Senior Associate Counsel - Employment Law

At Avient, we're innovating materials solutions that help our customers win while enabling a more sustainable world. That ambition takes more than science-it takes people who are bold, collaborative, and relentlessly customer‐centric.The Senior Associate Counsel, Employment Law serves as a trusted advisor to our HR organization and business leaders, delivering practical, business‐minded guidance on a full range of U.S. employment law matters. In this role, you'll help shape an employee experience that's transparent, equitable, and deeply aligned to Avient's Leadership Behaviors-from playing to win to collaborating seamlessly across Avient. You'll balance risk and innovation, apply data‐informed judgment, and enable decisions that support a high‐performance culture and profitable growth.This is a hands‐on, high‐impact role for a lawyer who thrives in a fast‐paced, matrixed environment, values partnership, and is energized by solving complex challenges with clarity and pragmatism.Key ResponsibilitiesBe a culture‐forward change agent: Model Avient's Leadership Behaviors and bring a solutions‐oriented, "play to win" mindset to every matter-supporting both immediate needs and future‐ready practices.Serve as primary counsel to HR and leaders on U.S. employment law issues, including hiring, performance management, investigations, accommodations, leaves of absence, discipline, termination, wage and hour, and workplace policies.Provide clear, actionable guidance on federal, state, and local laws (e.g., Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, FLSA, NLRA and state equivalents), translating requirements into business‐aligned practices.Lead and elevate internal investigations (from plan to findings and remediation), ensuring fairness, consistency, and documentation that withstands scrutiny.Draft, review, and refine employment‐related agreements (e.g., separation agreements, restrictive covenants, offer letters, and employment terms) that align with Avient's values and risk posture.Advance policy and practice excellence: Develop, review, and implement HR policies/processes that are compliant, scalable, and enable a high‐performance culture across the enterprise.Enable strategic workforce actions: Advise on reductions in force, restructurings and organizational changes, including WARN Act analysis and integration planning.Educate and empower leaders: Build capability through targeted training for HR and managers on key legal developments, compliant practices, and manager effectiveness.Manage litigation and agency matters: Oversee U.S. employment litigation, administrative charges, and audits-owning strategy, position statements, discovery, metrics, and outside counsel management.Collaborate globally where needed: Coordinate with external counsel and internal HR partners on non‐U.S. matters, ensuring alignment with Avient's global policies and operating model.Leverage data and insights: Use trends from investigations, claims, audits, and employee relations to tell a compelling story, inform proactive risk mitigation, and drive continuous improvement.Strengthen compliance and ethics: Support investigations, reporting, training, and controls that reinforce integrity and accountability across the workplace.Continuously scan the horizon: Monitor emerging regulations and case law and proactively advise HR and business leaders on impacts to policies, processes, and strategy.Promote a positive employee experience by delivering practical, business‐oriented legal solutions that build trust and enable results.Required:Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law schoolActive license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction, with the ability to provide employment law counsel nationwide; eligibility for admission in Ohio is preferred6+ years of employment law experience with significant counseling of HR and business clientsStrong working knowledge of federal and state employment laws and regulationsExperience managing or partnering on employment litigation, agency charges, and internal investigationsDemonstrated ability to translate legal requirements into clear, practical, and actionable guidanceDemonstrated ability to craft solutions that thoughtfully balance business needs with legal and regulatory requirements, enabling win‐win outcomesStrong business judgment, problem‐solving skills, and the ability to balance risk with business objectivesExcellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence and guide leadersHigh integrity, discretion, and capability managing sensitive and confidential mattersAbility to work independently while building trusted, cross‐functional partnershipsComfort operating in a fast‐paced, dynamic environment with shifting prioritiesCollaborative, customer‐centric, and solution‐oriented mindset aligned with Avient's culturePreferred:Prior in‐house counsel experience in a manufacturing, chemical, or industrial companyExperience advising on US multi‐state compliance and enterprise‐wide policy developmentFamiliarity with labor relations, collective bargaining, or union/works council environmentsTravel Requirements:Up to 10-15% domestic travel for site support, investigations, litigation matters, or HR partnership meetings