Assistant General Counsel Global Labor & Employment

Build your career at Sazerac! With almost 400 years of rich history, Sazerac Company has thrived as an independent, American family-owned company with operations in the United States and around the world. Since the 2000s, Sazerac has averaged double digit growth every year! Sazerac Company produces and markets the most award-winning bourbons and whiskeys in the world, including Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, and Sazerac Rye. Additionally, Sazerac owns many popular brands across a range of spirits, including Fireball, Southern Comfort, Seagram’s V.O., Myers’s, Goldschläger, Parrot Bay, 99 Brand, and Platinum Vodka. 

We’re proud of our award-winning culture and distilleries. Our Louisville office has been named one of the “Best Places to Work in Kentucky” four times, and our Buffalo Trace Distillery has earned the title of “world’s most award-winning distillery” through the dedication of our craftsmen for well over 200 years. Whether you’re a recent graduate or an experienced professional, Sazerac provides extraordinary opportunities for growth with competitive salaries and benefits in an exciting, entrepreneurial industry.

Sazerac Company is seeking an Assistant General Counsel – Global Labor & Employment to serve as the company’s senior legal advisor on employment and labor matters across our global operations.  This role will partner closely with executive leadership, Human Resources, and business leaders to shape and execute the company’s people strategy while ensuring compliance with complex and evolving employment laws. You will play a key leadership role within the Legal Department and will help design scalable legal systems, policies, and governance frameworks to support Sazerac’s continued global growth. The successful candidate will combine deep technical expertise in employment law with strong business judgment, leadership capability, and a proactive, solution-oriented mindset.  This is a unique opportunity to help shape the employment legal strategy of one of the world’s fastest growing global spirits companies.

What you'll do:

• Serve as the company’s lead legal advisor on labor and employment matters across the United States and internationally. Partner with executive leadership and HR leadership to proactively identify workforce-related legal risks and develop practical solutions aligned with business objectives. Provide strategic counsel on complex and sensitive employment matters, including executive separations, workforce restructuring, internal investigations, and high-risk personnel decisions. Support Sazerac’s rapid global expansion by helping design scalable employment frameworks, policies, and governance structures. 

• Partner with labor counsel and HR leadership on union-related matters including grievances, arbitrations, and collective bargaining issues where employment law considerations intersect with labor relations. Provide guidance to manufacturing leadership on labor-related employment risks. 

• Provide day-to-day legal guidance to HR leaders, plant leadership, and commercial teams on matters including: discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; wage and hour compliance, leave and accommodation laws, performance management and disciplinary actions, reductions in force,  restrictive covenants and protection of trade secrets, compliance with federal, state, and international employment laws 

• Lead legal strategy for employment litigation and administrative matters, including EEOC and state agency charges, employment litigation and class actions, and internal investigations. Manage outside counsel to ensure high-quality representation and cost-effective outcomes. Develop litigation strategies aligned with business priorities and risk tolerance. 

• Lead development and implementation of employment policies and programs supporting the company’s culture and compliance objectives. Provide training to HR leaders and management on employment law developments and best practices. Support the evolution of Sazerac’s Code of Conduct and compliance initiatives. 

• Develop processes and frameworks to manage employment risk across a growing global workforce. Identify opportunities to improve legal operations, standardize employment practices, and enhance collaboration between Legal and HR. Contribute to the continued development and sophistication of Sazerac’s global legal function. 

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership across the organization. Bring a business-first mindset that balances legal risk with commercial opportunity. Demonstrate enterprise thinking, considering the broader impact of decisions across the company. Lead with integrity and reinforce Sazerac’s commitment to winning the right way. Build strong cross-functional relationships across HR, operations, and commercial teams. Help mentor and develop legal and HR team members supporting employment matters. 

Required:

• Juris doctor (JD) or equivalent legal degree
• 8–12+ years of labor and employment law experience

• Active membership in at least one US State/DC bar 

• Deep expertise in US employment law with the ability to navigate global employment considerations
• Significant experience managing employment litigation and administrative agency matters

• Proven ability to counsel senior leaders on complex employment matters 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 

• Strong business judgment and ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced business environment
• Ability to travel up to 25%

Preferred:

• Prior in-house experience supporting a large or multinational organization 

• Experience supporting manufacturing environments, commercial sales organizations, or unionized workforces 

• Experience supporting global employment matters across multiple jurisdictions 
• Background in consumer-packaged goods, beverage alcohol, or other regulated industries

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