Executive Director, Employment Counsel

Responsibilities:
- Lead and set strategy for Alnylam’s global employment law function, aligned with enterprise growth objectives and evolving workforce strategy
- Establish and oversee governance frameworks for employment risk management, compliance, and policy development across jurisdictions
- Provide executive-level counsel and be a trusted partner to the CHRO, HR leadership, HR business partners, and functional heads on complex employment matters
- Contribute to Legal function strategy and serve as a senior leader within the Legal team
- Own and drive strategy for pre-litigation and litigation employment matters, including oversight of outside counsel, cost management, and resolution strategy
- Assess and proactively mitigate systemic employment risks (regulatory exposure, pay equity, classification, investigations, reorganizations, workforce actions)
- Lead negotiations with plaintiffs’ counsel and represent the Company in mediations and high-risk employment disputes
- Oversee the design, implementation, and evolution of employment-related policies and programs (performance management, restructuring, accommodations, leave, compensation)
- Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and international employment laws (FLSA, wage/hour, immigration, emerging regulatory requirements)
- Partner with HR and Compliance on enterprise training and education on employment law risk and best practices
- Advise Employee Relations, HR business partners, and Talent Acquisition on employment agreements, background checks, investigations, and workforce planning
- Collaborate with Compliance and Ethics on internal investigations and governance matters
- Support enterprise-wide initiatives (workforce expansions, organizational redesign, global growth, public health/regulatory response)
- Strategically manage external counsel relationships (selection, performance oversight, budget management)
- Determine when external expertise is required versus internally managed

Qualifications:
- Juris Doctor (JD); member in good standing of a U.S. Bar (Massachusetts preferred)
- 12+ years of progressive labor and employment law experience, including significant in-house experience in a complex, regulated industry (life sciences strongly preferred)
- Demonstrated ability to lead an employment law function or significant employment practice area with enterprise impact
- Deep expertise in employment litigation, wage and hour, investigations, workforce restructuring, compensation, immigration, and regulatory compliance
- Proven executive presence; ability to influence senior leaders on high-risk matters
- Strong strategic judgment balancing legal risk, business objectives, and organizational culture
- Experience operating in a global, matrixed organization
- High degree of integrity, discretion, and sound judgment

Benefits:
- Annual short-term incentive award and annual long-term incentive award (e.g., bonus or equity)
- Medical, dental, vision; life and disability insurance; lifestyle reimbursement; flexible spending and health savings accounts; 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off, wellness days, holidays, two company-wide recharge breaks; family resources and leave