Legal Counsel, Employment Law AME

Job Description

• Advising on and managing employment disputes across the Bank s AME network.
• Advising on and managing employee relations issues across the AME network, including disciplinary and grievance hearings, redundancies, performance improvement cases and contentious termination of employment matters.
• Reviewing standard form documentation (e.g., employment contracts, redundancy dispensations, employee relations product templates) to ensure it remains appropriate considering internal policy requirements and all prevailing legal and regulatory developments.
• Advising regional and Group business and functional stakeholders (e.g., HR, CFCC, SIS, GIA) on a range of HR and employment legal matters.
• Advising on D&I strategy/communications and participating in Global D&I projects/initiatives.
• Efficient management of external counsel to deliver best value for the network in terms of costs savings and quality of service and legal support.
Processes
• Providing relevant stakeholders with accurate and timely information regarding the status of HR disputes and ER issues.
• Work closely with Shared Investigation Services ( SIS ) to advise on internal investigations.
• Support for various projects, such as M&A integration, including advice on staff consultation obligations and restructuring, and consultation with M&A Legal counterparts (internal and external) on employment legal matters arising during negotiations and implementation.
• Provide training and assistance with the implementation of best practices in relation to the management of Employment Legal Risk across the network.
• Maintenance and advocacy of Group HR, ER and D&I policies and practices
• Reviewing and advising on legal updates to employment contract templates.
• Advise and provide best practice guidance on regulatory issues affecting staff, particularly relating to remuneration.
• Drafting internal ER documentation and precedents.
• Advice on employment contracts and maintenance and advocacy of global contractual templates.
People & Talent
• Lead through example and build the appropriate culture and values.
• Work in collaboration with risk and control partners.
• Support new ways of working both within and outside the Employment Law Team.
Risk Management
• Responsible for identifying assessing, monitoring, controlling and mitigating employment legal risks to the Group and demonstrating an awareness of the role the individual plays in managing them.
• Initiating and participating in projects designed to manage HR legal risk
• Reporting to and participating in key HR and Legal Risk Committees
• Providing training and assistance with the implementation of best practice in relation to the management of HR Legal Risk across the network.
Governance
• Ensure compliance with the Group standards.
• Responsible for identifying, assessing, monitoring, controlling and mitigating employment risk to the Group.
Regulatory & Business Conduct
• Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group s Valued Behaviours and Code of Conduct.
• Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across the Bank. This includes understanding and ensuring compliance with, in letter and spirit, all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines and the Group Code of Conduct.
• Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate and resolve risk, conduct and compliance matters.
Key stakeholders
• HR (Service Delivery, PRB, Resourcing, People Capability, Employee Relations, HRBPs, Operational Risk, Emiratisation)
• SIS
• Legal and Co-Sec
• CFCC
• D&I
Other Responsibilities
• Participate in various Group initiatives (such as D&I programs) and working groups.
Our Ideal Candidate Requirements
• Excellent organisational skills required to assimilate and analyse information regarding relevant background facts.
• Excellent analytical skills to review background facts and identify the key legal issues raised by the employment dispute or issue.
• Excellent communication skills to discuss the key legal issues with external legal advisors and to discuss and agree the approach with the internal stakeholders.
• Disciplined approach towards project management, timelines and tracking all steps required to manage matters and implement a strategic approach.
• Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group s Valued Behaviours and Code of Conduct.
• Ability to develop positive working relationships with colleagues from a range of different socio-cultural backgrounds.
Qualifications
• University degree in law or other university degree provided gdl conversion from an accredited law school.
• Qualified solicitor with a valid practising certificate.
• 2-5 years pqe experience.
• Dedicated and specialist employment law experience in private practice or in-house, including:
• Employment disputes (including labour arbitration and litigation);
• Drafting and advising on employment contracts and policies;
• General advisory work on employment law related issues/matters;
• Advising on employee relations issues such as disciplinaries, grievances, redundancy/restructure and termination of employment;
• Management of union related issues;
• Advise on best practices relating to employment law matters/issues;
• Regulatory issues affecting employees, particularly remuneration (preferred); and
• Financial services experience desirable.
• Experience of advising on employment law matters across multiple geographies.
• Candidate who has worked in the ame region particularly mena is preferred.
Role Specific Technical Competencies
• Good organisational skills required in order to assimilate and analyse information regarding the relevant background facts
• Good analytical skills to review the background facts and identify the key legal issues raised by the HR dispute or ER issue
• Excellent communication skills in order to discuss the key legal issues with external legal advisers and to discuss and agree the strategic approach with the internal stakeholders and external legal advisers
• Good management skills to manage the HR legal team resources, including lawyers seconded from the Bank s panel law firms
• Disciplined approach towards timelines and tracking all steps required in order to implement the strategic approach
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Keyskills :
quality of servicelitigationcontract managementlegalagreementskeeping things simple