Location: Reading, United Kingdom In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible. Together we offer fantastic opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their career with us. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people each day to make life better, and keep us safer. We innovate across the major industries of Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space. Your health and well-being matters to us and that's why we offer you the flexibility to do what's important to you; whether that's part time hours, job sharing, home working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible, we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions. Job title: Legal Counsel - Employment Law - 12 month fixed-term contract Location : Reading, Crawley or Bristol (hybrid working arrangement) Are you an experienced Barrister or Solicitor with proven experience of employment law, looking for your next opportunity? Then look no further What the role has to offer: An exciting opportunity has arisen for an employment lawyer to join our Employment Law team within the UK Legal function. This is a hybrid role, which will be based at a Thales site, but with the ability to also work from home. Proximity to Thales sites in Reading, Crawley or Bristol is required. Reporting to Head of Employment Law, the job-holder will work very closely with HR and the business. This is an important role, supporting all Thales businesses in the UK, advising on a wide range of employment matters, both contentious and non-contentious. This is a perfect role for someone who is looking for a varied and interesting workload, and who is used to adopting a commercial and risk-based approach to employment law issues. Core Benefits: On offer is a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes; Performance-related bonus Half day every Friday, usually finishing around 13:00pm 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) plus opportunity to buy up to 40 hours/year (pro rata) 24 hours volunteering paid for Private healthcare (grade dependent) Pension scheme Life cover 24/7 Employee Assistance Program and access to mental wellbeing app Employee discount shopping schemes on major brands and retailers Gym membership discounts Key responsibilities: Providing ad hoc advice to HR on a wide range of employment issues including complex grievances and disciplinary / performance processes, alleged discrimination, redundancies and senior exits Tribunal claims: Running own cases Leading negotiation strategies for settlement Conducting preliminary hearings Restructuring, Commercial / Bid support and M&A - advising on the employment law aspects of: Restructuring projects TUPE advice on: Insourcing/outsourcing of services Commercial contracts M&A activity Change programmes Training - preparing and presenting training materials (presentations, case studies, workshops etc.) Industrial relations - advising on potential industrial relation disputes and trade union issues Immigration - supporting on immigration matters About you: Barrister or Solicitor Employment law experience (3 years' PQE), ideally having trained and qualified with a reputable law firm. In-house experience is desirable Ability to advise the businesses from both a legal and commercial standpoint, and offer pragmatic solutions Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work with and influence stakeholders at different levels of the organisation Security Clearance statement: Due to the nature of the work that we do at Thales, many of our roles are subject to security restrictions. This role requires Security Clearance (SC). It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance prior to commencing employment. Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance. To be eligible for full SC, you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last 5 years. In some circumstances, a minimum of 3 years' residence in the UK over the last 5 years may be accepted, with additional overseas checks. LI-DNI In line with Thales' Baseline Security requirements, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK and employment and/or education history for up to three years. Some vacancies may require full Security Clearance which can require further evidence to be provided. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) Agency. At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working. Thales UK is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment process. We will provide reasonable adjustments and support to ensure neuro-diverse applicants or those with a disability or long-term condition can be their best during the recruitment process. To request an adjustment, if you need this job advert in an alternative format or if you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Resourcing Ops for mid to senior roles, or the Early Careers Team for graduate and apprentice roles. Great journeys start here, apply now