[Hiring] Legal Counsel, Employment & Labour Law @Wizinc

Summary:

This is an exciting opportunity to join a fun, supportive and high-functioning legal team near the start of our growth curve as we expand our team in the UK. We are seeking a detail-oriented, tech-savvy, highly organised, analytical, independent and quick learning individual to join our legal team as a Legal Counsel with expertise in the field of labour and employment law. You will work with our General Counsel, our legal counsel leading the field of Labour and Employment globally and other members of our legal and HR teams, by providing legal advice and guidance on a wide range of labour and employment-related issues in the UK, European countries and other territories as we grow and expand our business.

What you’ll do:

• Provide expert and practical legal advice and guidance to internal stakeholders on a wide range of UK labour law and employment-related 
  issues, including hiring, performance management, termination, discrimination, harassment, wage and hour compliance, equity and inclusion, diversity, accommodations and leaves of absence, employee benefits, employee relations, and contingent workforce.
• Will liaise with external lawyers for handling the legal support and advice on the above matters in other European countries.
• Draft, review, and negotiate employment agreements, severance agreements, non-disclosure agreements, and other employment-related contracts and documents.
• Develop, draft and implement company policies and procedures to ensure compliance with local labour laws and regulations.
• Advise on employee disciplinary actions, investigations, and grievances, ensuring timely responses, fair and consistent treatment of employees.
• Collaborate with HR, management and business leaders to address employee relations issues and develop strategies for mitigating risk.
• Collaborate with HR, the finance team and business leaders to address projects across the board such as compensation and benefits, commission and bonus plans, protection of IP and confidential information, restructures (team and organisational) and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions, including TUPE, due diligence and integration.
• Advising on settlement agreements, constructive, unfair and wrongful dismissal, redundancy, discrimination, whistle blowing, ACAS early conciliation.
• Stay abreast of changes in labour/employment laws and regulations whilst provide training and guidance to internal stakeholders as needed.
• Oversee Employment Tribunal proceedings and litigation, including mediations, administrative charges, demand letters, and employment-related government audits.
• Manage relationships with external counsel in the UK and other European countries.
• Advise on labour and employment matters in new markets, particularly in EMEA and/or APAC regions, including by managing and cooperating with external counsels.

What you’ll bring:

• Qualified solicitor.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience as an internal legal counsel in a high-tech company, with a focus on labor law and employment matters. 
• Strong knowledge of the law and of other specialist areas within it (e.g. contract, and commercial and data protection/privacy law), and practical legal experience in an international business context or a law firm.
• Experience handling litigation related to employment matters, including discrimination claims, unfair and unlawful dismissal.
• Familiarity with mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions and their implications for employment law.
• Experience advising on employment matters in international markets, particularly in EMEA and/or APAC regions, is a great plus.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to effectively communicate complex legal concepts to non-legal stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to exercise sound judgment and decision-making in fast-paced and high-pressure situations