Assistant General Counsel, HR Legal

About Northern Trust

As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions.

Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide.

With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Role

As a member of Northern Trust’s Legal Department, the Assistant General Counsel, HR Legal will provide high-quality, practical and commercially focused legal advice to senior management, business leaders, Human Resources and Employee Relations.

The role will have primary responsibility for advising on a broad range of employment, employee relations and employee benefits matters across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), supporting Northern Trust’s employee and contingent workforce.

The position reports to the Deputy General Counsel, Employment and Employee Relations (US), with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Deputy General Counsel, International.

Key Responsibilities

- Partner closely with the Global Employment Counsel team to ensure a consistent, collaborative approach to the delivery of employment law advice across EMEA.
- Advise HR, Employee Relations and senior business stakeholders on a broad range of employment matters, including grievances, disciplinary matters, performance management, right-to-work issues and workforce-related matters.
- Oversee EMEA employment litigation, regulatory and agency-related matters in partnership with the Employee Relations team and external counsel.
- Advise on compensation and remuneration requirements, including applicable remuneration codes, regulatory frameworks and accountability regimes.
- Provide legal advice on employee benefits matters, including pension arrangements.
- Advise on employment-related aspects of corporate transactions and strategic initiatives, including mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, restructurings and TUPE matters.
- Draft, review and negotiate employment-related documentation, including employment contracts, settlement and severance agreements.
- Advise on employee privacy and data protection matters, including GDPR requirements.
- Support the development, implementation and review of employment policies, procedures, guidance and templates across EMEA.
- Provide advice to relevant committees, councils and working groups on employment and workforce-related matters.
- Manage relationships with external employment counsel across EMEA and other jurisdictions as required.
- Monitor emerging employment law and regulatory developments and assess their impact on Northern Trust and its workforce.
- Build and maintain strong relationships across Legal, HR, Employee Relations and senior management, providing pragmatic, solutions-oriented legal advice.
- Provide employment legal support on wider corporate and regulatory initiatives as required.

Knowledge and Skills

The successful candidate will bring:

- Significant employment law experience, with strong knowledge of employment legislation and practice across multiple EMEA jurisdictions. Relevant jurisdictions include the UK, Ireland, Guernsey, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE and Saudi Arabia.
- Strong technical employment law expertise combined with extensive hands-on experience advising HR, Employee Relations and senior stakeholders within a complex, international organisation.
- Experience navigating complex and sensitive employee relations matters and providing clear, pragmatic and commercially balanced legal advice.
- Strong knowledge of employment-related regulatory requirements affecting financial services or another highly regulated environment.
- Experience advising on compensation, remuneration and/or accountability regimes.
- Demonstrable experience of TUPE and other employment aspects of corporate transactions, including M&A due diligence.
- Experience advising on employee privacy and GDPR matters.
- Knowledge of gender pay reporting and other evolving employment-related disclosure requirements.
- Excellent legal analysis, judgement and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex legal issues into practical business advice.
- Excellent drafting skills, including employment contracts, settlement/severance agreements and employment policies.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the credibility and confidence to advise senior stakeholders.
- Strong relationship-management skills and the ability to work collaboratively across Legal, HR, Employee Relations and the wider business.
- The ability to effectively manage external counsel across multiple jurisdictions.
- An interest in emerging employment, regulatory and workforce-related legal developments.

Qualifications

- A law degree or equivalent legal qualification.
- Qualified as a solicitor and admitted to practise in England and Wales, with a current practising certificate.
- Significant relevant experience gained within a nationally recognised law firm and/or the legal department of a large international organisation.
- Additional qualifications or admission to practise in other EMEA jurisdictions would be advantageous, particularly Luxembourg, Guernsey, the Netherlands and/or Ireland.

Work Authorization

Applicants must have the right to work in the United Kingdom at the time of application and for the duration of employment.

Please note that Northern Trust is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role. This includes Skilled Worker visas, Global Business Mobility routes, Graduate visas, Youth Mobility Scheme, High Potential Individual visas, Scale-up Worker visas, Temporary Worker visas, and other employer-sponsored visa categories.

Working with Us

As a Northern Trust partner, you will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture, which has a strong history of financial strength and stability. Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to an inclusive workplace and assisting the communities we serve.

Philanthropy is deeply rooted in Northern Trust’s history and is an essential element of our culture. Employees around the world give their time and talent to work for the greater good of their communities.

Reasonable Accommodation

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing adjustments to individuals with health conditions and disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at [email protected] , or alternatively you can discuss your individual requirements with the recruiter you are working with.