Legal Director – Employment

EJ Legal; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 140,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading international professional services business is seeking an experienced Legal Director in London. The ideal candidate will manage a broad range of employment matters, advise stakeholders, and ensure compliance with laws across multiple jurisdictions. This role offers strategic influence, including liaising with senior leaders, shaping employment practices, and actively participating in acquisitions. The position embraces hybrid working with a competitive salary between £140,000 and £175,000 plus bonus.

Benefits

Hybrid working: 3 days per week in a central London office

Competitive salary

Qualifications

• Typically around 7 years’ PQE, though equivalent experience will be considered.
• Pragmatic, hands-on approach in a dynamic environment.
• Ability to work independently.

Responsibilities

• Advise on day-to-day and strategic employment matters.
• Draft and update employment contracts and policies.
• Manage complex ER issues and restructures.
• Support senior stakeholders through high-risk matters.
• Monitor employment law developments.

Skills

Qualified Solicitor (England & Wales)

Strong post‑qualification experience

Excellent grounding in UK employment law

Ability to manage a busy, varied caseload

Confidence advising HR and senior business stakeholders

Job description

An excellent opportunity has arisen for an experienced in-house employment Lawyer to join a leading international professional services business as a Legal Director in London.

This is a newly created role within a fast-growing, acquisitive organisation with operations across the UK, Europe, and APAC. This Legal Director role offers genuine strategic influence, senior stakeholder exposure, and the opportunity to shape employment law practice across a complex, international workforce.

The role:

The successful Lawyer will advise on a wide range of day-to-day and strategic employment matters, acting as a trusted partner to HR, leadership, and the wider business, including:

• Advising on hiring, dismissals, redundancies, performance management, discrimination, whistleblowing, restrictive covenants, right-to-work, immigration, and employee relations matters.
• Providing practical, commercially focused solutions in light of employment laws across multiple jurisdictions, including the UK, Europe, and APAC.

• Drafting and updating employment contracts, settlement agreements, policies, templates, and employee handbook materials.
• Implementing and harmonising employment documentation across regions.

• Managing complex ER issues, restructures, organisational reviews, and workforce transitions.
• Supporting senior stakeholders through sensitive and high-risk people matters.

• Advising on regulatory requirements, equality obligations, and whistleblowing processes.
• Leading and supporting internal investigations into complex and sensitive employee issues.
• Monitoring employment law developments and ensuring ongoing internal compliance.

• Advising on the employment aspects of acquisitions, reorganisations, transfers (including TUPE), and cross-border workforce changes.
• Supporting business immigration and internationally mobile employees.

• Working closely with global legal colleagues to ensure alignment with wider legal and compliance frameworks.
• Building strong relationships with HR and operational teams to support commercial objectives.

About you:

You are a pragmatic, hands‑on senior employment Lawyer who enjoys working across a broad and varied workload in a dynamic, international environment. You are comfortable engaging directly with senior leaders and applying employment law in a way that enables, rather than restricts, the business.

Skills sought:

Essential

• Qualified Solicitor (England & Wales) with strong post‑qualification experience (typically around 7 years’ PQE, though equivalent experience will be considered).
• Excellent grounding in UK employment law.
• Ability to work independently and manage a busy, varied caseload.
• Confidence advising HR and senior business stakeholders directly.

Desirable

• In‑house and/or international advisory experience.
• Exposure to employment law across multiple European jurisdictions (for example France, the Netherlands, Nordics, Portugal, Belgium, or Ireland).
• Experience supporting investigations, restructures, or workforce transitions.

In return

In return, you can look forward to:

• Joining a newly created, senior in‑house role with genuine strategic impact
• Significant exposure to international growth and acquisitions
• Hybrid working: 3 days per week in a central London office
• Competitive salary of £140,000–£175,000 plus bonus

This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced employment Lawyer looking to step into a highly influential in‑house role within a growing international business.

As part of EJ Legal’s candidate registration and care process all successful applications are responded to within 14 working days. If you have not been contacted within this timescale then your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. We may keep your details on our system on a confidential basis for future opportunities. If you would prefer us not to do this, please let us know.