Senior Director, Litigation & Employment Counsel

Reporting to the VP of Legal, this role will serve as Senior Director of Litigation and Employment and be a key member of Oura’s Legal Team. The role will partner closely with the People team and other cross-functional leaders to support Oura as the company grows and scales.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned litigator with substantial, hands-on courtroom experience, including first-chair responsibility for trials, hearings, and arbitrations, and extensive experience taking and defending depositions across a range of matters (not just employment). This role requires a lawyer who is comfortable owning high-stakes litigation from strategy through resolution, whether managed internally or with outside counsel.

In addition to deep litigation expertise, the Senior Director will serve as Oura’s primary internal employment counsel, providing practical, business-oriented advice to the People team on employee relations, performance management, investigations, compliance, policy review and creation, and risk mitigation. The successful candidate will bring strong judgment, credibility with senior stakeholders, and the ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, actionable guidance in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Preferred location is San Francisco Bay Area, remote candidates will be considered.

What you’ll do

• Manage a variety of litigation and pre-litigation matters from start to finish, including setting and reviewing budgets, implementing litigation holds, overseeing discovery and document production, subpoenas, and developing comprehensive litigation and pre-litigation strategies that align with business objectives
• Direct and oversee outside counsel and cross-functional teams, ensuring alignment, efficiency, and excellence in execution
• Build internal litigation processes, policies, and tools that can scale efficiently with company growth
• Maintain effective communication with insurance carriers and external partners to ensure timely and coordinated responses to claims
• Advise the People team on employment law matters in the U.S., including hiring, performance management, leave & accommodations, exempt/non-exempt classifications, and conduct or oversee workplace investigations
• Draft and review employment-related documentation, including offer letters, contractor agreements, separation agreements, and employment and benefits policies
• Partner with People and other teams to design and implement training and guidance
• Handle agency matters (EEOC, DOL, NLRB, OSHA, and state agencies) from intake through resolution
• Support global HR team
• Serve as a senior strategic leader who operates both at a high altitude to shape company-wide risk strategy and at a granular level to personally drive key initiatives and resolve complex matters
• Lead through influence, building strong partnerships across Legal, People, Security, and other functions to align on risk management and business goals
• Operate as a hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves practitioner, comfortable managing sophisticated litigation and employment matters personally while building scalable systems for future growth
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior executives, providing clear, business-oriented judgment in high-stakes or sensitive matters

What we’re looking for

• Has 10+ years combined law firm and in-house experience with a strong focus on civil litigation and employment counseling
• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school and current active license to practice law in California
• Excels at working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Experience successfully managing outside counsel
• Experience managing and resolving litigation matters
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including top-notch litigation drafting skills
• Strategic thinker

Benefits

At Oura, we care about you and your well-being. Everyone here at Oura has a ring of their own and we are continually looking to improve employee health.

What we offer:

• Competitive salary and equity packages
• Health, dental, vision insurance, and mental health resources
• An Oura Ring of your own plus employee discounts for friends & family
• 20 days of paid time off plus 13 paid holidays plus 8 days of flexible wellness time off
• Paid sick leave and parental leave

Oura takes a market-based approach to pay. US locations are categorized based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. While most offers will be closer to the starting range, successful candidates' pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, internal peer equity, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.

• Region 1 $232,000 - $273,000
• Region 2 $212,500 - $250,000
• Region 3 $191,250 - $225,000

A recruiter can determine your zones/tiers based on your US location.

We are not considering candidates residing in the following states: Alaska (AK), Delaware (DE), Iowa (IA), Mississippi (MS), Missouri (MO), Nebraska (NE), South Dakota (SD), Vermont (VT), West Virginia (WV), and Wisconsin (WI)