Immigration Strategy Lead

Job description

Google's known for our innovative technologies, products and services -- and for the people behind them. Whether you are making our staffing systems more efficient, planning for our growth, building relationships on college campuses or cultivating the next generation of computer scientists, you have an eye on the staffing needs of Google and the broader hiring landscape. You are focused on cultivating outstanding candidates for Google's long-term hiring needs, and work across a cross-functional and international group of staffing teams. You are both scrappy and resourceful, creative and driven -- and excited to share the magic of working at Google.

In this role, you will design, execute, and scale corporate immigration programs and compliance frameworks across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In a landscape defined by rapid regulatory shifts and geopolitical complexity, you will act as the principal regional strategist, compliance officer, and crisis responder. You will ensure our business operations remain agile, compliant, and equipped to support critical talent movement. This role requires a unique blend of legal foundation, in-house program management, and operational resilience. You will act as a executive advisor to leadership, collaborating closely with People Operations, Legal, Tax, Global Mobility, and Government Affairs to build, scalable solutions and manage critical business escalations.

Great just isn't good enough for our People Operations team (known elsewhere as "Human Resources"). We bring the world's most innovative people to Google and provide the programs that help them thrive. Whether recruiting the next Googler, refining our core programs, developing talent, or simply looking for ways to inject some more fun into the lives of our Googlers, we bring a data-driven approach that is reinventing the human resources field.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary subject matter expert for EMEA, resolving the most complex immigration cases while pioneering continuous operational improvements.
• Innovate regional immigration workflows by deploying AI technologies and automation to create a seamless, self-service employee experience.
• Act as a key partner in securing top global talent by providing solutions to successfully navigate applicants and employee immigration issues.
• Architect and own the region's immigration strategy, providing critical, data-driven counsel to executive leadership to enable global mobility and fuel business growth.
• Guide flawless compliance and audit readiness by proactively monitoring legislation and orchestrating cross-functional crisis responses to mitigate high-stakes risk.

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
  
• 5 years of experience in global immigration, mobility, or a related area.
• Experience working at an immigration law firm as an immigration attorney, paralegal, or executive specialist.
• Experience managing an in-house corporate immigration function within a multinational organization.

Preferred qualifications:

• 8 years of experience in global immigration, mobility, or a related area.
• Demonstrated experience leading incident responses, managing policy shifts under pressure, or driving business-continuity strategies during sudden regulatory changes.
• Extensive subject-matter expertise in EMEA immigration pathways, sponsor license compliance, and regional labor markets.
• Proven track record of designing, scaling, and managing complex, high-volume regional compliance and immigration programs.