EMEA Employment Lawyer, Director

About this role

Position: Employment Lawyer - Europe, Middle East & Africa

Location: London

Job Purpose/Background:

BlackRock is seeking an experienced employment lawyer to join its Employment Legal team of five (5) experienced lawyers in London that provides legal support to BlackRock’s growing business in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) region, across 23 jurisdictions and more than 7,500 employees. The largest office in EMEA is in the UK, and the firm also has significant operations in Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and UAE. The Director-level role provides legal support to Human Resources and all other business groups on the full range of employment law issues that impact BlackRock’s business in the EMEA region.  This includes a wide range of contentious and non-contentious matters including employee relations items (grievances, performance management, disciplinaries, flexible working applications, redundancies, mutual separation agreements, TUPE transfers, Employment Tribunal and Labour Court litigation, ACAS early conciliation, etc.) and advice to the Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, Mobility, Rewards and HR Operations teams within Human Resources.

The individual will work with a high degree of autonomy and, once familiar with the BlackRock structure and operating model, with minimum levels of supervision.  The Employment Legal team is highly collaborative, both within region and globally, across a global team of thirteen (13) lawyers with responsibility for employment, incentives and benefits.

Key Responsibilities:

• Coverage of all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law work in the EMEA region.
• Working with the HR Employee Relations team, HR Business Partners and business groups to provide legal support and advice on employee relations matters including grievances, performance management matters, disciplinaries, flexible working applications, redundancies, mutual separation agreements, TUPE transfers, Tribunal claims, ACAS early conciliations, Employee DSARs etc.
• Working with the HR team and business on key strategic business or regulatory projects - previous examples include the UK Employment Rights Act, EU Pay Transparency and FCA Conduct Rules.
• Working with legal colleagues globally on firm-wide initiatives, such as introduction and use of AI tools and diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Working with the department’s Transactions Lawyers, the business and HR on transfers of staff and on the impact on staff of outsourcing, insourcing, new office openings and transaction activities.
• Advising and working with the Rewards team on compensation and benefits matters including remuneration regulations.
• Working with the Recruitment Team on employment contracts and review of restrictive covenants for new hire candidates.
• Advising on both global and local HR Policies and initiatives.
• Working with the Core Compliance team on staff related regulatory matters such as SMCR, conduct rule breaches, personal trading, gifts and entertainment and outside activities.
• Proactively identify, address and manage legal risk issues arising with employment law matters within the EMEA region.
• Liaise as necessary with external counsel, particularly in jurisdictions outside the UK.

Other Responsibilities:

• Develop and actively manage relationships with key internal stakeholders and external advisers.
• Conduct training and education sessions where relevant for legal and non-legal members of BlackRock.

Knowledge/Experience:

• Solicitor / Lawyer qualified in England and Wales or other relevant jurisdiction(s).
• Strong academic record.
• Comprehensive relevant employment law experience (gained either in private practice or the in-house legal team of a financial services organisation).

Competencies:

• Develops constructive professional relationships across the firm and with external advisers.
• Persuasive and influential advisor to internal client base and manager of internal client base’s expectations.
• Demonstrates a commercial outlook, is motivated, solutions-oriented and personable.
• Strong attention to detail and underlying legal risk.
• Ability to gather information and analyse data.
• Clarifies tasks and requirements, organises and prioritizes time and manages workload to ensure deadlines are met.
• Manages multiple tasks concurrently and efficiently.
• Communicates effectively at all levels of the firm in verbal and written form.
• Seeks to understand BlackRock’s business, industry, products and processes.
• Takes ownership of problems / requirements and ensures they are resolved to meet objectives.

Our benefits

To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of employee benefits including: retirement investment and tools designed to help you in building a sound financial future; access to education reimbursement; comprehensive resources to support your physical health and emotional well-being; family support programs; and Flexible Time Off (FTO) so you can relax, recharge and be there for the people you care about.

Our hybrid work model

BlackRock’s hybrid work model is designed to enable a culture of collaboration and apprenticeship that enriches the experience of our employees, while supporting flexibility for all. Employees are currently required to work at least 4 days in the office per week, with the flexibility to work from home 1 day a week. Some business groups may require more time in the office due to their roles and responsibilities. We remain focused on increasing the impactful moments that arise when we work together in person – aligned with our commitment to performance and innovation. As a new joiner, you can count on this hybrid model to accelerate your learning and onboarding experience here at BlackRock.

Guidance on AI use for candidates

At BlackRock, AI has long been part of how we work – enhancing decision-making, improving operations, and helping us deliver better outcomes for clients. We encourage candidates to use AI thoughtfully to learn, prepare, and work more effectively; but during our interview process, we want to focus on getting to know you through your own experiences, thinking, and judgment. To support you, we’ve provided guidance on when and how to use AI during our hiring process so you can approach each step with confidence and showcase your best self.

About BlackRock

At BlackRock, we are all connected by one mission: to help more and more people experience financial well-being.  Our clients, and the people they serve, are saving for retirement, paying for their children’s educations, buying homes and starting businesses. Their investments also help to strengthen the global economy: support businesses small and large; finance infrastructure projects that connect and power cities; and facilitate innovations that drive progress.

This mission would not be possible without our smartest investment – the one we make in our employees. It’s why we’re dedicated to creating an environment where our colleagues feel welcomed, valued and supported with networks, benefits and development opportunities to help them thrive.

To learn more about BlackRock, please visit Careers.BlackRock.com. We also encourage you to get to know us on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, X, and TikTok.

BlackRock is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.  We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to age, disability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and other protected characteristics at law.