Employment Counsel - International (DE posting)

Howmet Aerospace Inc.; Berlin; Remote; EUR 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Howmet Aerospace Inc in Europe seeks an Employment Counsel to support HR-related legal matters outside the US. You will advise business leaders, handle recruitment, performance management, dismissals, investigations, unions, benefits, privacy, and learning and development across Europe, the UK, and other regions.

The role requires a law degree, bar admission, 8+ years in international law, and fluency in English; French is a plus.

Qualifications

• Law degree and member in good standing of the applicable bar association.
• 8+ years of post-qualification experience from an international law firm; in-house experience is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Advise Howmet business leaders and HR teams on European employment matters (France, Germany, UK, Hungary).
• Coordinate with outside counsel on non-US employment issues across Europe, Japan, China, Australia.
• Review and update employment policies and procedures (handbooks, bonus plans, compensation guidelines).
• Ensure offer letters, employment and separation agreements are legally compliant and fit for purpose.
• Manage outside counsel on litigation in a way that protects the company’s interests.
• Proactively propose practical commercial solutions to legal and business risks.
• Keep HR informed of significant employment law changes across Europe and Asia.

Skills

English language skills

French language skills

Education

Law degree and bar admission

Job description

The Company

Howmet Aerospace Inc is a leading global manufacturer of high-performance advanced engineered solutions for the aerospace, defence and transportation markets. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Howmet’s global operations consist of over 60 locations in 24 countries and the company has over 27,000 employees.

Responsibilities

The Company

Howmet Aerospace Inc is a leading global manufacturer of high-performance advanced engineered solutions for the aerospace, defence and transportation markets. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Howmet’s global operations consist of over 60 locations in 24 countries and the company has over 27,000 employees.

Howmet’s high‑calibre global Legal Team has a central role in supporting Howmet achieve its strategic objectives in the high-growth global aerospace, defence and transportation industries.

The Role

Employment Counsel – International will be responsible for managing the day-to-day HR-related legal support for Howmet’s international operations outside of the US. The role involves all aspects of the employer-employee relationship (recruitment, performance management, dismissal, internal investigations, union / Works Council relations, employee benefits, privacy issues, learning and development).

The successful candidate will:

• act as an effective and trusted advisor to Howmet’s business leaders and the human resources team on European employment matters (mainly France, Germany, UK, Hungary)
• manage outside counsel on non-US employment matters (Europe, Japan, China, Australia)
• review and facilitate any necessary updates to employment policies / procedures in co-ordination with HR partners, including (but not limited to) employee handbooks, bonus plans, compensation guidelines and severance programs
• ensure offer letters, employment agreements and separation agreements are fit for purpose, legally compliant and aligned to business requirements
• manage outside counsel on litigation matters in a manner that best protects the interests of the Company
• be solutions-orientated by proposing practical commercial solutions to legal and business risks by “owning” issues and driving them to resolution
• keep the HR team abreast of significant employment legislation that may affect the Company’s business or HR policies in Europe / Asia
• be comfortable with operating in an international environment with clients and colleagues from different regions and legal systems

This role is full-time, up to 100% remote and based in EU / UK. Our focus is on finding the right candidate regardless of location.

Qualifications

Required qualifications

• Law degree and member of good standing of the applicable bar association
• 8+ years of post-qualification experience from an international law firm. Inhouse experience is an advantage.

Competencies

Language skills: Excellent verbal and written English language skills. French language skills are a significant advantage.

Integrity: operates with a high level of integrity and discretion - always in line with the Howmet Values, policies and Legal Department practices

Confidence: displays the appropriate degree of skill and confidence in their own abilities

Judgment: takes a risk-based approach to prioritisation and actively identifies appropriate options to mitigate risks and add value to Howmet

Communication: has the ability to explain legal issues in a digestible format and effectively communicates concepts to multiple stakeholders at different levels of the organisation

Problem solver: proactively implements processes and procedures to ensure that improvements become systemic in multiple jurisdictions