Legal Counsel - Employment

At Aztec, we provide talented and dynamic individuals with the opportunity to build a rewarding career. We're an ambitious company, committed to building long term partnerships with our clients and delivering operational excellence at every stage of their fund's lifecycle. Our culture is what makes us a standout place to work. Our people are at the heart of our business: putting clients first; delivering service excellence; working as one team; building lasting connections and embodying our values and purpose. Join our journey and discover what makes us the bright alternative.

About the role:

Reporting to the Group Head of Legal, we are looking for an experienced, skilled and highly motivated employment law expert to support our rapidly growing and evolving businesses. The role is varied and will cover the full range of employment work, supporting the Group Head of Legal and acting as lead employment lawyer to the People team and wider business as required. You should be comfortable working in a fast paced environment with broad responsibilities, delivering specialist legal advice and support in employment law across all our jurisdictions.

The role requires a skilled professional who has a high degree of legal expertise in employment law, can balance commercial awareness with independence, helps the organisation achieve its objectives within the legal framework, identifies and manages risks, and maintains ethical standards. The candidate is comfortable working on domestic and international employment matters and supporting the business in other areas of law, such as client and supplier contracts. They will work independently and as part of various teams, taking an active leadership role in projects in addition to day to day duties. This role can be full time or part time.

Key responsibilities:

• Act as a trusted advisor, providing expert legal advice to the People function and leadership teams on complex employment law matters across the Group, including contracts, policies, disciplinary actions, grievances, redundancies, restructures and disputes.
• Serve as a key point of contact for the People team, providing deep technical knowledge on the legal aspects of employee relations issues and ensuring compliance with evolving employment legislation and workplace regulations in each jurisdiction.
• Lead the handling of employment tribunal claims, negotiate settlements, and liaise with external counsel when necessary.
• Draf and review employment contracts, handbooks and workplace policies, identifying opportunities for improvement and anticipating future business needs.
• Identify potential legal risks in workforce decisions and propose mitigation strategies.
• Build deep and effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Support the Reward team in managing Aztec's employee equity plan.
• Provide legal advice in additional areas such as supplier and client contract negotiations.

Skills, knowledge and expertise:

The successful candidate will be a lawyer, qualified in the UK or another common law jurisdiction, with prior experience in a top tier law firm or in house legal department and a strong focus on employment law.

• Demonstrable post qualification experience (anticipated to be a minimum of 6 years of PQE) in employment law as the core skill set.
• Strong attention to detail and effectiveness managing complex projects and teams to demanding deadlines.
• Proactive, flexible mindset with ability to deliver effectively in a fast paced environment.
• Ability to identify, focus and prioritise on key issues and adapt quickly to changing circumstances.
• Strong drafting skills.
• Good people skills to build strong and trusted relationships.

Desirable but not pre requisite:

• In house experience of providing legal advice.
• International employment advisory experience.

We offer:

Aztec will provide training, both in house for relevant technical knowledge and professional qualifications to enhance your professional development.

You will need to be quick to learn new systems and be great with people, as close working relationships between our colleagues and clients is at the heart of what we do.

With an ambitious vision for further growth, we're always on the lookout for bright individuals to join our journey. Progress your career with a company that will support you every step of the way.