Employment Counsel, Americas

US - San Francisco · US - Seattle · US - New York · 5+ years experience · Full-time · Hybrid · Posted Sep 25, 2026

At a glance

Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 250,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale.
Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,300 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 27 offices around the globe. Valued at US$11 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us.

The Employment Counsel for the Americas will serve as a hands-on partner to the People & Talent team, managing high-risk employment matters including terminations, investigations, and employee relations. This role involves owning US employment law while coordinating multi-jurisdictional advice and building the playbooks for a scaling employment function.

Advise the People & Talent team and business leaders on the full employee lifecycle including hiring, contracts, performance management, and wage and hour compliance.
Lead workplace investigations and sensitive employee matters end-to-end.
Draft, refresh, and own employment-related policies and templates.
Manage employment disputes, agency charges, and litigation, including instructing external counsel.
Coordinate multi-jurisdiction employment advice across APAC, EMEA, and the Americas.
Advise on contractor and employer-of-record arrangements, cross-border remote work, and mobility risk.
Advise on compensation, benefits, and equity matters in a private company context.

J.D. degree (or foreign equivalent) and active membership in at least one US state bar (California, Washington, or New York preferred).
5+ years of employment law experience at a leading law firm and/or in-house legal department.
Demonstrated employment counseling experience beyond litigation alone.
Experience advising on and coordinating employment law advice across multiple jurisdictions.
Experience leading workplace investigations and managing employment disputes, agency charges, or tribunal matters.
Ability to translate complex legal and risk issues into clear, actionable guidance for non-legal audiences.
High motivation and ability to operate independently in a fast-paced environment.

Experience at a fintech, payments company, or other highly regulated business.
Experience with contractor classification, employer-of-record populations, or cross-border remote work and permanent establishment risk.
Learner's mentality with a desire to expand practice beyond current areas of expertise.
Comfort operating across time zones with a globally distributed team.