BT Group – Employment Lawyer
Location: Birmingham, England, United Kingdom (Role Location - Birmingham - 3 days in office / up to 2 days at home a week)
Overview
We are looking for an Employment Lawyer with between 2-5 years PQE who is eager to work in an in-house legal practice.
As a Lawyer specialising in Employment, Pensions, and Benefits, you will provide expert legal advice that is clear, practical, and commercially focused, to enable BT to operate effectively, deliver exceptional customer experiences, and manage legal risk, reputation, and brand in line with our strategy and values.
Why this role matters: BT’s Corporate Functions shape the direction of the business by managing people, finances, shared services, and infrastructure while meeting legal, regulatory, and compliance obligations.
What You’ll Be Doing
* Act as a key point of contact for employment law matters, providing expert legal advice to internal stakeholders including the People and Culture team and business leaders.
* Advise on a wide range of employment and benefits issues, both contentious and non-contentious, including complex employee relations, restructuring, and TUPE.
* Proactively identify and escalate key employment and industrial relations issues, ensuring timely and effective resolution.
* Manage your own caseload and support senior lawyers with legal research and project work.
* Monitor and interpret changes in employment law and government policy, supporting stakeholder education across the business, including the Board and ExCo.
* Oversee the quality and cost-effectiveness of work delivered by external legal counsel.
* Build strong relationships across BT’s Legal, Regulatory Affairs, Compliance and CoSec teams, and develop a professional external network.
* Promote knowledge sharing and the use of AI to streamline legal processes and develop practical tools, templates, and guidance.
* Coach and supervise junior team members, supporting their development and contributing to a high-performance culture.
* Align legal support with BT’s strategic objectives and contribute to the delivery of team goals and best legal practice.
Additional responsibilities
* Providing legal support on strategic employment and benefits projects as part of cross-functional teams.
* Acting as the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for employment matters in designated business areas.
* Managing Employment Tribunal cases, including drafting, negotiation, settlement, advocacy, and stakeholder communication.
* Drafting and advising on Settlement Agreements in collaboration with the People and Culture team.
* Advising on individual employee issues and supporting TUPE processes, including documentation and stakeholder engagement.
Skills and Experiences
* PQE qualified with 2-5 years of post-qualification experience; experience of employment law and ability to communicate with stakeholders up to C-suite level.
* Team Collaboration: strong team player with integrity and a commitment to delivering excellent legal support.
* Commercial Awareness: commercially minded, able to prioritise, meet deadlines, and understand how legal work supports BT’s broader goals.
* Ownership and Initiative: proactive in identifying solutions and driving positive outcomes.
* Written and Verbal Communication: excellent drafting and persuasive oral communication skills.
* Legal Research: high attention to detail with clear, concise presentation of findings.
* Advisory Expertise: provides practical, commercial legal advice on complex issues with risk considerations.
* Continuous Development: motivated to grow skills and contribute to the team’s development.
Experience
* Experience in a legal role focused on employment, pensions, or benefits law within a complex or regulated organisation.
* Ability to manage individual matters and support senior lawyers on larger projects; experience with contentious and non-contentious matters, including employee relations, restructuring, and TUPE.
* Experience engaging with internal stakeholders and external counsel; openness to legal technology and AI tools to improve processes.
* Experience coaching or supervising junior colleagues and contributing to a high-performance team culture.
Benefits
* Competitive salary
* 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
* 10% on-target performance bonus
* Life Assurance
* Pension scheme with BT contributions
* Healthcare options (e.g., Healthcare Cash Plan) and other benefits such as dental insurance, gym memberships
* BT/EE mobile plans and exclusive colleague discounts on BT products
* World-class training and development opportunities
* Volunteering days
Our leadership standards include Leading inclusively and Safely, Owning outcomes, Delivering for the customer, Commercially savvy, Growth mindset, and Building for the future.
BT is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align with every qualification, apply anyway — you may be the right candidate for this or other roles in our wider team.
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