Managing Associate (Employee incentives)

What we will offer

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We will offer you a place where you can be yourself and where there are no limits on what you can achieve. With us, you can take ownership of your career and have honest conversations throughout. You would join an ambitious firm with a clear strategy for profitable growth where you can get early responsibility and early involvement in growing the business. Here you can expect a competitive and fair reward as well as recognition based on all round performance. This forms part of our internal promise to you, The Deal, between the firm and its employees.

You can expect:

• A competitive salary and a host of family friendly policies
• Life assurance, private health and dental care for you and your family
• A range of flexible benefits including gym discount and retail vouchers
• Tech, cycle and electric car schemes
• The opportunity to support the firm\’s charity through volunteering leave
• A wellbeing strategy that focuses on preventative measures to maintain overall health, and tools and support for when our people experience physical or mental difficulties. The strategy focuses on four pillars: physical, emotional, financial and social aspects.
• Most of our roles are hybrid, meaning that colleagues benefit from working in our office and remotely. We are happy to discuss this and other flexible working arrangements with you as part of the application and interview process.

Team Structure

This senior role is in the employee incentives group, which sits within the corporate tax team. The employee incentives group currently comprises 3 lawyers: Nicholas Stretch, who recognised as a leading individual in both Chambers and Legal 500 and well-known in the employee incentives space as a recent ex-Chairman of Share Plan Lawyers, the body for lawyers in this area, and a mid-level associate (Desiree de Lima). The group will also be adding a junior associate. Desiree has recently returned to full-time work after maternity leave when her worked was covered by two consultants, but we have identified the need to recruit a managing associate in this area while likely keeping access to the consultants as well. The existing volume of work and opportunities for further work both from within the rest of the firm and externally have meant that we have the opportunity to grow.

The corporate tax team, including the employee incentives group, currently comprises 4 partners and 6 associates, together with one or two trainees depending on the seat rotation.

Main Responsibilities

This role involves working across a broad spectrum of employee incentives and executive remuneration issues providing, advice to both public and private companies on share plans, management incentives, bonus arrangements and related matters. Areas of expertise include:

Transactional Support

• Working closely with corporate colleagues on transactions for both listed and private (including private equity) companies. This typically involves applying existing incentive arrangements as part of the transaction and may also include replacement incentives. We also advise companies that are preparing to float on new incentive arrangements that can be put in place at IPO.

Share plans

• Outside transactions, designing and implementing tax-advantaged and non-tax-advantaged share plans, predominantly enterprise management incentive (EMI) options and growth share plans, as well as (for quoted companies) long-term incentive plans and all-employee arrangements.

Bonus arrangements

• Advising clients on the design of and drafting of cash bonus plans, including phantom equity (particularly for Dubai clients).

Corporate Governance and Company Law issues

• We advise listed companies on the appropriate corporate governance framework and generally, on ongoing compliance requirements, and relevant company law issues.

Employee trusts

• Setting up, terminating and liaising with employee trusts – we also regularly act for employee trusts on their own account work.

Appointments and terminations

• Representing both employers and senior management on equity awards on appointments and a termination of employment. We also deal with leaver shares.

Employment tax

• Advising on all aspects of the tax regime for employment–related securities and on PAYE and NIC issues generally, particularly on termination of employment, IR35 and relevant cross-border issues.

Financial services Remuneration Codes

• Advising a number of banks and asset managers on compliance with the various regimes in place and recent changes.

The ideal candidate will have a strong grounding in the UK taxation of employment-related securities well as having a sound knowledge of how corporate transactions are structured both for quoted and private companies. The candidate should have gained broad experience of running the share plan aspects of corporate transactions such that they can run with the relevant employee share plan documentation and timetable without close supervision, and be confident in supervising junior and trainee lawyers and working directly with the corporate department themselves. Familiarity with governance issues for quoted companies, employment tax and financial services regulatory issues would be welcome but not essential. This is a great opportunity for an ambitious lawyer who already has strong incentives experience and who wants to join and make their mark at this highly regarded employee incentives practice of a prestigious international law firm. In summary, this role offers a range of high quality work within a universally recognised warm environment both in the firm as a whole and in the team, which prides itself on its collegiate atmosphere. There are clear opportunities for career progression.

• Considering technical issues and giving clients clear advice in the correct commercial context
• Clear and concise drafting of documentation
• Independent liaison with clients
• Developing own informal internal and external network of contacts, and within the employee share plan world
• Building excellent working relationships with clients and peers within SH
• Gaining the confidence of members of the team when supervising them
• Attending business development and profile-raising events (including client seminars, graduate recruitment activities)

Attributes/Skills Required

• Enthusiasm and proven experience in deals and M&A activity as well as employee share plans
• Has a deep knowledge of relevant tax and share plan practice, the issues clients commonly face, and solutions available
• A resilient self-starter, able to work alone when relevant and within a small team
• Works with junior associates and trainees by being approachable and mentoring within the team and department
• Confidently deputises during partner holidays
• Strong drafting skills, with impact, accuracy and attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, comfortable interacting with colleagues, clients and (including overseas lawyers) in the most effective way
• Organised and able to work to strict deadlines with the ability to prioritise realistically
• Good housekeeping/file management practices; good billing practice
• Ambitious, keen to work in a developing department, with an ability to pitch and market, and desire to increase the practice
• Strong academic and professional qualifications

This job description is indicative only and does not represent an exhaustive list of responsibilities. The firm reserves the right to alter or change the responsibilities at any time, in line with the firm\’s strategy and business needs.

About the Firm

With 8 offices worldwide and with our headquarters based in London, Stephenson Harwood is a law firm where our people are committed to achieving the goals of our clients – listed and private companies, institutions and individuals across the globe. Our mix of expertise and culture results in a combination of deep local insight and the capability to provide a seamless international service.

Our experience encompasses corporate, commercial litigation and arbitration, employment, pensions and private wealth, finance, marine and international trade, and real estate and projects.

We assemble teams of bright thinkers to match our clients\’ needs and give the right advice from the right person at the right time. Dedicating the highest calibre of legal talent to overcome the most complex issues, we deliver pragmatic, expert advice that is set squarely in the real world.

We understand the power of diversity in delivering that high calibre advice to our clients. We want to attract diverse talent and we particularly encourage applications from underrepresented demographics.

Our Values

Individuality – We encourage creativity and devlop talent.

Commitment – To be the best and deliver the highest standard.

Teamwork – We work together to build close, long-term relationships.

Straight talking – We say what we mean and do what we say.

Our Vision into 2026

To be a successful firm where talented people work together in an entrepreneurial environment, building long term client relationships.

This version is about who we want to be, as well as who we are. It is as much about our values as about our character – the attributes we want to see from all of our people. That\’s how we unlock our entrepreneurial spirit, advising our clients with top performing teams.

A key part of the 2026 strategy is to focus on five core sectors: energy transition; life sciences and healthcare; private capital and funds; technology; transportation and trade. These have been identified as crucial in the drive for accelerated profitable growth.

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