Lead EMEA Employment Counsel

Job Title: Lead EMEA Employment Counsel

Location: 100VE

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support employment law legal provision across EMEA

• Partner with HR teams and other stakeholders to provide support for all contentious and non-contentious employment law work.

• Working with the IR/ER team to provide advice on employee relations matters, including issues related to collective bargaining and trade unions.

• Providing expert advice and input in relation to global projects, policies and other initiatives.

• Supporting the Business Integrity team in relation to employment related investigations and other compliance issues.

• Responsibility for the engagement and use of outside counsel across the region, including managing to a budget.

• Proactively identifying, addressing and managing legal risk issues related to employment law.

• Keeping up to date on employment law developments and providing thought leadership as to the impact on Unilever

• Conducting training and building knowhow as required for both HR and non-HR colleagues.

ALL ABOUT YOU

• Qualified lawyer in the UK with significant experience advising organisations on employment law issues across EMEA.

• Deep experience advising in relation to the full range of employment issues, including trade union and other collective issues, on a cross-border basis.

• Experience in working in a complex multinational organisation – either directly or on a secondment basis.

• Demonstrable experience of driving change

• Ability to operate and exercise judgement independently

• Ability to influence and manage multiple internal and external stakeholders. Ability to deliver through others and with limited resources.

• Ability to engage on technical topics and communicate them in a clear and easy-to-understand manner.

• Experience in preparing executive briefings and presentations.

• Ability to translate global strategies locally.

• Comfortable with uncertainty, able to exercise judgement in a fast-moving environment.

• Fluent in English with a second language desirable.

NOTES

What we offer

Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all. 

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, including about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (unilever.com).

Location

In June 2020 we announced our plan to consolidate a number of Unilever’s offices across the South East of England into a new Unilever campus in Kingston-upon-Thames in or around early 2025. However, on the 08 August 2024 we announced to our existing staff our proposal to retain our central Head Office in London, 100 Victoria Embankment (“100VE”) until our lease expires in 2027. As a result of this new proposal, we will be consulting with our existing staff, and new joiners who join during this period of consultation at 100VE, on the proposal made in August 2024. During consultation we will clarify the future location of each team and function. This means your role will either be based in 100VE until 2027 or in Kingston-Upon-Thames from early 2025. As we are yet to commence consultation on the proposal you agree, until such a time when consultation has concluded, your normal place of work as set out in the enclosed Statement of Terms & Conditions will be 100VE. You agree that on the conclusion of the consultation your place of work will be 100VE or 100VE until early 2025 and then Kingston-upon-Thames ("the locations") and you will be notified of which of the locations will be your place of work after that consultation ends.