Employment Counsel - EMEA

Company Description

At Informa, no two days and no two people are the same, and you'll find the freedom, opportunity, and support of a fantastic community to make a real impact.

We’re an international business that connects specialists with knowledge, helping them to learn more, know more and do more through live and on demand events, digital and data-driven services, and academic research.

We are home to over 10,000 colleagues across 30 countries and are a member of the UK’s FTSE 100 group of leading public companies.

In Global Support, we provide expert guidance and hands-on support to the Informa Group and Informa’s many business teams. Across tech, finance, legal, corporate development, HR, communications, operations, and many other areas, we work collaboratively and flexibly to help our brands serve their customers and help the company succeed.

Job Description

Reporting to the Senior Employment Counsel, the Employment Counsel - EMEA will be required to provide good counsel, guidance and support on a broad range of employment law matters impacting mainly EMEA and Group.

Key responsibilities

The Employment Counsel - EMEA, is expected to assume the following key responsibilities plus any other reasonable duties as required:

• Provide proactive legal services to support the Group and EMEA divisions including advising on general employment law queries, contractual issues, disposals and acquisitions, outsourcings, restructuring and harmonisation exercises, employment litigation, restrictive covenants, equalities obligations, day-to-day ER issues such as grievance and disciplinary matters, drafting and implementing appropriate precedents, policies and processes.
• Assisting Senior Employment counsel with training the business, providing legal updates, imparting knowledge and developing standard procedures.
• Ensure that advice is appropriately provided in a timely manner and where appropriate engage, instruct and manage external lawyers.
• Work with the other members of the HR Legal team and Group and Divisional HR teams to ensure a coordinated approach to employment legal issues and the implementation of best practices across the Group.
• Assist with the implementation and management of key strategic HR legal projects.
• Assist in identifying and addressing legal risk, including emerging legal risks to the business, and making recommendations for change where required.

Qualifications

Skills & Abilities

• A qualified lawyer with excellent academics and strong post qualified UK employment law experience gained within a well-respected law firm or in-house. Previous in-house experience would be beneficial.
• In addition to proven technical knowledge, the individual will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, allowing them to deal effectively with people at all levels within Informa.
• Sound judgment enabling consideration of legal requests in a commercial, constructive and business-sympathetic way by balancing business needs with legal risk.
• A self-starting, can-do attitude with the ability to work autonomously and prioritise.
• Capable of providing advice with an international dimension.
• Experience in training business teams and imparting knowledge.
• The ability to present clearly and effectively, especially to distil complex technical concepts into business terms.
• It is essential that the individual is seen as approachable, responsive and a trusted adviser.

Additional Information

We work hard to make sure Life at Informa is rewarding, supportive and enjoyable for everyone. Here’s some of what you can expect when you join us. But don’t just take our word for it – see what our colleagues have to say at https://lifeat.informa.com/

Our benefits include:

• Freedom & flexibility: colleagues rate us highly for the flexibility and trust they receive and most of us balance time in the office with time working remotely.
• Great community: a welcoming culture with in-person and online social events, our fantastic Walk the World charity day and active diversity and inclusion networks.
• Broader impact: take up to four days per year to volunteer, with charity match funding available too.
• Career opportunity: the opportunity to develop your career with bespoke training and learning, mentoring platforms, and on-demand access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning. When it’s time for the next step, we encourage and support internal job moves.
• Time out: 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after two years, plus a birthday leave day and the chance to work from (almost!) anywhere for up to four weeks a year.
• A flexible range of personal benefits to choose from, plus company funded private medical cover.
• A ShareMatch scheme that allows you to become an Informa shareholder with free matching shares.
• Strong wellbeing support through EAP assistance, mental health first aiders, a healthy living subsidy, access to health apps and more.
• Recognition for great work, with global awards and kudos programmes.
• As an international company, the chance to collaborate with teams around the world.

We’re not solely focused on a checklist of skills. We champion energy and ambition and look for colleagues who will roll their sleeves up, join in and help make things happen. If it sounds like a match and you have most – although not all – of the skills and experience listed, we welcome your application.

At Informa, you'll find inclusive experiences and environments where all perspectives and backgrounds are welcomed. As part of this approach and our diversity and inclusion commitments, we are also formally an Equal Opportunities Employer. This means we base decisions on relevant qualifications and merit and do not discriminate on the basis of key characteristics and statuses, including all of those protected by law. Ask us or see our website for full information.

Check out some of our Corporate Videos below to find out more about Informa:

• Life at Informa: https://vimeo.com/818874158
• Informa overview: https://vimeo.com/806052607
• Diversity & Inclusion at Informa: https://vimeo.com/786679923
• Colleague networks: https://vimeo.com/786687436
• Walk the World: https://vimeo.com/837933822
• GAP 2: https://vimeo.com/806058954

See how Informa handles your personal data when you apply for a job here: https://www.informa.com/talent/informa-applicant-privacy-notice/