Job Description

Employment Law Head of Department/ Legal Director

Location: Leeds (Hybrid, min 3 days per week in the office)

Salary: Up to £70,000 plus bonus and benefits

Experience: 8+ years’ PQE (senior candidates considered)

 

If you are an employment solicitor who enjoys building something, this is a rare chance to take ownership of an employment offering and grow it into a recognised team.

Our client is looking to recruit an Employment Solicitor at Head of Department or Director level into its Leeds office. The firm receives a consistent volume of employment enquiries, but does not currently have an in-house employment specialist, so this hire will play a central role in shaping the service, developing internal relationships and building a pipeline of work.

This is a leadership hire for someone who is comfortable combining high-quality employment law advice with business development and team-building. You will have the autonomy to set direction, create practical processes, and develop the firm’s employment proposition, while still maintaining your own caseload.

 

What You’ll Be Doing

• Leading the development of the firm’s employment law offering in Leeds

• Managing a varied employment caseload for employer and employee clients

• Advising on day-to-day HR matters, contracts and policies

• Supporting on restructures, redundancies and organisational change projects

• Advising on grievances, disciplinaries and performance management issues

• Drafting and negotiating settlement agreements

• Handling Employment Tribunal claims and contentious employment disputes

• Working closely with colleagues across other departments to support cross-referrals and joined-up advice

• Building relationships with referrers and generating new instructions through business development

• Creating and improving templates, precedents and processes to support consistent delivery

• Recruiting, supervising and developing team members as the department grows

 

What We’re Looking For

• Qualified Solicitor in England & Wales

• Ideally 8+ years’ PQE in employment law (senior candidates considered)

• Comfortable working with autonomy and taking ownership of a service line

• Strong technical ability across contentious and non-contentious employment work

• Commercial, pragmatic approach and confident client handling

• Proven interest in business development and relationship building

• Leadership mindset, with the ability to mentor and develop others over time

 

What’s On Offer

• Salary up to £70,000 plus bonus and benefits

• A genuine opportunity to build and lead an employment team

• Strong existing enquiry flow to help you establish momentum

• Supportive leadership and the ability to shape the role around your strengths

• Clear scope to develop a long-term career in a senior position

 

Working Arrangements

This is a full-time or part-time, permanent role based in Leeds. The expectation is a minimum of 3 days per week in the office.

 

Next Steps (How to Apply)

Apply online or send your CV to  lee.hawthorne-finch@h-fts.com  or call 0333 996 2882 for more information.

All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence. We will always obtain your express permission before sharing your details with our client.