Director, Labor and Employment Counsel (APAC & India)

Job Description

About the Role

NIQ is looking for an experienced Labor & Employment lawyer to join its Global L&E Legal team. As part of a highly specialized global employment law function, you will advise senior leaders, HR and business stakeholders on complex workplace matters spanning employee relations, investigations, workforce transformation, labor relations, litigation, compliance and employment risk management across multiple jurisdictions.

This is a high-impact role offering the opportunity to influence key people decisions, partner directly with senior leadership, and help shape employment strategy in one of the world's leading consumer intelligence companies. Success in this role requires sound legal judgment, commercial agility, strong stakeholder management skills, and the ability to deliver practical solutions in a dynamic global environment.

What You'll Do

As a member of NIQ's Global Labor & Employment Legal team, you will partner with business leaders, HR, Ethics & Compliance, and legal colleagues to navigate complex workforce challenges across multiple jurisdictions. You will serve as a trusted advisor on strategic employment matters, helping the business achieve its objectives while effectively managing legal and reputational risk.

Key Responsibilities:

Business Leadership & Decision-Making

• Provide clear, practical, and commercially focused labor and employment legal advice that enables business outcomes while effectively managing risk.
• Lead and oversee complex and sensitive workplace investigations and disciplinary processes, including matters involving senior executives and issues with significant legal, regulatory, and reputational implications.
• Exercise sound judgment on high-profile and challenging employment matters, balancing legal requirements, business priorities, employee experience, and organizational values.
• Translate legal and regulatory requirements into clear, actionable guidance for business leaders and HR partners.

Stakeholder Partnership & Influence

• Serve as a trusted advisor to HR and business leaders, building strong relationships across functions, geographies, and levels of the organization.
• Partner with HR and Ethics & Compliance teams to develop and implement employment, workplace conduct, and compliance programs that support a positive and ethical workplace culture.
• Communicate complex legal issues effectively to non-legal audiences, influencing decisions through credibility, insight, and pragmatic solutions.
• Lead labor and employment projects from strategy through execution, managing priorities, timelines, budgets, and stakeholder alignment.

Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Drive continuous improvement in legal service delivery, project management, and operational effectiveness.
• Leverage legal technology and AI responsibly to enhance efficiency, scalability, and business impact.
• Demonstrate integrity, accountability, inclusion, and professional excellence in all interactions.
• Contribute to a collaborative, high-performing legal team culture that values innovation, continuous learning, and shared success.

Why This Role Matters

This is a high-impact role at the intersection of law, business strategy, and organizational transformation. You will work directly with senior leaders on some of NIQ's most significant workforce and people-related decisions, helping shape outcomes across a truly global organization while influencing culture, governance, and risk management at scale.

Qualifications

Qualifications & Experience

• We are seeking a seasoned employment lawyer who combines deep legal expertise with strong business acumen, sound judgment, and the ability to influence outcomes in a complex global environment.
• The ideal candidate will possess:
• Admission to practice law in at least one common law jurisdiction, preferably Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, or the United Kingdom.
• A minimum of 12 years' post-qualification experience in labor and employment law including substantive experience advising on employee relations, workplace investigations, disciplinary proceedings, labor and union matters, employment disputes, and litigation.
• At least 5 years of in-house legal experience within a multinational organization, or a combination of leading law firm and in-house experience and demonstrated experience with multiple jurisdictions in APAC (including but not limited to India, Singapore, China, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam)
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, sensitive, and high-profile employment matters independently, including investigations involving senior leaders and matters with significant legal, regulatory, reputational, and business implications.
• Strong knowledge of employment law principles and practical experience supporting workforce transformations, restructurings, business reorganizations, M&A transactions, outsourcing initiatives, and other strategic business changes.
• Proven ability to exercise independent judgment, navigate ambiguity, and make sound decisions in fast-paced and evolving environments.
• Exceptional analytical and conceptual thinking skills, with the ability to distill complex legal and business issues into practical, risk-based recommendations.
• Excellent organizational, prioritization, and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to communicate complex legal issues clearly and persuasively to senior business leaders and non-legal audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to build credibility and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization, including senior executives and cross-functional partners.
• Experience partnering effectively with HR, Ethics & Compliance, Privacy, Security, and business leaders on policy development, workplace conduct matters, compliance initiatives, employee training, investigations, and employment-related governance programs.
• High levels of integrity, professionalism, resilience, discretion, and personal accountability, particularly when handling confidential and sensitive matters.
• Agility and adaptability to work across functions, geographies, cultures, and organizational levels, with the ability to effectively engage and influence stakeholders both upstream and downstream in the decision-making process.
• A collaborative mindset with the ability to work both independently and as part of a high-performing global team.
• A pragmatic, business-oriented, and solutions-focused approach, balanced with strong legal judgment and risk awareness.

Technical & Technology Skills

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.
• Strong working knowledge of legal technology, data analytics, and AI-enabled productivity tools.
• Demonstrated ability to leverage AI tools responsibly and effectively to improve legal service delivery, efficiency, and decision-making, including tools such as Microsoft Copilot, Glean, Harvey, and similar legal and enterprise AI platforms.
• Comfortable adopting new technologies and driving innovation in legal operations, knowledge management, and legal project delivery.

Additional Information

Success Profile

The successful candidate is a trusted advisor who combines legal excellence with commercial pragmatism. They are intellectually curious, highly adaptable, detail-oriented, and comfortable operating in ambiguity. They possess the confidence to lead independently, the humility to collaborate effectively, and the judgment to influence complex decisions while upholding NIQ's values of integrity, accountability, inclusion, and excellence.

• Qualified lawyer in an APAC district
• Experience in labor and employment law in APAC, including demonstrated knowledge and experience of labor & employment law across multiple APAC jurisdictions.
• Substantial experience and success in working with senior management and international environments.
• Project management experience.
• A sophisticated understanding of business and commerce to ensure that a compliant environment is aligned with corporate business objectives.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills.
• Must be a self-starter and finisher with the ability to efficiently complete projects with minimal oversight.
• Hands-on, roll up your sleeves attorney who can work well in a fast-paced environment.
• Able to work collaboratively across multiple functions in a team environment to implement complex programs; strong inter-personal skills; team player with a sense of humor and ability to deal effectively with individuals at all levels.
• The experience and confidence to push for change and, when appropriate, challenge the status quo, in a way that will be heard and respected.
• Unquestioned integrity and ethics in business and personal conduct.
• Ability to distill complex legal concepts and issues in a manner to make them understandable to non-legal specialists.
• Strong decision-making aptitude.
• Strategic and solutions-oriented approach to problem solving, especially in ambiguous situations.
• Excellent risk identification and mitigation skills.

Our Benefits

• Flexible working environment
• Volunteer time off
• LinkedIn Learning
• Employee-Assistance-Program (EAP)

NIQ may utilize artificial intelligence (AI) tools at various stages of the recruitment process, including résumé screening, candidate assessments, interview scheduling, job matching, communication support, and certain administrative tasks that help streamline workflows. These tools are intended to improve efficiency and support fair and consistent evaluation based on job-related criteria. All use of AI is governed by NIQ’s principles of fairness, transparency, human oversight, and inclusion. Final hiring decisions are made exclusively by humans. NIQ regularly reviews its AI tools to help mitigate bias and ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. If you have questions, require accommodations, or wish to request human review were permitted by law, please contact your local HR representative. For more information, please visit NIQ’s AI Safety Policies and Guiding Principles: https://nielseniq.com/global/en/info/niqs-ai-safety-policies/

About NIQ

NIQ is the world’s leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. In 2023, NIQ combined with GfK, bringing together the two industry leaders with unparalleled global reach. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights—delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms—NIQ delivers the Full ViewTM. NIQ is an Advent International portfolio company with operations in 100+ markets, covering more than 90% of the world’s population.

For more information, visit NIQ.com

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Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At NIQ, we are steadfast in our commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace that mirrors the rich diversity of the communities and markets we serve. We believe that embracing a wide range of perspectives drives innovation and excellence. All employment decisions at NIQ are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. We invite individuals who share our dedication to inclusivity and equity to join us in making a meaningful impact. To learn more about our ongoing efforts in diversity and inclusion, please visit the https://nielseniq.com/global/en/news-center/diversity-inclusion