At Moody's, we unite the brightest minds to turn today’s risks into tomorrow’s opportunities. We do this by striving to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome to be who they are—with the freedom to exchange ideas, think innovatively, and listen to each other and customers in meaningful ways. Moody’s is transforming how the world sees risk. As a global leader in ratings and integrated risk assessment, we’re advancing AI to move from insight to action—enabling intelligence that not only understands complexity but responds to it. We decode risk to unlock opportunity, helping our clients navigate uncertainty with clarity, speed, and confidence.

If you are excited about this opportunity but do not meet every single requirement, please apply! You still may be a great fit for this role or other open roles. We are seeking candidates who model our values: invest in every relationship, lead with curiosity, champion diverse perspectives, turn inputs into actions, and uphold trust through integrity.

Skills and Competencies

• 3-5 years of legal experience as a licensed attorney practicing employment law in a law firm or comparable inhouse setting.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in both English and Spanish.
• Ability to work mostly independently and with minimal supervision to manage a diverse workload, in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Proactive, thorough and curious.
• Ability to interact well with leadership across LATAM.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and oral, which facilitate prompt and constructive solutions.
• Flexibility, a positive attitude, a sense of humor, attention to detail, and a desire to be part of a cohesive and supportive team environment.
• Good judgment and ability to provide timely and practical legal advice and solutions.
• Proficiency in, or willingness to learn, Generative AI solutions to drive innovation in employment law practice, including automating repetitive tasks, improving research accuracy, and creating tailored legal documents efficiently.

Education

• Law degree from a Costa Rican school and license to practice law in Costa Rica.

Responsibilities

• Advise on day-to-day employment matters, including in connection with hirings, performance management, and terminations.
• Draft employment-related documents, including contracts and termination documents.
• Lead employment law-related projects for the LATAM region, including process reviews, policy creation, implementation, and updates.
• Manage employment disputes, including hearings and lawsuits, often by providing direction to, and close supervision of, outside counsel.
• Handle mediations and settlement negotiations within Costa Rica.
• Support, advise on and/or conduct internal workplace investigations, such as those involving allegations of unfair treatment or misconduct.
• Counsel the People team and management regarding leaves of absence, workplace accommodations, wage and hour issues, and independent contractor and contingent worker issues and provide periodic training on such topics.
• Follow and provide advice on legislative and regulatory changes affecting employment law compliance.
• Support transactional attorneys and internal clients on M&A transactions and related integrations.
• Work with outside counsel on drafting legal and compliance documents, including powers of attorney, for use in Costa Rica and other LATAM locations.
• Advise on occupational health requirements in Costa Rica and other LATAM locations.

About the team

As Counsel, this individual will be a key member of the Legal team responsible for providing advice and counsel on employment matters in Costa Rica, as well as in our other locations in LATAM, particularly Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Panama. This position will work with the People team, local business leaders, other key stakeholders, and outside counsel to fulfill the Labor and Employment team’s objectives of providing business-oriented legal strategies and risk-aligned solutions that drive success. The individual will report to the Sr. Assistant General Counsel, Employment Law, Americas, based in New York, and will be expected to work at least part of the week in person in Moody’s Heredia office.

Moody’s is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law.

Candidates for Moody's Corporation may be asked to disclose securities holdings pursuant to Moody’s Policy for Securities Trading and the requirements of the position. Employment is contingent upon compliance with the Policy, including remediation of positions in those holdings as necessary.