UK Senior Legal Counsel – Employment (12-month secondment/FTC)

UK Senior Legal Counsel – Employment (12-month secondment/FTC)
Cambridge or Macclesfield, UK
Competitive salary and benefits

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-focused biopharmaceutical company focusing on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines for some of the most serious diseases.
But we’re more than one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies - the work we do here is meaningful. Every action we take is focused on putting our patients first, and those actions add up to something bigger. We help AstraZeneca to run faster and better, powering everyone else to focus on what’s important - delivering life-changing medicines to our patients.

In this role, you will work independently, reporting into and with oversight from the Assistant General Counsel (AGC) Global Employment, ensuring all employment legal risks within your remit are identified and appropriately mitigated. You will prioritise and manage legal risks of high materiality and/or reputational impact. You will influence business decisions with high quality legal advice and analysis. Strategic thinking and influencing skills are key as the position has a direct impact on business activities and key legal matters. You will be a proactive business partner with an understanding of internal and external trends, and able to articulate legal considerations to senior stakeholders clearly and concisely in a dynamic environment.

Accountabilities

- Advise leaders across all AstraZeneca business units on all aspects of UK employment law, including performance management, discrimination and harassment prevention, workplace investigations, absence and reasonable adjustments, flexible working requests and management, office attendance, contingent workers, compensation, pay equity, terminations, and restructuring.
- Lead all aspects of assigned employment-related litigation matters, including Employment Tribunal and High Court litigation, with responsibilities such as strategy management, cost containment, discovery/e-discovery, and communication with internal parties, in partnership with External Legal Counsel (ELC) and under limited supervision from AGC, Global Employment.
- Handle pre-litigation employment matters, including advising on pre-litigation grievances and handling pre-litigation correspondence with employees and their representatives.
- Continually review UK HR policies and practices to ensure legal compliance and provide strategic partnership in the development of new policies and initiatives.
- Drive AstraZeneca’s global strategies on increasing inclusion and diversity while ensuring compliance with UK and other relevant laws in overseas jurisdictions.
- Identify and manage present and potential legal risks in the delivery of all HR services, including legal risks associated with the implementation of strategic initiatives and projects.
- Manage ELC to control internal and external resources to meet budget requirements.
- Independently handle complex legal matters and innovative business arrangements and projects.
- Ensure collaboration with other Legal teams and support areas to ensure seamless service to clients.
- Handle special projects assigned by Legal leadership.

Essential Skills/Experience

- UK-qualified solicitor or barrister with solid years legal practice experience
- Ability to take accountability, appropriately calibrate risk and enable clear decision-making with confidence and professional maturity
- Solutions-oriented with pragmatic approach
- Intellectually curious, appetite for learning with a track record to master new subjects quickly and effectively
- Resilient and able to operate effectively and independently under pressure
- Ability to work flexibly and collaboratively
- Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
- Demonstrated experience managing accountabilities and stakeholders
- High level of integrity and strong work ethic

Desirable Skills/Experience

- Employment/HR-law specific experience at a law firm and/or previous in-house experience in this capacity, including counselling and employment
- Experience advising global pharmaceutical/life sciences organisations or other large multinational organisations

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.

AstraZeneca offers an environment where you can delve into intellectually stimulating work that keeps you engaged every day. With countless opportunities available, you'll be part of a dedicated team that powers AstraZeneca to better serve patients. Our entrepreneurial spirit drives us to innovate and challenge the status quo while taking smart risks. As part of this dynamic team, you'll have the chance to build an outstanding reputation while contributing to something bigger—making a difference in patients' lives.

Ready to take your career to new heights? Apply now to join us!

Date Posted

21-Oct-2025

Closing Date

31-Oct-2025

Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorisation and employment eligibility verification requirements.