Interim Employment Counsel, EMEA & APAC – c. 6 month contract

at  ERM Group

Environmental Resources Management (ERM) – a 8,000+-person leading global provider of sustainability, environmental, health, safety, and risk consulting services – seeks an experienced Employment/Labor attorney to serve as a key interim member of its global Legal department that provides support for ERM’s human resources and operations globally (with offices in more than 40 countries and territories). This role would report to the Chief Litigation & Employment Counsel, who leads the litigation and employment team within the Global Legal Department and is located in Austin, Texas. The candidate will ideally be located accessible to the central London office (where most of the legal team is based) or one of ERM’s other main offices in the UK (e.g., Manchester, Oxford or Bristol).
The candidate’s primary focus will be to provide legal support to the company’s operations in the EMEA and APAC regions, mainly the UK, EU and Australia. The candidate will also help the Legal Department to achieve its overall mission of reducing ERM’s risk profile and improving decision-making.
ERM is in the business of sustainability. Our purpose is to shape a sustainable future with the world’s leading organizations. Our business is ambitious, growth oriented, values driven and truly global. Our clients value our ability to serve them across the world and our people benefit from diverse and challenging work experiences and the opportunity to make a difference – directly with our clients as well as for the local communities in which we operate. Find out more at
www.erm.com
. Our commitments to our people are centered on their professional and personal development, their well-being and above all, their safety.
We are proud of being a professional yet welcoming and collegiate company where we want our people to enjoy working together to achieve great results.

COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS:

The successful candidate will display a high level of technical proficiency, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and enthusiasm for working with a highly collaborative team.
This position requires consistent interaction with the General Counsel, Chief Litigation & Employment Counsel, regional attorneys, and others of the global Legal team, in addition to ERM consultants, support staff, and clients. Specifically, the following skills are required:
Experience as an employment attorney specifically in the following jurisdictions: UK or Australia; experience with employment counseling in EU countries is desirable;
Application of practical, legal, institutional, and commercial judgment to ambiguous situations;
Effective negotiation, risk mitigation, and litigation prevention;
Desire and ability to be a go-to legal team member with a value-add approach to business counseling and problem solving;
Ability to balance independent judgment with the need for collaborative teamwork;
Commitment to adhering to the highest level of professional and ethical behavior;
Excellent time-management to handle many competing priorities and to think and work systematically;
Ability to be comfortable in dealing with consultants, who are working under the pressure of deadlines;
Appropriately responding to a variety of non-routine – and often complex – requests and demands;
Willingness to work irregular hours as circumstances require;
Excellent communication skills and ability to explain clearly (in writing and orally) complex legal or technical information to managers and professionals who practice in different disciplines;
Ability to meet critical objectives while considering the impact of the decisions and activities on the ability to achieve long-term organizational goals; and
Willingness to do whatever else is necessary (e.g., assisting with acquisitions, insurance issues, or any number of other needs that may arise).

REQUIREMENTS:

Be registered to practice law in the UK, with at least 5 years post qualification legal experience;
Have gained your legal experience in an international law firm (preferably in the UK or the EU), and ideally worked for at least 2 years as part of an in-house legal team (ideally for an international company);
Must possess a well-developed understanding of commercial, contract and risk management issues (including a good understanding of the compliance issues) facing a global business;
Proven experience delivering employment legal advice to support business needs;
Proven success in consistently employment counseling and litigation matters to efficient and economically sensible outcomes;
Maintain a creative and pragmatic approach to problem-solving;
Be able to work as part of a team, but also able to work independently and take the lead when necessary;
Prioritize good client relations and be sensitive to cultural differences presented by ERM’s operations;
Be professional, calm under pressure, well-organized, proactive, able to grasp concepts quickly and able to meet challenging deadlines;
Possess excellent verbal and written communication skills;
Be fluent in English (spoken and written/legal drafting), with fluency in another language desirable;
Track record of using technology to implement process improvements;
Must be willing to travel, including possibly internationally, up to 20% of the time; and

Must have a suitable environment for working at home (including by video conference) as the need arises.

• Justification

Justification
We have limited cover in the UK and Australia and require this to resolve the issue.

Supporting the Chief Litigation & Employment Counsel in directly handling – and oversee outside counsel in cost-effectively handling – employment issues in EMEA and APAC. This may include M&A, performance management, risk management, regulatory compliance, regulatory employment guidelines and requirements and strategy;
Establishing a cross-functional relationship with HR teams in EMEA and APAC and to help provide guidance on employee matters and offering employment risk management advice to staff at all levels of the business;
Reviewing and drafting a broad range of employment agreements;
Researching, monitoring, analyzing, and informing (on a proactive cadence) the Legal and HR team of changes in UK employment regulations, statutes, and guidance, as well as industry developments, best practices and trends;
Working with outside counsel to address updates in employment regulations, statutes, and guidance, as well obtaining advice to address employee relations matters;
Providing advice and working directly with Human Resources to develop and update employment policies and templates;
Supporting the M&A work, as assigned, concerning employee integration;
Developing relationships with external counsel in jurisdictions where necessary and managing budgets.
Apply knowledge of industry best practices to identify trends and reduce ERM’s exposure in employment matters;
Work closely with HR leadership and Chief Litigation & Employment Counsel on a variety of employment issues such as non-compete reviews, employment investigations and negotiations, separations, claims, employment compliance, drafting policies and procedures, and many other HR-related projects;
Work closely with the Global Litigation & Employment Paralegal to carry out investigations, and many other tasks;
Enforcing ERM’s corporate governance and compliance policies;
Co-ordinate with the Company’s insurers and brokers on claims as appropriate; and
Perform other legal duties as may be directed by the Chief Litigation & Employment Counsel.