Employment Legal Counsel

Flexible – Farringdon, London | Personal Contract

Full-time | Hybrid

Competitive pension scheme – Enhanced maternity/paternity pay – Life assurance – Holiday Plus – Cycle2work Scheme & more

REQ5547

We are looking to recruit our first Employment Solicitor to join the London Legal Team (working very closely with key internal stakeholders in the People Team and other members of the Legal Team) to give key support to SGN’s regulated and unregulated group companies through the delivery of high quality legal advice on contentious and non-contentious employment matters, manage a caseload independently and support senior colleagues in employment law matters.

With responsibility for both day to day and strategic matters; you will be advising on: disciplinary and grievance matters, dismissals, Trade Union matters, redundancy and reorganization processes, capability processes, performance management, discrimination, whistleblowing, restrictive covenants, settlement negotiations and agreements, ACAS Conciliations, Employment Tribunal proceedings, workplace contracts and policies, and general employee relations matters.

This exciting and challenging role will suit a commercially minded UK qualified employment lawyer with ideally 6 + years PQE. With strong technical and communication skills, you will be very practical in style and possess the confidence to navigate through a wide range of scenarios on a daily basis.

We deliver safety, warmth, and comfort to homes and businesses. Every role, whether in the office or on the front line, plays a key part in this mission. Here’s how you will contribute…

• Providing prompt, accurate, effective and commercially useful legal advice on all aspects of employment law (both contentious and non-contentious) to minimise financial, reputational and legal risks to SGN.
• Participating in the development and production of new procedures and standard form precedents to ensure continued compliance and protection for SGN.
• Providing the People Team with important legal updates in employment law from time to time.
• Ensuring the provision of legal services is in accordance with SGN’s internal governance, statutory powers and licence obligations.
• Managing key relationships across the business and further enhancing external legal panel relationships aligned to the SGN’s strategic objectives; and
• Championing the excellent reputation of the Legal Services Department and striving to continue to improve it.
  
  

What You Will Need

The ideal candidate will have relevant work experience in the following disciplines:

• You are a fully qualified solicitor in England, Wales or Scotland (6 PQE+ preferred);
• You have extensive experience of providing contentious and non-contentious employment law advice to large employer clients across a range of issues and will be used to dealing directly with senior decision makers in the business.

Proven technical, negotiation and resolution skills, with the ability to deliver pragmatic commercial solutions to the business on a range of complex employment issues.

You are self-motivated, proactive, technically accurate and a keen problem solver with a thoughtful and practical approach to decision making based on accurate analysis.

You are confident in presenting to and advising key internal and external stakeholders, and you have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

You have experience developing more junior members of a team through effective coaching and mentoring.

You are a dedicated and effective team player, committed to continuous improvement and motivated to learn new areas of law; and

You may have experience working in-house within the Energy industry, which is advantageous but not essential.

Not sure you meet every requirement?

Research shows some people – particularly women and those from underrepresented backgrounds – may hesitate to apply unless they meet every criteria. At SGN, we value diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

If this role interests you but you’re not sure you tick every box, we’d still love to hear from you. You might be just who we’re looking for – now or in the future.

Why SGN?

SGN is a leader in pioneering research and development toward a net-zero energy system. Our cutting-edge technologies and innovative thinking are driving change in the gas industry, all while keeping people safe and warm. SGN is an award-winning employer, including CCA Gold Awards for 'Great Places to Work and 'Inclusivity and Accessibility'.

About us | Benefits | Diversity and inclusion

If you require any accommodations or support during the application process, reach out to us. We're here to help ensure an inclusive and accessible experience for everyone.

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