Legal Lead, External Workforce & AI-Enabled HR Solutions in London

This is a temporary contractor opportunity at Novartis. Novartis touches the lives of a tenth of the world’s population. Every role here, regardless of contract type, makes an impact on human life! Novartis partners with external managed service provider Magnit Global to offer engaging temporary contractor opportunities to those who are looking for flexibility in their career while gaining new skills and experiences providing services to an inclusive global medicines company.

About the Role:

We are seeking a seasoned legal professional with strong expertise in labor law, procurement frameworks, and ideally AI and digital technology implementations. The role will serve as the primary legal advisor for External Workforce Management, ensuring global and local compliance, supporting policy design, and guiding the implementation of AI-enabled tools related to worker classification, sourcing, and HR decision-making. This role will work cross-functionally with P&O, Procurement, Legal, IT, and senior business stakeholders to reduce risk, enhance compliance, and support the global rollout of integrated workforce and AI solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Legal Strategy & Advisory (External Workforce): Act as the primary legal advisor on all External Workforce topics, including classification, co-employment risk, tenure rules, and country-specific restrictions. Advise on the legal implications of workforce solutions and EWM policy design in partnership with P&O, Legal, and Procurement. Ensure adherence to local labor laws, regulatory updates, and audit requirements across global operations. Support the development, update, and maintenance of global and local EWM compliance frameworks.
• Procurement & Contracting: Oversee legal input for supplier agreements, contracting templates, and negotiation guidance for external workforce providers. Partner with Procurement to ensure compliance in the source-to-contract lifecycle, including supplier governance, pricing discussions, umbrella agreements, and commercial escalations. Ensure contract language is aligned with worker classification and regulatory requirements.
• AI & HR Technology Implementation: Provide legal oversight on the use of AI models in worker classification, sourcing, or HR workflows—particularly where AI improves accuracy or decision-making. Assess compliance risks related to AI usage (GDPR, discrimination, transparency, explainability). Guide design governance, policy updates, and change management related to AI-enabled HR tools.
• Cross-Functional Governance & Stakeholder Management: Serve as a standing member in consultation forums, SteerCos, and HR/Legal alignment meetings related to External Workforce and AI implementation. Act as escalation point for country audits, worker classification issues, or policy deviation requests. Partner closely with P&O, Legal, Procurement, Finance, IT, and TalentFlex operational teams to ensure smooth global rollout.
• Risk Management, Audits & Operational Excellence: Identify, mitigate, and document legal risks related to EWM operations and AI deployment. Support global/local audits and risk assessments; lead alignment on remediation actions. Contribute to operational excellence by reducing delays associated with fragmented legal support and improving decision-making efficiency.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Law; specialization in labor/employment law strongly preferred.
• 7+ years of legal experience in labor law, employment regulations, or external workforce governance (in-house or law firm).
• Solid understanding of procurement-related contracting and commercial negotiations.
• Proven ability to assess regulatory implications of HR and workforce policies.
• Experience with AI implementation (ethical, legal, compliance aspects) preferred.
• Strong understanding of global labor regulations and cross-border engagement complexities.
• Excellent ability to translate legal concepts into operational guidance for HR and business teams.
• Strong stakeholder management; ability to influence without authority across global teams.
• Outstanding communication skills and ability to simplify complex legal topics for non-lawyers.
• Analytical mindset; ability to balance compliance with business needs.
• Structured, organized, and able to manage multiple priorities in parallel.

Workload: 35 hours/week
Role Type: Hybrid
Required Start Date: May 2026
Contract: 12 months

Why Novartis:

Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together?

EEO Statement:

The Novartis Group of Companies are Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Accommodation:

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to Magnit.