Legal Counsel - Employment

Rolls-Royce; East Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous Annual Leave

Retirement Savings Trust

Group Life Assurance

Group Income Protection

Employee Shares Matched

Digital GP

Job summary

Rolls-Royce is seeking a Legal Counsel (Employment) to be based in Derby with hybrid working. You will deliver strategic employment law advice across the UK, supporting divisions and corporate functions.

The role handles complex employment issues, tribunals, and data privacy matters with a practical, business-focused approach. You will build strong relationships with internal clients and external counsel, stay ahead of regulatory changes, and contribute to improving how employment advice is

Qualifications

• England & Wales qualified employment solicitor with 3–6 years' PQE.
• Extensive experience managing employment tribunal claims & disputes.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills.
• Sound commercial judgement and pragmatic, solutions-focused advice.
• Autonomous with strong stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality, timely UK employment law advice on contracts, policies, disciplinaries, grievances, performance, sickness, exits, pay, redundancy, TUPE and data privacy.
• Manage the Group’s employment tribunal claims, coordinating with external counsel and internal stakeholders.
• Monitor regulatory developments and brief stakeholders on trends.
• Collaborate with internal clients and senior management to influence decisions.
• Seek continuous improvements in how employment law advice is delivered, including use of technology.]
• CoT_job_summary_short":"COMPANY NAME: Rolls-Royce\nKEY POINTS: UK employment law expert, tribunal management, stakeholder influence"
• job_summary_short":"<p>Rolls-Royce is seeking a Legal Counsel (Employment) to be based in Derby with hybrid working. You will deliver strategic employment law advice across the UK, supporting divisions and corporate functions. The role handles complex employment issues, tribunals, and data privacy matters with a practical, business-focused approach.</p><p>You will build strong relationships with internal clients and external counsel, stay ahead of regulatory changes, and contribute to improving how employment advice is delivered across the group.</p>
• contract_type
• fulltime
• location_type
• hybrid
• remote_scope":null,
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• name

Skills

Employment law

Tribunal claims

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Autonomy

Education

England and Wales qualified employment solicitor

Job description

Job Description

Legal Counsel-Employment

Derby/Hybrid

Full time

Why join Rolls-Royce?

At Rolls-Royce we are proud to be a business that has truly helped to shape the modern world and are committed to always being a force for progress; powering, protecting, and connecting people everywhere.

By joining Rolls-Royce, you'll have the opportunity to work on world-class solutions, supported by a culture that believes individuality is our greatest strength, and all perspectives, experiences and backgrounds help us innovate and enable our high-performance culture.

Position Summary

We have an exciting opportunity for legal counsel to join our team based in Derby. The role delivers strategic employment law advice on all aspects of UK employment law. The role supports all of Rolls-Royce’s divisions, functions and capabilities within the UK, including Civil Aerospace, Defence, Power Systems, Head Office and Group Business Services.

What You Will Be Doing

• Deliver high quality, timely, and commercial advice, in a decisive and user-friendly manner, on all aspects of UK employment law, including:
  • Contracts of employment
  • HR policies and procedures
  • Disciplinaries and grievances
  • Performance management
  • Sickness absence
  • Employee exits and settlement agreements
  • Pay and benefits
  • Redundancy and business transformation
  • Employment aspects of supplier and customer contracts, including TUPE
  • Secondment agreements
  • Employment-related data privacy matters, including data subject access requests
  • Employee/industrial relations matters
• Manage all the Group’s employment tribunal claims, collaborating with external legal counsel and internal stakeholders. Instruct and manage external legal counsel and ensure delivery of high quality, cost-effective legal services.
• Monitor legislative developments and emerging employment law trends and update key stakeholders via group regulatory horizon scanning.
• Work closely with internal clients, building and maintaining strong and collaborative relationships across all businesses and functions.
• Interact, communicate, and influence effectively at all levels, including senior management.
• Seek opportunities to continuously improve the provision of advice and management of employment law matters, including the use of technology

Position Qualifications

• England and Wales qualified employment solicitor with approximately 3-6 years' post-qualification experience.
• Extensive experience of managing employment tribunal claims and disputes.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills.
• Sound commercial judgement and business acumen.
• Able to provide commercial, pragmatic, decisive and solutions-focused advice.
• Able to work with a high degree of autonomy and initiative.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Able to prioritise workloads to meet demanding deadlines under pressure.
• Flexible, innovative, resilient, and comfortable in a fast-paced working environment.
• Adaptable and effective when faced with organisational change.
• Common sense and cost-conscious approach to legal risk management, and a willingness to drive pace and simplicity into working practices.
• Put safety first, do the right thing, keep it simple and make a difference.

Regional Benefits

• Generous Annual Leave
• Retirement Savings through the Rolls-Royce Retirement Savings Trust
• Group Life Assurance provides for a lump sum benefit if you die whilst employed by Rolls-Royce
• Group Income Protection provides an income in the event that you are unable to work due to illness or injury
• Your Shares: Matched is a simple way to own Rolls-Royce shares and invest in our future, together. Buy one share, get one free! Rolls-Royce | Your Shares: Matched
• Digital GP provides a convenient way for you to access GP consultations

Our vision is to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that shaped our history continues into our future. Our multi-year transformation programme aims to turn Rolls-Royce into a high-performing, competitive, resilient, and growing company. Join us, and it can be your future vision too.

Rolls-Royce are committed to being a respectful, inclusive, and non-discriminatory workplace where individuality is valued, diverse perspectives fuel innovation, and everyone can thrive.

Closing Date: 27.11.2026

As part of our selection process, candidates in certain locations may be asked to complete an online assessment, which can include cognitive and behavioural aptitude testing relevant to the role. If required, full instructions for the next steps will be provided.

Job Category

Legal Counsel