Employment and Data Protection Lawyer

National Grid; Warwick; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading energy company is seeking a Qualified Solicitor or Barrister to provide strategic legal advice within its General Counsel team. Based in Warwick, this role involves managing legal issues related to employment and data protection, with a flexible approach to working hours. Ideal candidates should possess strong commercial awareness and problem-solving abilities, and will enjoy benefits including a competitive salary, annual bonus, and a hybrid work model.

Benefits

Up to 20% Annual Bonus

28 days annual leave plus statutory days

Private Medical Insurance

Generous contributory pension scheme

Life Insurance 10 x base salary

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in employment law and data protection.
• Ability to advise on Data Protection Act 2018 and related issues.
• Strong skills in providing legal advice on HR matters.

Responsibilities

• Deliver and manage strategic legal advice to NGET and NGED.
• Manage external legal service providers for efficient dispute resolutions.
• Support with drafting briefing notes to internal stakeholders.

Skills

Employment law expertise

Data protection law knowledge

Commercial awareness

Analytical skills

Excellent communication

Education

Qualified Solicitor or Barrister

Job description

We're looking for a passionate Qualified Solicitor or Barrister to join our General Counsel Electricity Distribution (ED) Legal to tackle a broad range of complex, high value issues spanning employment and data protection law.

You will be part of the newly created UK Centre of Excellence within the wider Legal team, working closely with other lawyers, many of whom are experts in their fields, providing support to any NGET or NGED business unit or team facing significant issues, or seeking your help to help them avoid problems in future.

Alongside strong legal skills, we are looking for an individual who is passionate about the energy sector and our net-zero goal. You must have strong commercial awareness and problem-solving abilities, ideally with experience of or in a regulated industry.

This role is be based out of our Warwick office, and we'd hope to see you at least two days per week but you're welcome to be in the office more often if that would work best for you. We're happy to discuss any additional flexibility in working patterns or requirements that you feel could help to make this job work for you!

What You'll Do

• Responsibility for delivery and/or management of strategic and business-focused legal advice to NGET and NGED on a wide range of complex, high value, contentious and potentially HR legal and data protection issues.
• Managing external legal service providers, to deliver timely advice and in their conduct of disputes, within budget and demonstrably driving value for money and efficiencies.
• Supporting with drafting briefing notes to internal stakeholders (including the Boards) where appropriate.
• Supporting the continuous improvement in business performance, including proactively identifying, managing and mitigating commercial/legal risks.
• Supporting with presentations and training to other members of the Legal team and business teams on relevant topics.

What You'll Have

• Qualified Solicitor or Barrister with extensive experience in employment law and data protection, acquired in private practice and/or in-house.
• Have strong knowledge of employment law and data protection law, and wide ranging contentious and non-contentious employment law experience.
• Able to provide expert legal advice on employment law matters, including contracts, disciplinary procedures, grievances, and terminations.
• Able to advise on Data Protection Act 2018, data breaches, privacy policies and negotiate/ advise on data protection agreements and related contractual provisions.
• Able to demonstrate strong analytical skills and an ability to find practical and efficient solutions when possible.
• Have a real desire to learn about our assets and infrastructure, to equip you with the technical knowledge you may need to help our colleagues.
• Excellent communicator, verbally and in writing, able to listen effectively in a team or business environment.
• Build and maintain strong relationships ensuring that legal needs are met with the highest level of professionalism, expertise and integrity.
• Ability to deliver solutions and influence a broad range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Sound commercial awareness of the regulated environment in which we operate.
• Ability to manage and deliver against competing priorities.

Don't meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At National Grid, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace for everyone. So, if you're excited about this role but your experience or qualifications don't match the job description exactly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be the right person for our growing business in this role or another one.

What You'll Get

Competitive Salary dependent on experience.

Plus:

• Up to 20% Annual Bonus (based on personal and company performance).
• 28 days annual leave, plus eight statutory days in addition.
• A full electric company car or cash alternative.
• Private Medical Insurance.
• The option to buy additional or sell holiday days every year.
• A generous contributory pension scheme - we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%.
• Financial support to help cover the cost of professional membership subscriptions.
• Life Insurance 10 x base salary.
• Access to benefits such as a share incentive plan, salary sacrifice car and technology schemes, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving to name a few.
• Family care benefits including a back-up care service for when your usual care arrangements fall through (six paid days each year as standard with the option to purchase further days).
• Access to apps which support health, fitness and wellbeing.

Further Information

This is a hybrid working role from our Warwick office with circa 2 days in the office. The closing date for this vacancy is Midnight 22 May 25, with interviews due to take place w/c 26 May 2025 onwards. We encourage candidates to submit their applications as early as possible and not to wait until the published closing date. National Grid's recruitment periods can and may vary. We reserve the right to remove this advert or close it to further applications at any point during the recruitment process.

About us

National Grid touches the lives of almost everyone in the UK, with an energy network that stretches across the Atlantic. We're an international team, and our work underpins the lives of millions of people. Feet forwards, head up, and eyes bright, we're working hard to create value for people today - and shape the future of energy tomorrow. In the UK, we don't generate or sell energy - we join the dots to get energy from A to B. Our role is key in enabling the transition to a low carbon energy system by designing and building the generation and demand connections and wider infrastructure needed to meet the UK's ambitious net-zero targets.

At National Grid, we work towards the highest standards in everything we do, including how we support, value and develop our people. Our aim is to encourage and support employees to thrive and be the best they can be. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organisation, and welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds, and offer flexible and tailored support, at home and in the office. Our goal is to drive, develop and operate our business in a way that results in a more inclusive culture. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, the innovation from diverse teams & perspectives and business need. We are committed to building a workforce so we can represent the communities we serve and have a working environment in which each individual feels valued, respected, fairly treated, and able to reach their full potential.

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