Managing Legal Counsel – Employment Legal | S4 | Legal | London TSQ

Overview

As Managing Legal Counsel for Employment, you will lead a high‑impact Employment Legal function within Santander UK Group, delivering strategic, business‑focussed advice on complex people matters and safeguarding the firm through risk‑aware guidance. You’ll steer governance discussions at senior levels and shape effective litigation, investigations and regulatory responses. The role offers the opportunity to build a high‑performing team and to drive continuous improvement in legal service delivery within a trusted financial services environment.

Pay / Benefits

• 30 days’ holiday + bank holidays (31 days after 5 years)
• £6,000 car allowance
• Company funded private medical insurance
• Death-in-service & income protection
• Share plans
• Wellbeing programmes and flexible healthcare

Responsibilities

• Lead the Employment Legal function, setting direction and standards while providing commercial advice on complex people matters
• Develop a high-performing team with accountability for performance, capability, engagement, succession planning and inclusive culture
• Advise senior stakeholders, governance bodies, and participate in Board-level papers on strategically significant employment matters
• Oversee material contentious matters including litigation, ADR, investigations and whistleblowing, with strategic settlement approaches
• Provide strategic non-contentious advice on SMCR, Conduct Rules, remuneration, senior leader changes, organisational change, TUPE and collective consultation
• Strengthen legal risk management through governance, controls, reporting, MI and continuous improvement
• Optimize value from legal resources by insourcing where possible, managing panel firms, budgets and cost control
• Manage external counsel and budget allocations to balance internal delivery with external support

Key requirements

• Substantial experience leading a legal team in a complex, regulated organisation
• Deep UK employment law expertise across contentious and non-contentious matters in financial services
• Credibility to advise Executive, Board and senior governance audiences on sensitive matters
• Proven ability to manage complex litigation, investigations, organisational change, external counsel, budgets and priorities

• Leadership and people development
• Influence and communication
• Commercial judgment
• Employment law expertise in UK Financial Services, including SMCR, Conduct Rules, remuneration, investigations, whistleblowing, TUPE, and industrial relations
• Governance and resource management—oversight of risk, committees, external counsel and budgets

…