Director - Senior Legal Counsel, Employment Law in Manchester

This job opportunity offers a pioneering role within a fast-growing company. The successful candidate will become the first employment lawyer covering Europe and Asia‑Pacific, responsible for managing a wide range of employment law matters across multiple jurisdictions within the company’s fastest‑growing and most complex division.

This newly created position requires strong legal expertise, excellent communication skills, and relevant experience. The role reports directly (solid line) to the lead lawyer for the Europe / Asia‑Pacific division, and also (dotted line) to the global lead lawyer for employment law. Both report to the company’s Chief Legal Officer.

The ideal candidate will have deep knowledge of UK employment law and a solid understanding of employment frameworks across the EAP region. The role demands sound judgment and a pragmatic approach to supporting evolving business priorities in a fast‑paced environment.

The scope of responsibilities includes legal counseling, regulatory compliance, litigation management, internal investigations, integration support, and corporate governance. This position is based in either the London or Manchester office, with a minimum of three days per week onsite.

Duties and Responsibilities tied to Ryan’s Key Results:

• Provide practical and timely strategic legal advice to HR, business leadership, and other stakeholders on employment law matters across multiple EAP jurisdictions, including hiring, terminations, unfair dismissal, redundancy, whistleblowing, discrimination, TUPE, immigration or right‑to‑work requirements, employee relations, restrictive covenants, internal investigations, compensation, benefits, mobility, and workplace policies.
• Ensuring compliance with local labor laws and regulations across multiple jurisdictions.
• Draft, review, and implement employment‑related agreements, policies, and templates—including employment contracts, separation agreements, confidentiality and restrictive covenant documents, Global Handbook EAP Appendix.
• Oversee employment litigation and pre‑litigation disputes, including managing local counsel and coordinating internal stakeholders.
• Represent the company in Employment Tribunal proceedings in partnership with outside counsel as needed.
• Collaborate with HR, compliance, and internal audit to address regulatory obligations, whistleblower procedures, and equality mandates.
• Participate in regulatory risk assessments and country‑specific compliance programs.
• Provide legal support to internal employment‑related investigations and enforcement actions.
• Monitor legislative changes and proactively update leadership.
• Assist integration of acquired companies, advising on global workforce transitions, including reorganizations, expansions, acquisitions, and integrations.
• Manage business immigration matters. Ensure compliance with immigration regulations for cross‑border talent.
• Partner closely with global Legal team colleagues to ensure alignment with the company’s broader legal and compliance frameworks.
• Navigating complex legal environments and jurisdictional variations to craft scalable approaches that balance legal integrity with commercial agility.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Qualified Solicitor in England & Wales with 8 years+ of post‑qualification experience, with a strong emphasis on multi‑jurisdictional employment law and regulatory law.
• Prefer 5+ years of in‑house legal department experience.
• Prefer experience advising on employment law in EU Jurisdictions. Prefer experience with France, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Nordics, NI, and Belgium.
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously in a fast‑paced, ambiguous environment while providing high‑quality, solution‑oriented legal guidance.
• Experience handling sensitive investigations and global workforce transitions.
• Skilled at maintaining composure and delivering decisive guidance under pressure and without complete information.
• Strong verbal communication skills to simplify complex legal issues for diverse business audiences.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and analytical skills. Team‑oriented mentality.

Computer Skills:

To perform this job successfully, an individual should have at least intermediate skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, and Internet navigation and research.

Certificates and Licenses:

Qualified lawyer – Solicitor - England and Wales

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position does not formally manage other employees in the Legal Department.