Legal Counsel - Employment

Who are we? Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no‑limits mindset, and the strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 23,000 employees and spanning 56 countries. Our people are our biggest asset as well as our largest shareholder group and are everything that makes us unique; our inclusive culture, the quality service we offer our clients, and our continued growth, all come from our people‑first approach.

What we’re looking for: An excellent opportunity has arisen for an Employment Legal Counsel to join an expanding Legal team. We are looking for someone to provide high quality, pragmatic employment law advice across the business, supporting HR and wider stakeholders on a broad range of UK employment matters. This role offers the opportunity to work within a collaborative, fast paced, and supportive in house environment, contributing to both operational and strategic employment workstreams.

What you’ll be doing:

• Provide day‑to‑day employment law advice to HR and business leaders on a wide range of matters, including disciplinaries, grievances, performance, sickness, restructures, and general employee relations.
• Advise on employee exits, restrictive covenants and confidentiality obligations.
• Support on litigation matters, including preparation for Employment Tribunal claims; High Court litigation experience is a plus.
• Draft, review and update employment contracts, settlement agreements, policies, and template documentation.
• Support redundancy consultations, TUPE (where applicable) and organisational change initiatives.
• Partner closely with HR Business Partners and senior HR stakeholders to provide commercially focused, solutions‑driven advice.
• Assist in developing best‑practice HR processes and people‑related governance.
• Provide training and updates on employment law developments to HR and line managers.
• Collaborate with external counsel where required and manage cost‑effective use of external legal resource.

What qualifications we’re looking for:

• UK‑qualified solicitor with approximately 4–6+ years PQE in Employment Law.
• Strong private practice background and/or in‑house experience.
• Essential: demonstrable experience of restrictive covenant matters.
• Experience advising large or complex organisations.
• Experience managing stakeholder expectations, particularly HR.
• Experience of High Court litigation is desirable.
• Ability to work autonomously, provide strategic advice, and supervise junior lawyers.
• Commercial mindset with collaborative, solutions‑oriented approach.

Diversity and Inclusion: At Howden we value diversity - there is no one Howden ‘personality type’. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us: Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new. We support each other, in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges. We are determined to make a positive difference, at work and beyond.

Reasonable adjustments: We’re committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs. Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours or hybrid working.

We’re on a life‑long journey to become an ever‑more sustainable group. It's a commitment to taking care of our people and the world we live in, to doing good business, and to making a positive impact wherever we can.