Employment and Benefits Counsel

Thumbtack helps millions of people confidently care for their homes.

Thumbtack is the one app you need to take care of and improve your home — from personalized guidance to AI tools and a best-in-class hiring experience. Every day in every county of the U.S., people turn to Thumbtack to complete urgent repairs, seasonal maintenance and bigger improvements. We help homeowners know which projects to do, when to do them and who to hire from our growing community of 300,000 local service businesses. If making an impact inspires you, join us. Imagine what we’ll build together.

About the Legal Team

Our Legal team is a strategic partner at the heart of the business—focused on enabling growth, innovation, and operational excellence while also responsibly managing and mitigating risk. We work cross-functionally with all teams across the organization including Trust & Safety, Finance, Marketing, Sales, People, and Operations to build a trusted, compliant, and scalable marketplace. Whether it's shaping product design, negotiating key transactions, or supporting new initiatives and growth, our mission is to make it easier for the business to move forward—confidently and responsibly. We pride ourselves on being pragmatic, solution-oriented, and business-minded. Around here, Legal isn’t a roadblock—it’s the Road to Yes.

About the role

As Employment and Benefits Counsel, you will provide practical, day-to-day legal guidance to Thumbtack's People team and cross-functional partners on a wide range of employment matters. You will be a trusted advisor to HR business partners on employee relations, investigations, separations, leaves of absence, reasonable accommodations, and related compliance issues. You will also support benefits and immigration-related matters as needed, partnering closely with Legal and People stakeholders to deliver timely, business-oriented advice. Success in this role means exercising sound judgment, building strong relationships, and helping the business move quickly while responsibly managing employment risk.

What you’ll do

• Provide day-to-day employment law advice to HR business partners and People team stakeholders on employee relations, performance management, workplace concerns, and policy interpretation.
• Lead and support employee relations investigations, ensuring thorough, fair, and compliant outcomes
• Advise on separations, including terminations and reductions in force, balancing legal risk with business needs
• Counsel on leave of absence and reasonable accommodation matters, including managing the interactive process and ensuring compliance with applicable laws
• Deliver practical guidance on general employment law issues, policies, and risk mitigation strategies
• Support benefits-related legal matters and assist with immigration-related matters
• Contribute to employment law trainings, guidance materials, and process improvements that help HRBPs and managers handle recurring issues consistently.

In order to be successful, you must bring

• 5–7 years of relevant legal experience, with a mix of law firm and in-house experience preferred
• J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar; strong working knowledge of California employment law required/preferred
• Strong experience handling employee relations issues, investigations, separations, and employment counseling
• Proven ability to provide pragmatic, business-oriented legal advice in a fast-paced environment
• Solid understanding of leave of absence, reasonable accommodation, and related compliance frameworks
• Experience or exposure to employee benefits law preferred; immigration knowledge is a plus
• Ability to work independently, manage ambiguity, and exercise sound judgment in balancing legal risk and business objectives

Expected salary ranges

• For candidates living in San Francisco / Bay Area, San Jose, New York City, or Seattle metros, the expected salary range for the role is currently $212,500 - $275,000.

• For candidates living in Austin, TX or Washington DC metros or in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, or Washington states, the expected salary range for the role is currently $191,300 - $247,500.

• For candidates living in all other US locations, the expected salary range for this role is currently $181,100 - $234,300.