HR & Legal Director

JMC Legal Recruitment; England; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading motorsport team is seeking an HR & Legal Director to shape their HR function and manage employment law matters. This role offers flexibility with a hybrid working model. The ideal candidate should have significant experience in HR leadership, a strong grounding in employment law, and the ability to operate independently in a high-pressure environment.

Qualifications

• Experienced HR/Operations/Legal leader comfortable in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong grounding in employment law.
• Additional exposure to corporate or commercial law is a benefit.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the full HR function with structure and clarity.
• Advise on employment law matters and support leadership.
• Oversee onboarding, employee relations, and performance management.

Skills

Leadership

Employment Law

Corporate or Commercial Law

Employee Wellbeing

Independent Decision-Making

Job description

HR & Legal Director (motorsport)

Hybrid - Northamptonshire (with occasional travel to London)

Our client is a high-performing, championship-winning team competing in the FIA Formula E World Championship. With around 50 employees, they operate in an intensely fast-paced, high-pressure environment, especially during race season – and are seeking an HR & Legal Director to report into the team's Managing Director. The role can be full-time or part-time, with a few days per week in-office. This is a rare opportunity to step into the senior leadership team of a world-class sports organisation. With the new season beginning in early December, hiring will move quickly.

The Opportunity

You will lead and shape the entire HR function in a highly-ambitious, high-performance, engineering environment. You'll be a key influence in the team's internal culture and help bring in organisational structure and scalability. You will establish a best-in-class employee experience; helping a talented, tight-knit team to perform at their best. You will own all day-to-day employment law matters and provide wider legal support where possible. A qualified solicitor is highly-advantageous; experience in managing external counsel, or within corporate or commercial law would add further value.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the full HR function, bringing structure, clarity and process to a growing organisation.
• Own and advise on all employment law matters, supporting leadership and managers with sound, practical guidance.
• Oversee onboarding, offboarding, employee relations, performance, retention and HR budgeting.
• Manage UK work permits and immigration processes as the team recruits engineering talent from across Europe.
• Be a calm, supportive presence for employee wellbeing; particularly during race-season intensity.
• Provide legal input on contracts and assist on wider corporate/commercial matters.
• Manage relationships with external counsel where necessary.
• Operate autonomously as the sole HR & Legal expert within a small, collaborative and mission-driven team.

About You

• An experienced HR/Operations/Legal leader confident in building structure and process from the ground up.
• Strong grounding in employment law.
• Additional exposure to corporate or commercial law, or leading external legal advisers, is highly beneficial.
• Comfortable working independently and making decisions in a fast-moving, high-pressure environment.
• Calm, approachable and supportive, the kind of person people naturally turn to.
• Motivated by the chance to contribute directly to the success of a leading motorsport team.