Whatnot is the largest live shopping platform in North America and Europe to buy, sell, and discover the things you love. Whether it's trading cards, fashion, electronics, or live plants, our sellers are building real businesses across hundreds of categories. We're building live commerce at a scale that's never been done in the West, and there's no playbook to copy. The people here are shaping how an entirely new industry develops.
As a remote co-located team, we're inspired by our values and anchored in hubs across the US, UK, Ireland, Poland, Germany, and Australia. We move fast, stay close to our users, and focus on the work that drives the most impact.
We're one of the fastest growing marketplaces and were recently named the #1 Best Startup Employer in America by Forbes. Check out the latest Whatnot updates on our news and engineering blogs and join us as we enable anyone to turn their passion into a business and bring people together through commerce.
We are looking for an exceptional Employment Counsel to join Whatnot's Legal team and lead employment legal support across Ireland, the UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, and future international markets.
You'll partner closely with our People team and business leaders, advising on the full range of employment matters that come with a fast-moving global business, including hiring, performance management, workplace investigations, restructurings, works council obligations, cross-border compliance, and expansion into new markets. This role is a great fit for someone who has advised across multiple international jurisdictions and knows how to prioritize risk, navigate ambiguity, and deliver practical, business-focused legal advice. Beyond the day-to-day, you'll help build the employment programs, policies, and compliance frameworks that enable Whatnot to grow and scale internationally.
The ideal candidate has deep expertise in Irish and UK employment law, meaningful experience across international jurisdictions, and good judgment. You're comfortable operating in ambiguity, decisive under pressure, and know how to make complex legal issues understandable and actionable.
Act as a trusted advisor to the People team and managers on a wide range of international employment legal matters, including recruiting, compensation, performance management, restructurings, separations, internal investigations and disciplinary processes, leaves of absence, discrimination, harassment, diversity and inclusion, working time and pay compliance, restrictive covenants, reasonable accommodations, employee benefits, and works council, trade union, and collective employment obligations
Develop, implement, and scale compliant employment programs, policies, and practices; help shape our employment legal strategy to create a culture of high performance and alignment to Whatnot’s values and People philosophy
Draft and review employment-related documents, including employment agreements, equity and compensation documentation, settlement agreements, restrictive covenant agreements, and separation documentation
Advise on GDPR and employment-related privacy matters, including candidate and employee data processing
Proactively identify employment-related legal risks and develop practical, scalable solutions that enable the business to move quickly while remaining compliant
Work with the People team on the development, implementation, and interpretation of employment policies, employee handbooks, and training programs
Stay current on relevant labor and employment law updates, including case law and legislation, and translate legal developments into practical guidance for the People team, managers, and other stakeholders
Supervise outside counsel on employment, immigration, and litigation matters across multiple jurisdictions
Manage employment disputes and pre-litigation matters, including lawyer’s letters, administrative complaints, and litigation strategy in partnership with outside counsel
Support Whatnot’s international expansion by advising on new-country hiring, entity launches, and the development of compliant employment frameworks across jurisdictions
We offer flexibility to work from home or from one of our global office hubs, and we value in-person time for planning, problem-solving, and connection. Team members in this role must live within commuting distance of our Dublin, Ireland hub.
People who do well at Whatnot tend to be comfortable figuring things out as they go, biased toward action, and genuinely curious about what they're building. They care more about outcomes than credit and stay close to the product and the people using it.
As our first International Employment Counsel, you should have 8+ years of legal experience, plus:
Qualified to practice law in Ireland and/or the UK, with 8+ years of experience directly advising on employment-related issues (in-house experience preferred)
Deep expertise in Irish and UK employment law, with experience advising on employment matters across additional jurisdictions; experience supporting Germany, Japan, or Australia is a strong plus
Experience advising on cross-border employment matters, including works councils, collective consultation obligations, investigations, global mobility, restructurings, and international HR compliance
Experience with GDPR compliance and advising on global candidate and employee privacy matters
Comfortable operating as the primary international employment lawyer, exercising sound judgment with limited supervision while partnering effectively with stakeholders across multiple time zones
Experience building or scaling employment legal processes in a high-growth or multinational company is a plus
Excellent interpersonal skills, strong judgment, strong written and oral communication, and ability to give practical, commercial advice under time pressure
The ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment, making sound decisions and delivering practical advice in ambiguous situations
Generous Holiday and Time off Policy
Health Insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision
Work From Home Support
Care benefits
Monthly allowance for wellness
Annual allowance towards Childcare
Lifetime benefit for family planning, such as adoption or fertility expenses
Retirement; 401k offering for Traditional and Roth accounts in the US (employer match up to 4% of base salary) and Pension plans internationally
Monthly allowance to dogfood the app
Parental Leave
Whatnot is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by local law. We believe that our work is better and our company culture is improved when we encourage, support, and respect the different skills and experiences represented within our workforce.
Compensation Range: €173K - €251K
