Senior Employment Lawyer

Capital One; Brighton; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Funding for external qualifications up

Private medical insurance

25 days annual leave (+5 days option)

Job summary

Capital One is seeking an experienced Senior Employment Lawyer to support UK employment law across our international and US HR teams. Based in London, you will advise on hiring, contracts, and compliance while helping integrate new businesses into the UK footprint.

You will train HR teams, handle employee disputes, and collaborate with global stakeholders. A strong track record in M&A employment matters and data protection is essential.

Qualifications

• Very high level of subject matter expertise in UK employment law.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for cross-functional collaboration.
• Strong judgment and ability to work with diverse stakeholders across geographies.
• Deep understanding of employment law in M&A context.
• Proven ability to build relationships with HR and senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice on UK employment law across businesses, including integration of new entities into UK footprint.
• Advise on hiring practices, employment contracts, terminations, benefits, policies, and employee relations.
• Deliver employment law training across the organisation, including HR functions.
• Support management of employee disputes and tribunal claims.
• Collaborate with International HR teams to align objectives and priorities.
• Advise on data protection issues affecting associates and data handling.
• Provide regulatory guidance (EU AI, GDPR, and related requirements).
• Coordinate with external counsel as needed to deliver legal advice.
• Build a network within Capital One and externally with counsel and in-house teams.

Skills

Employment law expertise

Autonomy

Stakeholder management

Strong communication

Mergers & acquisitions knowledge

Education

Qualified lawyer (UK)

Job description

The Ark (95988), United Kingdom, London, Senior Employment Lawyer Job Title: Senior Employment Lawyer (Senior Manager - Legal) Location: London - Hybrid Working Pattern: 3 days in-office (Tuesday-Thursday) and 2 days remote.

Our Mission

We're on a mission to be a force for good in lending. Throughout our almost 30-year history, we've consistently been recognised as a great place to work; in 2026, Capital One was officially ranked 9th in the UK's Best Workplaces™ list. Hear from our team about what it's like working at Capital One UK.

About the Role

Capital One is at an exciting point in its history as it grows around the world. To support that, we are looking for a Senior Employment Lawyer who will be based in our UK legal team, to serve our International and US HR and Employment legal teams. The role will include providing legal advice on UK employment law to existing Capital One businesses, as well as supporting the integration of new businesses and workforces into the UK footprint. You will be reporting to the Senior Director, Employment and Benefits Law and have strong connections to a group of employment lawyers that are working increasingly globally.

What You'll Do

• Providing legal advice in relation to all aspects of Capital One's compliance with employment law, including in relation to the preparation for, and result of, mergers and acquisitions
• Advising on (and where necessary, drafting) hiring practices, employment contracts, terminations, benefits, workplace policies, and employee relations.
• Being a beacon for UK employment law knowledge and expertise. This will include preparation and delivery of employment law training across the organisation, including the HR functions that the role supports
• Supporting the management of any employee disputes, including employment tribunal claims
• Developing a strong relationship with International HR teams to understand and provide strategic support across their objectives and priorities
• Partnering with HR risk and compliance stakeholders to identify, navigate and report on HR-related risks
• Advising on data protection issues impacting associates and Capital One, including the processing of employee data and handling Data Subject Access requests
• Provide regulatory advice to Capital One's businesses in the region, including EU AI, GDPR, and other regulatory requirements as needed
• Where necessary, working alongside external counsel to support the delivery of legal advice and support
• Building a network - both internally, through building relationships with the broader Capital One Enterprise, and externally, through external counsel and other in-house teams

The skills and experience you need

• A very high level of subject matter expertise and an ability to work autonomously
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, supporting others to make well informed decisions quickly
• Very high level of confidence to work with a broad range of stakeholders in different businesses and geographies
• A strong understanding of employment law in the context of mergers and acquisitions
• Exceptional judgement, having confidence in decisions, whilst also knowing when to elevate matters
• Proven ability to build strong relationships and integrate with HR and senior leadership teams, in order to understand and support across their priorities and working styles

Where and how you'll work

This is a permanent position based in our London office. We embrace a hybrid approach to work. You'll spend three days a week in the office (Tuesday-Thursday), with Monday and Friday being dedicated work-from-home days. Our offices are designed to inspire and support you.

What's in it for you

We invest in the growth of our people alongside our business. You will have extensive opportunities to learn and develop your career, including access to up to £5,000 in funding for external qualifications.

In addition to career development, our comprehensive benefits package is designed to grow with you, ensuring your wellbeing is prioritised at every stage of your career:

• Wealth & Future: Competitive pension and performance-based bonus schemes
• Holidays: Start with 25 days of annual leave, increasing with tenure. Need more? You have the option to buy 5 additional days.
• Health: Access premium care through our private medical insurance.
• Family Support: We champion your milestones with enhanced parental leave.

A full list of our benefits is availablehere.

What you should know about how we recruit

We pride ourselves on hiring the best people, not the same people. Building diverse and inclusive teams is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. We want to work with top talent: whoever you are, whatever you look like, wherever you come from. We know it's about what you do, not just what you say. That's why we make our recruitment process fair and accessible.

We value diversity, inclusion and belonging at our core. We empower our associates to do great work by creating an inclusive culture-one that