Attorney - Employment & Benefits

Job Description:

Job Title: Attorney - Corporate Functions, Employment & Benefits

Location: London

Corporate Title: Vice President & Assistant General Counsel

Company Overview:

At Bank of America, we are guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better through the power of every connection.  Responsible Growth is how we run our company and how we deliver for our clients, teammates, communities, and shareholders every day.

One of the keys to driving Responsible Growth is being a great place to work for our teammates around the world. We’re devoted to being a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone. We hire individuals with a broad range of backgrounds and experiences and invest heavily in our teammates and their families by offering competitive benefits to support their physical, emotional, and financial well-being.

Bank of America believes both in the importance of working together and offering flexibility to our employees. We use a multi-faceted approach for flexibility, depending on the various roles in our organization.

Working at Bank of America will give you a great career with opportunities to learn, grow and make an impact, along with the power to make a difference. Join us!

Location Overview:

Our London office is based just a stone’s throw from the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral on bustling King Edward Street. Here you’ll find modern workspaces and a state-of-the-art auditorium space. In addition, we’re proud to host an onsite restaurant that shares our commitment to sustainability by providing delicious seasonal menus which have been created with the planet in mind. Make sure to take time for yourself and head up to our rooftop terrace and take in the spectacular views across London. Finally, your physical wellness is well-catered for with our onsite gym facilities and medical centre.

Responsibilities:

The primary responsibility of this role is to provide first class, commercial and risk-appropriate legal advice to HR in EMEA. This lawyer will have day to day interaction with the HR generalists and country HR partners in the different EMEA jurisdictions. The role requires close liaison with other control functions as well as internal and external lawyers. The role will build a strong relationship with HR and LOB clients and must have the ability to identify practical legal solutions and make recommendations. It will involve:

• Managing and advising on the legal/reputational and regulatory risks arising at all stages of the employment cycle in accordance with the bank's risk framework and culture.  
• Advising on relevant legal and regulatory changes and assisting with the roll-out and implementation of those changes;
• Acting as strategic partner to the business, assisting the business to weigh the risk/reward balance whilst acting responsibly;
• Managing queries from HR and the business, including Compliance, Risk and Audit on a range of issues. 
• Working closely with the EMEA HR Legal team, together with other lawyers including regulatory lawyers;
• Providing regular training to HR on employment law matters, frequently asked questions and HR legal documents;
• Engaging and managing outside counsel in a cost-efficient manner;
• Providing general legal support to the business, including the procurement of appropriate regulatory advice;
• Providing advice in respect of the HR aspects of data privacy issues;
• Advising on the HR elements of M&A activity, out­sourcing and other transactional projects.

What we are looking for:

• In-house employment lawyer with experience of employment laws and regulations in England and across the EMEA region
• Law degree required
• Post qualification experience
• Fluent spoken and written English required
• Large law firm training and/or in-house Legal department experience in the area of employment law in the UK and EMEA region, preferably in international banking and finance (or with clients in that area)
• Experience in advising on HR regulatory issues
• Ability to manage responsibilities across multiple jurisdictions and time zones and manage a high volume of work and clients in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively, both verbally and in writing, and to adapt to a variety of audiences
• Ability to be successful in a global, matrixed organisation
• Well-grounded in principles of common law, employment law and contract law
• Proficient in Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Benefits of working at Bank of America:

UK

• At Bank of America, we strive to prioritise employees’ health and wellbeing – it’s what makes us a Great Place to Work.
• Private healthcare for you and your family plus an annual health screen to help you manage your physical wellness with the option to purchase a screen for your partner
• Competitive pension plan, life assurance and group income protection cover if you become unable to work as a result of a disability or health reasons
• We offer 26-weeks paid maternity leave, 16-weeks paid paternity leave and inclusive family leave arrangements for working parents and carers including 20 days of back-up childcare including access to school holiday clubs and 20 days of back-up adult care per annum 
• The ability to change your core benefits as well as the option of selecting a variety of flexible benefits to suit your personal circumstances including access to a wellbeing account, travel insurance, critical illness, cycle to work etc.
• Use of a flex fund to use towards benefits
• Access to an emotional wellbeing helpline, and virtual GP services
• Access to the Peppy App which provides 1:1 support, consultations and resources relating to men’s health, women’s health, fertility, menopause and pregnancy & parenthood
• Access to a range of gyms, exercise classes and wellbeing Apps through Wellhub, including Headspace and Calm
• Ability to donate to charities of your choice directly through payroll and the bank will match your contribution
• Opportunity to give back to your community, develop new skills and work with new groups of people by volunteering in your local area

Good conduct and sound judgment is crucial to our long term success. It’s important that all employees in the organisation understand the expected standards of conduct and how we manage conduct risk. Individual accountability and an ownership mind-set are the cornerstones of our Code of Conduct and are at the heart of managing risk well.

“We are an equal opportunities employer and ensure that no applicant is subject to less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, gender identity or gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, race, religious or similar philosophical belief, political opinion, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, socio-economic background, responsibility for dependants or physical or mental disability. The Bank selects candidates for interview based on their skills, qualifications and experience.”

We strive to ensure that our recruitment processes are accessible for all candidates and encourage any candidates to tell us about any adjustment requirements.