Senior legal counsel - employment in London

We are growing! This is a great
opportunity for an employment lawyer as a Senior Legal Counsel within Sky's
in house HR Legal team. We seek a motivated,
collaborative and commercially minded lawyer who is able to support
across the full breadth of employment law issues, primarily in UK
& Ireland but with scope across Sky's footprint in other
jurisdictions. The role will offer a wide variety of cutting-edge
work and provide first-class opportunities for development and
growth, both within the team and more broadly across the department
and the Sky Group. Our team is part of the Sky
Legal team with around 200 UK based lawyers. Sky is fast paced and
challenging, but it's also a people first business with friendly,
amazing colleagues and real opportunities to grow your
career. You will have the opportunity to
experience a wide range of work for multiple clients and
stakeholders across the Sky Group. The variety of work is unique in
the UK – ranging across the entire TMT sector from market leading
Sports and News issues, to Sky Studios productions, to our key
volume areas including our engineers, retail and contact centre
populations. This is an exciting time to join the
HR Legal team. Our business is increasingly focused on large and
strategic projects, and HR Legal are a growing team with a key seat
at the table in guiding and delivering this change. Sky has
recently made significant announcements around its future, and you
will play a major part in shaping that. The role
will report into Stephen Hall, Head Counsel of the HR Legal team
based in our West London offices. What you'll
do Provide
clear, commercial and practical advice to HR, business leaders and
internal lawyers regarding the full range of contentious and
non-contentious employment law issues – primarily in UK&I but
with an international
scope. Support HR and the
business to deliver Sky's ambitious transformation and M&A
programme, working on and driving key strategic projects and other
commercial
priorities. Exposure to
senior leadership providing timely, concise and effective advice on
key HR projects and risks - with accountability for providing
creative and risk-based solutions, and driving positive
outcomes. Opportunity to
work both independently and as a team - building effective
relationships with HR and legal colleagues and the wider Sky
businesses (including Sky Group and NBC
Universal). Coach and
develop other team members within the HR Legal team and broader Sky
Legal team – including supervising our Paralegals who conduct our
employment tribunal litigation in
house. Retain, instruct and
manage the work of outside counsel in a manner which promotes
efficiency and
cost-effectiveness What
you'll bring Essential criteria: Extensive experience in UK
employment law issues within a highly regarded law firm or
equivalent
in-house Experience of
managing i) large scale restructuring and M&A projects, ii)
reputational management issues, and ii) trade union
issues Ability to
effectively supervise on tribunal
claims Commerciality – Ability to cut through complexity and provide creative, practical
and risk based
solutions Exceptional
communication skills – Ability to clearly and
effectively communicate advice to and manage a complex network of
senior
stakeholders Independent
and pro-active – Ability to give legal advice
quickly and independently, escalating at the appropriate time and
driving matters
forward Great
team player – Strong interpersonal skills and the
ability to build rapport and establish trust and business
partnering at all
levels Growth – Optimistic, open minded and willing to support others in their
development. Desirable
skills and experience: In
house experience Exposure to
Telecommunications, Media, Technology, and/or Entertainment
industries Experience of
working with external and overseas
counsel Benefits
and perks There's one thing people
can't stop talking about when it comes to life at Sky: the perks.
Here's a taster: Free Sky TV
or NOW package, including Sky Sports and Sky Cinema Pension package with up to
9% employer
contribution Private
healthcare with mental health support Aviva Digital GP and dental
insurance Discounts on Sky
products, including Sky Mobile, Sky Broadband, Sky Glass and Sky
Protect Sharesave and Tech
schemes A range of Sky VIP
rewards and
experiences How
you'll work We've adopted a hybrid
working approach to give more flexibility on where and how we work.
The hybrid working expectations for this role are 3 days in the
office per week. Your office
base Osterley Our
Sky Group HQ. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology and
workspaces, there's plenty of space to see your big ideas come to
life. Here you'll find 13 subsidised restaurants and cafes. You can
re-energise at our gym, catch the latest films at our cinema, get
your car washed and even get pampered at our beauty salon. Our Osterley Campus is just a 10-minute walk
from Syon Lane train station, or you can get one of our free
shuttle buses from Osterley, Gunnersbury and Ealing Broadway
stations. Plus, there's free onsite parking available for cars,
motorbikes and
bicycles. Who we
are We're Sky, a leading media and
entertainment company who connect millions with entertainment,
sports, news and arts through innovative products and services.
Working with us means you'll be bringing the joy of a better
experience to more people, every day. All so we can do better and
deliver better for our customers, colleagues and
society. We're an equal opportunity employer and
value diversity at our company. We're a Disability Confident
Accredited Employer, and welcome and encourage applications from
all candidates. We will look to ensure a fair and consistent
experience for all and will make reasonable adjustments to support
you where appropriate. Please flag any adjustments you need as
early as you can. Just so you know: if
your application is successful, we'll ask you to complete a
criminal record check. And depending on the role you have applied
for and the nature of any convictions you may have, we might have
to withdraw the offer. To
be eligible for this role you are required to have the appropriate
right to work in the UK. Please be aware Sky does not offer
sponsorship for this position. To find
out more about working with us, search
#Life At Sky on social media.