Senior Legal Counsel

Wood has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Employment Lawyer to join our award-winning Legal team as a Senior Legal Counsel on a permanent basis. This role offers hybrid working from our Reading office. #LI-hybridThis is a truly international role supporting Wood's operations across the UK & Europe, the Middle East, Africa, CIS and APAC regions. Working as the lead employment lawyer for the Eastern Hemisphere, you will provide strategic, commercially focused and pragmatic legal advice across a broad spectrum of contentious and non-contentious employment matters on a multi-jurisdictional basis.The role requires significant experience, autonomy and professional judgement, advising business and HR stakeholders on complex employment issues, managing employment disputes and litigation, supporting restructurings and business change programmes, overseeing external counsel, and ensuring the effective management of employment-related legal risk.In addition, you will play a role in the development and delivery of employment-related policies, training and guidance, while undertaking horizon scanning and monitoring legislative developments to help ensure ongoing compliance across Wood's diverse jurisdictions.Our Clients and Projects Designing the future. Transforming the world.Wood delivers solutions across more than 60 countries with local offices covering all major energy and materials hubs globally. For more than 160 years, we have partnered with clients to deliver engineering, advisory and operational solutions to some of the world’s most complex and critical challenges in energy and materials.What we can offerMeaningful and interesting projects we support green hydrogen and fuel switching, as well as supporting local clients with energy transitionFlexible working arrangements that balance client, team and individual needs offering hybrid working arrangementsCommitment to Diversity and Inclusion; we are an organisation actively committed to diversity and inclusion across our business with employee networks committed to giving all employees a voiceCompetitive salary with regular salary reviews to ensure we are rewarding at the right level in line with the marketFlexible benefits package; inclusive of 33 days annual leave (including public holidays), generous contributory pension scheme, private medical cover, 4x base salary life insurance; all of these and more that can be adapted to suit your own lifestyleCommitment to continued professional development; development plans that are tailored to your individual needs and interestsGlobal connections; join experts around the world who are at the leading edge of our industry, shaping the standards of our profession Wood is a global leader in consulting, engineering and operations for the energy and materials sectors. With 33,000 people in around 50 countries, Wood supports clients across the full asset lifecycle, delivering safe, predictable outcomes while enabling resilient operations and a lower carbon future. Wood forms the Energy & Materials pillar of Sidara - a global partnership uniting leading multidisciplinary engineering, design, and project management companies. Diversity Statement  We are an equal opportunity employer that recognises the value of a diverse workforce. All suitably qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment on the basis of objective criteria and without regard to the following (which is a non-exhaustive list): race, colour, age, religion, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or other characteristics in accordance with the relevant governing laws. What makes you remarkable? At Wood, we are committed to equal opportunities and welcome all talented individuals to consider joining our team. So even if you don't match every statement below but feel you have some of the experience, knowledge or skills needed for this role, we encourage you to apply. It will take all of us working together to deliver solutions to the world’s most critical challenges. Expected:Education and qualification as a lawyer, solicitor, barrister or equivalent qualificationValid / current law licensePost-qualified experience in an in house or private practice environmentStrong commercial acumen and highly developed legal and analytical skills (e.g., negotiation, drafting, relevant legal knowledge)Time management, use of IT systems and toolsEmployment law compliance, workforce governance and employee relationsChanging regulatory environmentCurrent and future industry trendsComplex legal analysis and problem solvingDesigning and delivering employment law training and guidance.Significant experience advising on contentious and non-contentious employment matters, employment-related litigation, investigations, restructurings, and workforce compliance.Experience advising on disciplinary, grievance and performance mattersExperience of employment litigation and workplace investigationsExperience supporting reorganisations, restructurings and workforce change programmesExperience of drafting and implementing employment policies and proceduresExperience managing external employment counsel across multiple jurisdictionsExperience providing strategic employment support to HR and senior business leadersPersonal Attributes: Consistently model and lead on Wood’s values, working with integrity, respecting and valuing others and our communitiesResilience, empathy and sound judgementBalance of humility and self confidenceGood interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels of the organisation and with colleagues in remote locationsStrong problem solving and creative skills and the ability to exercise sound judgment and make decisions based on accurate and timely analysesHigh level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and results-orientationAnticipates the environment, is forward thinking and able to see the ‘big picture’Creative in the achievement of stretching objectives; does not accept failure easilyFlexibility to adapt quickly to new challenges and environmentsEnglish language fluencyDemonstrated commitment to continuous learning and developmentAbility to: Consistently deliver to stakeholdersPush the boundaries to create smarter, more sustainable solutionsGenerate trust and credibility with audiences through continuous, open and consistent communicationChampion and drive innovation and change initiatives, focused on improving quality and effectivenessWork effectively across different cultures, driving a global mind-setFoster and contribute towards a customer-focused climate that delivers on expectations and strengthens relationshipsDisseminate complex legal issues in a clear, concise and pragmatic mannerMeet deadlines and provide professional level of service at all timesLead the effective, timely and cost‑efficient delivery of legal advice, governance and compliance across assigned regions or matters, acting as the legal adviser on complex issuesManage complex employment disputes, investigations and litigation, including strategy development, instruction and supervision of external counsel, budget control and resolution planningManagement of external legal service provider engagement and related budgetsPerform complex legal analysis and problem solving, research, counsel and guidance, including effective communication of sameProvide clear, pragmatic and commercially grounded advice to senior stakeholders, enabling informed decision‑making in ambiguous or high‑pressure situationsMaintain and input into matter and cost management databasesDevelop understanding of legal risks and cost, including anticipating potential risk and developing risk mitigation strategiesProvide oversight of functional legal risk and management, proactively identifying and effectively managing legal risk and complianceSuccessfully communicate and deliver strategic legal and compliance initiatives as and when requiredManage current and new vendor relationships, with a focus on continuous improvementProactively share knowledge and experience with other members of the legal team to assist in overall development and progression of the teamSupport the creation of a cohesive team and organisational culture based on values and excellence in delivery which fosters innovation and collaboration, continuous improvement and changeCapture lessons learned and contribute to progressive learning programmes within the legal team and the relevant area of responsibilityConsistently exhibit Wood’s behaviours and lead by personal example, encouraging all employees to conduct their activities in accordance with all applicable laws and Wood’s standards and policiesDevelop strong working relationships with HR leadership and senior business stakeholders, acting as a trusted adviser on strategic workforce and employee relations matterFull timePosting Date: 2026-09-04