Datadog is seeking an Employment Counsel to join our growing global Employment Legal team. In this role, you will serve as a trusted legal advisor to the People team, business leaders, and cross-functional partners on a broad range of employment law matters impacting our workforce and culture. While your primary focus will be supporting our U.S. operations, you will also contribute to global initiatives and projects as the company continues to scale. This role offers the opportunity to influence strategic people decisions while partnering across a fast-paced, collaborative technology organization.
At Datadog, we place value in our office culture - the relationships and collaboration it builds and the creativity it brings to the table. We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them.
What You'll Do:
- Advise the People team and business leaders on a broad range of U.S. employment law matters, including recruiting, hiring, performance management, accommodations, leaves of absence, employee relations, investigations, compensation, terminations, restrictive covenants, and wage and hour compliance.
- Draft, review, and provide legal guidance on employment-related documents, including offer letters, contractor agreements, separation agreements, and employment policies.
- Partner cross-functionally with Legal, People, and business stakeholders to develop compliant employment practices and support strategic company initiatives.
- Provide employment law support throughout mergers, acquisitions, and post-close integration activities.
- Assess legal risk, recommend practical business solutions, and support decision-making on complex workforce matters.
- Monitor changes in employment laws and regulations and help implement policies and processes that promote ongoing compliance.
Who You Are:
- J.D. from an accredited law school and an active member in good standing of a U.S. state bar (New York preferred).
- At least 4 years of experience practicing U.S. employment law, with prior in-house experience preferred.
- Able to provide practical, business-oriented legal advice while balancing legal risk with organizational objectives.
- An effective communicator who builds trusted relationships across Legal, People, and business teams and exercises sound judgment in ambiguous situations.
- Organized, collaborative, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
- International employment law, immigration, mobility, or multinational company experience is a plus.
Datadog values people from all walks of life. We know not everyone will meet all the above qualifications on day one. That’s okay. If you’re passionate about technology and want to grow your experience, we encourage you to apply.
Benefits and Growth:
- Generous and competitive global and U.S. benefits.
- New hire equity (RSUs) and employee stock purchase plan.
- Continuous career development and growth opportunities.
- Product training to build deep knowledge of Datadog's platform and technology.
- Comprehensive onboarding and mentorship programs.
- Cross-functional collaboration with experienced legal and business partners.
Benefits and Growth listed above may vary based on the country of your employment and the nature of your employment with Datadog.
#LI-Hybrid
Datadog offers a competitive salary and equity package, and may include variable compensation. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, Datadog offers a wide range of best in class, comprehensive and inclusive employee benefits for this role including healthcare, dental, parental planning, and mental health benefits, a 401(k) plan and match, paid time off, fitness reimbursements, and a discounted employee stock purchase plan.
About Datadog:
Datadog is the leading observability and security platform for the AI era, providing businesses with unified visibility across the technology stack to manage complexity at scale. It brings applications, infrastructure, data, models, and security into one place, using AI to detect and resolve issues before they impact customers. Trusted globally by Fortune 500 companies and high-growth AI leaders, Datadog enables businesses to move faster with clarity and confidence. Learn more about #DatadogLife on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Datadog Learning Center.
Equal Opportunity at Datadog:
Datadog is proud to offer equal employment opportunity to everyone regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, and other characteristics protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. Here are our Candidate Legal Notices for your reference.
Datadog endeavors to make our Careers Page accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please complete this form. This form is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.
Privacy and AI Guidelines:
Any information you submit to Datadog as part of your application will be processed in accordance with Datadog’s Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice. For information on our AI policy, please visit Interviewing at Datadog AI Guidelines.
Skills Required
- J.D. from an accredited law school
- Active member in good standing of a U.S. state bar (New York preferred)
- At least 4 years of experience practicing U.S. employment law
- Prior in-house employment law experience
- Ability to provide practical, business-oriented legal advice and balance legal risk with organizational objectives
- Effective communication and ability to build trusted relationships across Legal, People, and business teams
- Organized, collaborative, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
- International employment law, immigration, mobility, or multinational company experience
What the Team is Saying
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Datadog Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Coverage spans medical, dental, and vision with a dedicated mental‑health program offering free appointments for employees and dependents, and many locations include fitness reimbursements. Gender‑affirming care support is provided in eligible locations.
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Parental & Family Support — Fully paid, gender‑neutral parental leave is complemented by family‑forming benefits such as adoption, fertility, preservation, and surrogacy support, plus childcare assistance where available. Pet‑related benefits, including adoption assistance and insurance, are offered in some regions.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity participation is emphasized through a discounted employee stock purchase plan and RSUs for eligible roles. These programs can enhance total compensation alongside core salary.
Datadog Insights
What We Do
Datadog (NASDAQ: DDOG) is a global SaaS business, delivering a rare combination of growth and profitability. We are on a mission to break down silos and solve complexity in the cloud age by enabling digital transformation, cloud migration, and infrastructure monitoring of our customers' entire technology stacks. Built by engineers, for engineers, Datadog is used by organizations of all sizes across a wide range of industries. Together, we champion professional development, diversity of thought, innovation, and work excellence to empower continuous growth. Join the pack and become part of a collaborative, pragmatic, and thoughtful people-first community where we solve tough problems, take smart risks, and celebrate one another.
Why Work With Us
At Datadog, we learn from and celebrate each other daily - each win is a team win. Datadogs solve tough problems, innovate pragmatically, and grow together. We promote from within, provide mentorship and opportunities for career development, and support our colleagues in the process. Best of all? We truly love what we do.
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Datadog Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them and their team.
