Senior Legal Counsel - People (Part Time)

What’s in it for you

We’re all about the little helps. That’s why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you – both in and out of work. Click Here to find out more!

• Annual bonus scheme of up to 20% of base salary
• Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• 26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (after 1 years’ service) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave
• Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing

About the role

This is a key role working across Tesco to manage legal risk arising from all employment law issues across the Group. This includes advising the People Team and wider business on the full range of day‑to‑day and project‑based employment matters, providing strategic oversight of all employment tribunal claims, managing external advisers and associated budgets, advising on and negotiating settlement agreements, and driving continuous improvement of legal workflows.

The role requires you to partner with stakeholders across the business , including at the most senior levels,  and to lead with confidence, delivering a commercial, solutions‑driven approach to complex employment issues.

This is a part‑time role, working 29 hours per week.

You will be responsible for

• Act as an employment law expert, strategically partnering with the People Team and wider Business to advise on the full range of people‑related change projects and day‑to‑day employment issues. This includes:
  terms and conditions of employment, legislative change, policy review, large‑scale restructuring and settlement agreement programmes, TUPE transfers, termination of employment/unfair dismissal, global mobility, discrimination issues and all associated settlement agreements.

• Oversee all Employment Tribunal claims: applying specialist employment law knowledge to determine the appropriate settlement or litigation strategy for complex and sensitive matters, instructing external legal partners, managing the external legal spend, and liaising with key People and Business stakeholders throughout.

• Work closely with external legal partners and the People Team to understand the drivers of claim volumes and identify, recommend and deliver policy or training interventions aimed at reducing future risk.

• Maintain awareness of relevant legislative and case law changes, and share timely updates and insights with the Head of Legal and key People/Business stakeholders.

• Develop, review and continuously improve early conciliation, employment litigation and settlement agreement processes to ensure a cost‑effective, consistent and value‑led approach to managing employment claims.

• Directly advise senior stakeholders on employment‑related settlements, including assessing risk, recommending appropriate exit packages, and reviewing, drafting and negotiating settlement agreements and COT3 agreements.

You will need

• A qualified lawyer (3+ PQE) with experience gained at a leading law firm or in‑house legal team.
• Broad employment advisory experience including: discrimination, employment contracts, disciplinary and grievance matters, termination of employment, whistleblowing, TUPE, and settlement agreement negotiations.
• Experience developingg and delivering Employment Tribunal litigation strategy and managing cases through to resolution.
• Proven experience managing external law firms, including driving fee control, efficient processes and value for money.
• Experience liaising with and influencing senior leaders.
• An active self‑starter who can work autonomously and confidently lead matters from start to finish.
• A robust and effective legal adviser who engages confidently with stakeholders at all levels and can positively influence decision‑making.
• The ability to make complex legal issues simple, see the big picture, and balance legal risk with commercial drivers.
• A willingness to upskill in new areas and rapidly develop knowledge of the business.
• Strong matter‑management skills, with the ability to work efficiently under pressure and manage a large, varied workload in a fast‑paced environment.
• Excellent communication skills, a pragmatic and commercial approach, and a highly collaborative working style that builds strong relationships across the business.

About us

You might know us as a supermarket, technology company or even for our award-winning mobile network. Truth is, we’re all of those things, and much more. Our colleagues work with one goal in mind, helping to make every day a little better for our customers, colleagues and communities all over the world. No two customers are the same, neither are our colleagues.

At Tesco, we champion a balance that lets you thrive both in and out of work. Spend 60% of your week collaborating with colleagues at our office locations or local sites and the rest remotely. Whether you're just kicking off your career, juggling passions, or navigating big life events, we're here to support you. We always welcome a conversation about flexible working, so talk to us throughout your application about how we can support.

We're proud to be an accredited Disability Confident Leader, where everyone’s welcome. That’s why we commit to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you need support with your application, click here for more information. And if you're interested in joining our team but don't tick every box, don't let that hold you back from applying.