Employment Legal Counsel

Job Title: Employment Legal Counsel
Location: Milton Keynes (Hybrid/Remote)
Salary: £47,389 - £56,535 per annum
Hours: Full-time Permanent, 37 hours per week
Closing Date: 12 November 2025

Join a University That Changes Lives:

Pertemps Recruitment is proud to be working with The Open University, the UK’s largest provider of flexible, part-time higher education. With a mission to make learning accessible to everyone, the OU transforms lives through world-class education and research, and you could play a key role in that mission.

The Opportunity:

We are looking for an experienced Employment Legal Counsel (qualified solicitor, minimum 4 years PQE) to join the University’s in-house Legal Services team. You will work alongside another employment lawyer as a trusted advisor to colleagues across the organisation, covering a broad range of employment law matters.

This is a varied and rewarding role, ideal for someone who enjoys both strategic advisory work and hands-on case management in a complex, people-focused environment.

Key Responsibilities of the Employment Legal Counsel:

• Provide expert legal advice on a full range of employment law matters - including discrimination, disciplinaries, redundancies, TUPE, trade union relations, and freedom of speech issues.
• Manage Employment Tribunal claims end-to-end: drafting, preparing, and representing the University at hearings.
• Draft, review and update contracts, policies, settlement agreements, and other employment-related documentation.
• Deliver employment law training and guidance to colleagues, ensuring best practice across the University.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and manage external legal advisers for best value and quality of service.
• Keep up to date with legal developments, ensuring the University remains compliant and well-informed.

About You:

• Qualified Solicitor (or equivalent) with 4+ years PQE in employment law.
• Confident advising on both contentious and non-contentious matters.
• Skilled advocate, with experience managing tribunal claims from start to finish.
• Excellent drafting and communication skills, able to translate complex legal issues clearly.
• Collaborative, pragmatic, and commercially aware with strong stakeholder management skills.

Desirable:

• Experience working in-house within higher education, the public sector, or a unionised environment.
• Background advising similar organisations from private practice.

Why Join the Open University?

This role is hybrid, combining home working with attendance at the Milton Keynes campus as required. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a values-driven organisation with a powerful mission: widening access to education and transforming lives. The Open University offers a supportive, inclusive, and flexible working environment, committed to diversity and equity.