Legal Counsel - Employment

Job description

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 our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 24,000 employees spanning over 56 countries. People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden. Who are we? Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. We're experts helping clients adapt and thrive in a changing world. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mind-set, and our 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. There’s no such thing as individual success. We all need to play our part, contributing our skills and experience to make a true difference. That’s Howden. Why work at Howden? We have always been employee-owned and driven by entrepreneurial spirit. Right from the beginning, we've focused on employing talented individuals and empowering them to make a real difference to the company, whilst building successful and fulfilling careers at the same time. Simply put, we hire talented specialists and give them what they need to make a difference for clients. Always have, always will. People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down disappointed head-hunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden. An excellent opportunity has arisen for an Employment Legal Counsel to join an expanding Legal team. What we’re looking for 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. What do we offer in return? A career that you define. Our business succeeds by allowing our people to make a mark in the areas they care about most: personal development, volunteering, and fundraising for charity, or creating new insurance products that address society’s greatest challenges. And we know that separate home and work lives don't really exist. If you're happy and healthy at home, you're more likely to be happy and fulfilled at work – and vice versa. That's why we do our best to support our people in every aspect of their lives. 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 We consider our people our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness, and respect – regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or family circumstances. 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*. If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require. *Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more. Our sustainability promise 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. Our governance processes, company policies, and review systems are all geared towards our goal of making a positive impact in the world. You can read more about our sustainability work here . What do we offer in return? A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity – there is no one Howden 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*. If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require. *Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more. Permanent