Paralegal - Employment Law

The Legal Department is seeking an experienced, detail-oriented Employment Law Paralegal to support internal employment legal matters, workplace compliance, and litigation management. This role partners closely with in-house employment counsel, Human Resources, and business leaders to manage workplace legal risk, maintain legal compliance across jurisdictions, and support internal processes.

What You'll Do:

• Policy Drafting & Compliance: Assist in drafting, updating, and reviewing company handbooks, multi-state employment policies, code of conduct updates, and standard operating procedures to ensure compliance with evolving employment laws.
• Separation and Employment Agreements: Draft, tailor, and track standardized and custom employment agreements and severance and release agreements in compliance with applicable law (e.g., OWBPA, state-specific rules).
• Subpoena & Legal Process Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for third-party subpoenas, employment record requests, and agency inquiries; coordinate responsive document collection and redacting.
• Litigation & Pre-Litigation Dispute Support: Assist in-house counsel and outside defense counsel with employment claims and EEOC/state agency charges. Manage litigation holds, e-discovery collection, and document productions.
• Internal Investigations: Assist in-house counsel with workplace investigations. Coordinate interview logistics, take detailed investigation notes, compile evidence files, and organize final reports.
• Independent Contractor Classification: Review engagements to assess proper worker classification (W-2 vs. 1099) under federal, state, and local legal tests; maintain classification documentation and records.
• Legal Research: Conduct legal research on statutory, regulatory, and case law developments regarding wage and hour regulations, leave laws, and general labor and employment compliance.

What You'll Bring:

• Education & Certification: Bachelor’s degree or Paralegal Certificate from an ABA-approved program preferred.
• Experience: 4–6 years of paralegal experience specializing in employment law, with a strong mix of law firm and in-house corporate legal department experience preferred.
• Core Competencies:
  • Working knowledge of federal and state employment laws (FLSA, FMLA, Title VII, ADA, ADEA, state wage-and-hour laws).
  • Proficiency with legal research databases (Westlaw/LexisNexis) and document management systems.
  • High degree of discretion and sound judgment when handling confidential, sensitive employee matters.
  • Exceptional written communication, proofreading, and organizational skills.

Salary range: $68,000 - $85,000

FLSA Status: Non-exempt 

This position is classified as remote but is tied to our New York, NY office located at 120 Broadway. Employment is subject to New York State tax withholding under applicable regulations. 

Macmillan Publishers is the U.S. trade company that is part of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large family-owned group of media companies headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Holtzbrinck Publishing Group's publishing companies include prominent imprints around the world that publish a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and formats. 

U.S. publishers include Celadon Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, The St. Martin's Publishing Group, and Tor Publishing Group. In the UK, Australia, India, and South Africa, companies in the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group publish under the Pan Macmillan name. The German publishing company, Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Rowohlt, and Droemer Knaur. 

Macmillan is proud to be an equal opportunity employer consistently striving to foster a culture where everyone belongs. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and identities. Qualified applicants are evaluated without regard to race, color, religion, age, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability status, physical ability, neurodiversity, genetic information, protected veteran status, family and economic status and background or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. We prohibit discrimination of any kind and will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable law.