Head of Legal, Employment

We are looking for a highly talented lawyer with proven commercial, employment and managerial skills to be part of our global legal team and act as the legal lead of our employment law team. The Group Head of Employment will be a proven employment law professional with leadership skills to build an employment team and work cross-functionally with our regional General Counsels. This role will report to our Group General Counsel.

Responsibilities:

• The successful candidate will be responsible for establishing a new dedicated function to provide legal advice and support to FNZ’s various stakeholders globally in connection with employment matters.
• The successful candidate will possess a creative approach to solving global business and legal problems, thrive in a fast-paced environment, have excellent credentials, show meticulous attention to detail and accuracy, and demonstrate strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Build and manage a small central team of employment lawyers.
• Work successfully within our matrix organisation to support the General Counsels around the globe and be the lead legal point of contact and trusted business partner to the Group Chief People Officer, her regional teams and other key business stakeholders.
• Work closely with our external law firms to effectively support our global business.
• Work closely with our People and Legal teams globally to provide strategic advice and lead on employment and employment law-related issues, including recruitment, payroll and tax, compensation and benefits, employee incentive plans and people operations.
• Draft and advise on employment-related agreements and policies globally, such as employment agreements and offer letters, severance agreements, confidentiality agreements and codes of conduct.
• Work closely with the People team on any contentious employment matters, and advise on risk levels, mitigation and response.
• Manage employment law aspects of employee data subject requests.
• Identify potential legal risks in employment practices and provide strategic mitigation advice.
• Oversee and ensure compliance with global employment laws and regulations.

What are we looking for?

• Qualified lawyer/solicitor with excellent academic credentials from an accredited law school.
• At least 10 years of post-admission experience as a lawyer at a reputable law firm or as in-house counsel.
• At least 3+ years’ experience in a leadership/management in a global company.
• Strong knowledge of global employment regulations.
• Strong leadership and managerial skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively interact with all levels of the organisation and external stakeholders.
• Be a strategic partner to the business, with the ability to provide pragmatic and risk-based advice to the business.
• Innovative thinker with the ability to make decisions independently.
• Collaborative team player experienced at working with cross-functional teams across multiple jurisdictions and with flexibility to align with colleagues in different time zones.
• Ability to proactively identify relevant business and legal issues, evaluate the risks and suggest creative solutions.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, handle multiple assignments simultaneously, and take ownership of projects and tasks.