Employment Lawyer Ref. 3756

Job Description

Some aspects of the role might require travel around the country or internationally, this is infrequent and not an expected aspect of the job.

Flexible working: due to the sensitive nature of the work remote working or home working will not be possible as a matter of course. However, other flexible working options such as part-time (minimum four days per week) and compressed hours would all be considered.

About us
We’re MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Our mission is to protect the security and economic wellbeing of the UK from overseas threats such as regional instability, terrorism, and cyber-attacks. Working across the globe and in close partnership with MI5 and GCHQ, we help the Government to counter these threats through the provision of secret intelligence. A role in MI6 will see you providing vital support to this work, within a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.

The role
At MI6 the threats to our national security are constantly evolving. In our small, specialist team of employment lawyers you will work on unique and challenging cases, supporting vital work at the heart of our organisation providing expert advice on a variety of employment and people-related matters.

The diverse portfolio ranges from advising on staff policies and contracts, HR strategy, HR casework and employment litigation, through to more sensitive aspects specific to the work we do, which involves mitigating risks to national security. This is an opportunity to use your skills and experience in ways you would expect, in a context you wouldn’t.

Within this role you’ll provide employment advice across the usual employment practice topics (including HR policy, disciplinaries, grievances, litigation, Equality and Diversity, recruitment, employment legislation). You’ll manage Employment Tribunal litigation, liaising with the ET and Counsel to progress cases. You’ll also be expected to deliver client training and attend training yourself.

The role does not include any Line Management responsibilities.

About you
If you are curious about how national security shapes an organisation’s response to employment law issues, this is the role for you. We need people who will thrive in a team environment but are also comfortable working independently. You will have strong communication skills and the ability to explain complex employment law matters clearly and simply to those without a legal background.

With a pragmatic approach to problems, you will be able to think creatively to find solutions, both independently and as part of our small collaborative team. Proactive and conscientious, you will be adept at handling complex and sensitive queries with credibility.

You will often be required to work with other partners across our National Security Community, and wider Government in order to solve cross-cutting issues and you should be adept at building strong relationships with clients as a trusted adviser.

You will be a qualified solicitor or barrister, with sound PQE experience, qualified to practice in England and Wales. In-depth knowledge of employment law, with at least two years in practice is essential. Ideally you will also have experience of working in-house in the commercial and/or public sectors, but this is not essential.

Training and development
You’ll receive an initial induction, on the job training, access to courses in our internal training academy, the chance to build on professional development and wider support in a collegiate environment. However, you will also be expected to take responsibility for your own training and development, and you’ll seek to identify and take advantage of opportunities appropriate to your own development goals and needs.

Rewards and benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £79,995 or £85,993 (dependent on experience), plus other benefits including:

• 25 days’ of annual leave, automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years’ service, and an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays
• opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
• an interest-free season ticket loan
• an excellent pension scheme
• a cycle to work scheme
• facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars
• paid parental and adoption leave

Equal opportunities
At MI6 diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website.

Offer of interview
We are committed to providing equitable opportunities throughout the recruitment process to support candidates with disabilities. As part of this, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essential minimum criteria for this position, will be offered an interview, if it is practical for us to do so. (This is known as the Offer of an Interview.) To secure an interview for this role, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:

1. You'll be required to reach the minimum pass mark for the online Situational Judgement Test (SJT), which assesses criteria important for all roles in our organisation
2. Demonstrable knowledge of core employment law areas
3. Evidence of clear and effective communication skills, including the ability to explain employment law issues in an accessible way to non-legal audiences
4. The ability to handle complex or sensitive matters and to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team

What to expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:

1. Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) in which you rate the appropriateness of responses to a series of short scenarios
2. Application sift, looking at your motivation for the role and the organisation
3. If successful, you will receive an invitation to attend an in-person interview which will include a scenario-based exercise and a competency-based interview (projected for week commencing 27th of July)
4. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment

Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 to 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you to continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.

Before you apply
To work at MI6, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. Read our full eligibility criteria.

This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. Find out more about the vetting process.

Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.

Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application with us more securely.

The role is based in Central London, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application. An interest-free loan is available to assist with relocating into privately rented accommodation to take up the offer of employment.

We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in-person appointments during the recruitment and vetting process. Full details will be provided with your interview or assessment invitation.

Reimbursement is discretionary and will only be made in line with the Candidate Expenses Policy, as amended from time to time. Candidates must book their own travel, using the most economical option, and provide original hardcopy receipts for reimbursement.

Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.

Right to Withdraw Statement:
Please be aware that we reserve the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.