Counsel, EMEA; Mid-Senior Level

Overview

Environmental Resources Management (ERM) – a 7,000-person leading global provider of sustainability, environmental, health, safety, and risk consulting services – seeks an experienced Employment/Labor attorney to serve as a key member of its global Legal department that provides support for ERM’s human resources and operations globally (with offices in more than 40 countries and territories). This role would report to the Chief Litigation & Employment Counsel, who leads the litigation and employment team within the Global Legal Department and is located in Austin, Texas.

ERM is in the business of sustainability. Our purpose is to shape a sustainable future with the world’s leading organizations. Our business is ambitious, growth oriented, values driven and truly global. Our clients value our ability to serve them across the world and our people benefit from diverse and challenging work experiences and the opportunity to make a difference – directly with our clients as well as for the local communities in which we operate.

Find out more at  Our commitment s to our people are centered on their professional and personal development, their well-being and above all, their safety.

We are proud of being a professional yet welcoming and collegiate company where we want our people to enjoy working together to achieve great results.

The candidate will ideally be located accessible to the central London office (where most of the legal team is based) or one of ERM’s other main offices in the UK (e.g., Manchester, Oxford or Bristol).

The candidate’s primary focus will be to provide legal support to the company’s operations in the EMEA and APAC regions, and specifically the UK, EU and Australia. The candidate will also help the Legal Department to achieve its overall mission of reducing ERM’s risk profile and improving decision-making.

• Supporting the Chief Litigation & Employment Counsel in directly handling – and oversee outside counsel in cost-effectively handling – employment issues in EMEA and APAC. This may include M&A, performance management, risk management, regulatory compliance, regulatory employment guidelines and requirements and strategy;
• Establishing a cross-functional relationship with HR teams in EMEA and APAC and to help provide guidance on employee matters and offering employment risk management advice to staff at all levels of the business;
• Reviewing and drafting a broad range of employment agreements;
• Researching, monitoring, analyzing, and informing (on a proactive cadence) the Legal and HR team of changes in employment regulations, statutes, and guidance, as well as industry developments, best practices and trends;
• Working with outside counsel to address updates in employment regulations, statutes, and guidance, as well obtaining advice to address employee relations matters, in a cost effective manner and when appropriate;
• Providing advice and working directly with Human Resources to develop and update employment policies and templates;
• Supporting the M&A work, as assigned, concerning employee integration;
• Developing relationships with external counsel in jurisdictions where necessary and managing budgets.
• Apply knowledge of industry best practices to identify trends and reduce ERM’s exposure in employment matters;
• Work closely with HR leadership and Chief Litigation & Employment Counsel on a variety of employment issues such as non-compete reviews, employment investigations and negotiations, separations, claims, employment compliance, drafting policies and procedures, and many other HR-related projects;
• Work closely with the Global Litigation & Employment Paralegal to carry out investigations, and many other tasks;
• Enforcing ERM’s corporate governance and compliance policies;
• Co-ordinate with the Company’s insurers and brokers on claims as appropriate; and
• Perform other legal duties as may be directed by the Chief Litigation & Employment Counsel.

The successful candidate will display a high level of technical proficiency, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and enthusiasm for working with a highly…