Employment Legal Counsel

Join us as an "Employment Legal Counsel" at Barclays, where you'll support and safeguard the organisation's employment law and employee relations agenda across jurisdictions, providing strategic legal advice, managing employment-related disputes and litigation, and partnering with HR, Rewards, ER and business stakeholders to mitigate legal and reputational risks.

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in the role, such as experience with employment and labour laws, employee relations, litigation management, workplace investigations, regulatory compliance, stakeholder engagement, and complex problem-solving, as well as job-specific skillsets.

To be successful as an "Employment Legal Counsel", you should have experience with:

Basic / Essential Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Law (LL.B. or equivalent) from a recognized university in India and qualification to practice law in India.

• Solid experience advising on employment and labour law matters, including disciplinary actions, grievances, workplace investigations, employee relations issues, and employment lifecycle matters.

• Experience managing employment litigation and disputes before courts, tribunals, labour authorities, and regulatory bodies, including engagement and oversight of external counsel.

Desirable Skillsets / Good to Have:

• Qualification as a Company Secretary (CS) or additional legal/professional qualifications.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a pragmatic, solution-oriented approach to managing legal and business risks.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, stakeholder management capabilities, and the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across business teams.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while exercising sound judgment and attention to detail.

• Experience working in a multinational or matrixed organisation and supporting cross-border employment law matters.

The role will be based out of Pune.

Purpose of the role

To ensure that the Employment, Incentives and Pensions (EIP) activities of the bank are conducted in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and to help the bank manage legal risks associated with these activities. 

Accountabilities

• Development and implementation of best practice legal strategies for risk management and compliance.
• Legal advice and support to Human Resources and the businesses on the full range of EIP issues, including recruitment, policy issues, diversity matters, change programs, investigations and disputes, compensation and benefits, and pension matters.
• Representation of the bank in legal proceedings related to EIP matters, such as litigation, arbitration, and regulatory investigations.
• Creation and review of legal documents such as employee contracts and policies, severance agreements, incentive plans, and pension documentation.
• Legal research and analysis to stay up to date on changes in laws and regulations that may impact the bank's EIP activities.
• Developing and delivering training programmes to educate employees on applicable legal and regulatory requirements relating to employment, incentives or pension matters.
• Pro-active identification, communication, and provision of legal advice on applicable laws, rules and regulations (LRRs). Keeping up to date with regards to changes to LRRs in the relevant coverage area. Ensuring that LRRs are effectively allocated to, and adequately reflected within, the relevant policies, standards and controls.

Assistant Vice President Expectations

• To advise and influence decision making, contribute to policy development and take responsibility for operational effectiveness. Collaborate closely with other functions/ business divisions.
• Lead a team performing complex tasks, using well developed professional knowledge and skills to deliver on work that impacts the whole business function. Set objectives and coach employees in pursuit of those objectives, appraisal of performance relative to objectives and determination of reward outcomes
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.
• OR for an individual contributor, they will lead collaborative assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will identify new directions for assignments and/ or projects, identifying a combination of cross functional methodologies or practices to meet required outcomes.
• Consult on complex issues; providing advice to People Leaders to support the resolution of escalated issues.
• Identify ways to mitigate risk and developing new policies/procedures in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Take ownership for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work done.
• Perform work that is closely related to that of other areas, which requires understanding of how areas coordinate and contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the organisation sub-function.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategy.
• Engage in complex analysis of data from multiple sources of information, internal and external sources such as procedures and practises (in other areas, teams, companies, etc).to solve problems creatively and effectively.
• Communicate complex information. 'Complex' information could include sensitive information or information that is difficult to communicate because of its content or its audience.
• Influence or convince stakeholders to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.