Employment Counsel

About Whatnot

Whatnot operates as the biggest live shopping platform across North America and Europe, allowing users to buy, sell, and discover products from numerous categories including trading cards, fashion, electronics, and live plants. Its sellers develop thriving businesses through this innovative live commerce platform, growing a market that has no existing precedent in the Western world. Whatnot's global teams, including hubs in the US, UK, Ireland, Poland, Germany, and Australia, move rapidly and focus on impactful customer-centered work.

Role Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled Employment Counsel to support Whatnot's Legal team by providing employment law guidance across Ireland, the UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, and other expanding international locations. This role involves collaborating closely with the People team and business leaders to manage diverse employment issues, from hiring and performance management to workplace investigations and compliance obligations. The position requires expertise in multiple jurisdictions and the ability to offer pragmatic, risk-prioritized legal advice to enable scalable international growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted legal advisor for the People team and management on a diverse spectrum of employment matters including recruitment, compensation, disciplinary processes, restructuring, workplace investigations, discrimination issues, benefits administration, and compliance with labor relations frameworks such as works councils and trade unions.
• Design, apply, and scale employment policies, programs, and practices aligned with Whatnot’s culture and values, thereby supporting international business expansion.
• Prepare and review documentation related to employment agreements, equity compensation, settlements, restrictive covenants, and separations.
• Offer guidance on GDPR and related employee data privacy issues, managing compliance across jurisdictions.
• Identify employment-related legal risks proactively and propose actionable, business-aligned solutions that maintain compliance without slowing business operations.
• Collaborate with HR on training, employee handbooks, and policy interpretation.
• Keep abreast of labor law developments globally, providing clear updates and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Manage and oversee external legal counsel for employment litigation, immigration, and regulatory matters across several countries.
• Handle employment disputes, pre-litigation processes, and coordinate litigation strategies alongside external counsel.
• Support new-market entry including hiring and establishing compliant employment structures.

Candidate Profile

• Legal qualification to practice in Ireland and/or the UK with more than 8 years of focused employment law experience, ideally including in-house legal roles.
• Strong depth of knowledge in Irish and UK employment laws plus relevant experience advising in additional countries, particularly Germany, Japan or Australia.
• Proven ability handling cross-border employment challenges such as collective bargaining, global mobility, compliance, and restructurings.
• Experienced in data protection laws related to recruitment and employee information management.
• Comfortable acting autonomously as a law specialist, providing sound, pragmatic counsel across multiple international time zones.
• Prior involvement with developing or scaling employment legal functions in growing multinational companies is advantageous.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, excellent judgment, strong written and verbal communication ability.
• Capability to thrive in a dynamic environment requiring independent problem solving and clear decision-making under pressure.

Additional Information

Employment is remote but requires residing within commuting distance of the Dublin, Ireland office hub to facilitate occasional in-person collaboration. This role is critical to support ongoing international expansion efforts.

Benefits Package

• Generous vacation and paid time off policies.
• Comprehensive health insurance including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Support for remote working arrangements including home office setup allowances.
• Monthly stipends for phone, internet, wellness, and childcare assistance.
• Family planning benefits, such as adoption and fertility support.
• Retirement savings plans with employer matching in the US and pension schemes internationally.
• Allowance for active engagement with the Whatnot platform as a user to deepen product knowledge.
• Parental leave including 16 weeks paid and a gradual return to work option.

Diversity & Equal Opportunity

Whatnot is an Equal Opportunity Employer, embracing a diverse workforce and prohibiting discrimination based on characteristics protected by law including race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, and more. We believe diversity enhances our work and company culture.

Compensation Details

The expected salary range is €173,000 to €251,000 annually.