Senior Legal Counsel
Role summary
This is a senior employment law role supporting a multinational business across a broad EMEA remit. The successful hire will advise on complex employee relations, investigations, disputes, litigation, policy drafting, and cross-border employment risk, while partnering closely with HR/People, business leaders, and external counsel.
Core responsibilities
- Advise on complex employment law matters across the UK, Ireland, Europe, Africa, and Gulf jurisdictions.
- Partner with HR/People teams on employee relations issues including performance, disciplinary matters, terminations, leave, and occupational health.
- Provide strategic guidance on compliance, investigations, disputes, and risk management.
- Draft, review, and update employment contracts, policies, work rules, and related documentation.
- Handle or coordinate administrative claims, pre-litigation matters, and active litigation with outside counsel.
- Support employee-related legal workstreams in M&A, including diligence and post-transaction risk assessment.
- Guide stakeholders through pragmatic, commercially sound decision-making aligned to business objectives.
- Manage multiple matters simultaneously and communicate clearly to legal and non-legal audiences.
Must-have requirements
- Qualified solicitor, admitted lawyer, or equivalent legal credential with current authorisation to practise in the UK, Ireland, or another EU jurisdiction.
- 6+ years’ post-qualification experience in employment law, gained in-house, private practice, or a mix of both.
- Strong practical experience advising on:
- Employee relations
- Investigations
- Disputes/litigation
- Policy/contract drafting
- Cross-border employment issues
- Ability to work autonomously on complex matters and assess legal risk in a commercial context.
- Excellent stakeholder management and written/verbal communication skills.
Preferred background
- Multi-jurisdiction employment law exposure across EMEA.
- Experience coordinating external counsel and litigation strategy.
- M&A employment diligence exposure.
- Background in a fast-paced international business, ideally tech, SaaS, software, cloud, or other highly matrixed environment.