Senior Employment & Commercial Litigation Counsel

The Legal and Compliance team provides key support for all of TikTok USDS Joint Venture's innovative initiatives, state-of-the-art products, and integrated platforms. We help our technology, business, and functional teams enable their vision by providing seamless, integrated legal and compliance guidance and support. Within Legal and Compliance, the Litigation and Regulatory team handles a dynamic, high-volume portfolio of cutting-edge litigation and regulatory matters.

We are seeking a highly experienced, strategic, and self-motivated Senior Employment & Commercial Litigation Counsel to join our legal team. Reporting directly to the Head of Litigation & Regulatory, this role will serve as the lead lawyer for day-to-day handling of employment litigation matters and a variety of commercial litigation matters.

In this position, you will work closely with the Employment Legal, HR, and ER teams to provide critical legal guidance and serve as the primary owner of employment pre-litigation and litigation matters. In addition, you will work with other members of the Litigation & Regulatory team, as well as with cross-functional partners and business teams, on a wide range of civil and commercial litigation and pre-litigation issues.

The ideal candidate is an experienced employment and commercial litigator with both law firm and in-house experience independently handling high-stakes, sensitive, and complex litigation matters in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage Employment Litigation: Serve as the day-to-day lead on employment litigation matters. Independently evaluate, manage, and resolve single-plaintiff claims, class/PAGA actions, arbitrations, and administrative agency proceedings (EEOC, CRD, state DOLs, etc.), among other matters. Partner with Employment Legal, HR, and Employee Relations, to manage and/or advise on pre-litigation dispute resolution, risk mitigation strategies, settlement negotiations, and internal investigations.
• Handle Commercial and Civil Litigation Matters: Lead and manage a diverse portfolio of civil and complex commercial litigation from pre-litigation through appeal, including class actions, torts, contract, and IP claims. Drive case strategy, oversee motions practice and discovery, manage outside counsel, set budgets, evaluate corporate risk, and defend the company in a dynamic range of commercial disputes and social media litigation.
• Assist with e-Discovery, Matter Management, and Legal Operations: Oversee legal hold, preservation, and e-Discovery workflows, including data collection, processing, and document review, in close coordination with internal e-Discovery teams and external vendors across complex enterprise infrastructure. Direct litigation operations and matter management, including managing external law firm billing, litigation budgets, accruals, and resource allocation, while building scalable internal processes and reporting.
• Cross-Functional Advocacy: Partner with a broad range of cross-functional internal teams to ensure seamless and proactive legal support, eliminating information gaps, silos, and operational bottlenecks. Serve as a trusted advisor to business leaders on litigation risk management, policy enforcement, and dispute resolution in high-stakes scenarios.

Minimum Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school and active bar membership in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 12+ years of litigation experience, including substantial experience in both employment and complex civil and commercial litigation (law firm and in-house experience preferred).
• Expert knowledge of relevant statutory frameworks, such as California and Federal employment law (e.g., FEHA, Title VII, FLSA, Labor Code, PAGA), along with strong familiarity with federal and state civil procedure.
• Proven track record of leading cross-disciplinary litigation teams, managing joint defense groups, overseeing complex employment and commercial litigation and advising on high-profile, sensitive investigations and pre-litigation matters.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to deliver practical, risk-adjusted legal advice.
• High EQ relationship-builder, with an attitude of collaboration, flexibility, a growth-mindset, team player, and humility.
• High level of integrity, professional judgment, acute attention to detail, and a deeply solution-oriented mindset.

Preferred Qualifications

• Law firm employment litigation experience defending major technology, corporate, or media clients in complex single-plaintiff and class action litigation and arbitration.
• Law firm litigation experience leading complex commercial litigation matters, such as breach of contract disputes, corporate governance claims, unfair competition actions, class actions, IP claims, individual and mass torts, and more.
• In-house experience, particularly within a fast-paced technology or media environment, managing an active, fast-paced litigation docket, legal operations, and e-Discovery.
• Experience handling highly sensitive or confidential matters involving trade secrets, proprietary technology, or national security.