savings plans with healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSA) and a health savings account (HSA) with employer contribution
Company-paid life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability coverage
401(k) plan that includes automatic Geisinger contributions
Generous paid time off (PTO) plan that allows you to accrue time quickly
Up to $5,000 in tuition reimbursement per calendar year
MyHealth Rewards wellness program to improve your health while earning a financial incentive
Family-friendly support including adoption and fertility assistance, parental leave pay, military leave pay and a free Care.com membership with discounted backup care for your loved ones
Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Referrals for childcare, eldercare, & pet care; Access free legal guidance, mental health visits, work-life support, digital self-help tools and more
Voluntary benefits including accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity insurance, identity theft protection, universal life and pet and legal insurance
Education
Juris Doctor- (Required)Experience
Minimum of 8 years-Labor & Employment law (Required)Certification(s) and License(s)
License to Practice Law in Pennsylvania within 6 months - The Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners; License to Practice Law - Default Issuing BodyAbout Geisinger
Founded more than 100 years ago by Abigail Geisinger, the system now includes ten hospital campuses, a 550,000-member health plan, two research centers and the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. With nearly 24,000 employees and more than 1,700 employed physicians, Geisinger boosts its hometown economies in Pennsylvania by billions of dollars annually. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Equal Opportunity Employer
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.
Our Vision & Values
Everything we do is about making better health easier for our patients, our members, our students, our Geisinger family and our communities.
KINDNESS: We strive to treat everyone as we would hope to be treated ourselves.
EXCELLENCE: We treasure colleagues who humbly strive for excellence.
LEARNING: We share our knowledge with the best and brightest to better prepare the caregivers for tomorrow.
INNOVATION: We constantly seek new and better ways to care for our patients, our members, our community, and the nation.
SAFETY: We provide a safe environment for our patients and members and the Geisinger family.
Our Benefits
We offer healthcare benefits for full time and part time positions from day one, including vision, dental and prescription coverage.
A place where you can lead a healthy lifestyle and follow your dreams.
Only at Geisinger.
Best employer for healthy lifestyles – National Business Group
Access to 121 state parks
