Company: Atlassian Williams F1 Team
Location: Grove
Posted: May 7th, 2026
Th Senior Counsel – Employment and Disputes is a high-impact role with broad responsibility for contentious matters and litigation across the business. They will be a key legal adviser on employment law matters and the go-to lawyer for dispute, working at pace in a dynamic and fast-moving environment.
Reporting to the General Counsel, they will work closely with senior leadership, the Head of Employee Relations and colleagues across Legal and People & Culture to provide practical, commercially minded legal advice that supports the team's growth and protects its interests.
Main Duties:
Act as the primary legal adviser on employment law matters across the business, including bespoke hiring arrangements, contractual terms, immigration/work visas, restructurings (including TUPE) and contractor arrangements (including IR35).
Work closely with the Head of Employee Relations to advise on complex casework and policy development.
Advise on the protection of intellectual property, confidential information and trade secrets in an employment context, as well data privacy matters, ensuring compliance with UK GDPR and related legislation.
Manage and oversee employee-related litigation, including employment tribunal claims.
Oversee all disputes and contentious matters of a commercial and regulatory nature, working with external counsel where instructed, including pre-litigation strategy and alternative dispute resolution. For example: (a) commercial and contractual disputes arising from sponsorship, partnership, supplier, and licensing agreements, including high-value and time-sensitive matters; (b) contentious issues under the FIA regulatory framework; and (c) supporting the protection and enforcement of the team's intellectual property rights.
Support risk management and corporate governance matters, including monitoring legislative updates affecting UK corporates and advising on directors' duties.
Develop and maintain best-practice precedent documents and templates to ensure consistency and efficiency across the legal function.
Collaborate with other members of the Legal team to develop and maintain best-practice policies relating to corporate governance, legal compliance, risk, ethics and regulatory obligations.
Provide input into employment policies, as required, in support of the Head of Employee Relations.
Manage relationships with external legal counsel, including the selection, instruction, and oversight of external advisers to ensure value and quality.
Keep up to date with employment law developments and proactively communicate relevant changes.
Key Accountabilities:
Fulfil all organisational expectations, including but not limited to the following:
Role model Williams Values & Behaviours, supporting and holding others accountable to do the same.
Always ensure compliance with health and safety obligations, supporting managers to uphold expected standards.
Ensure high standards of behaviour and conduct are upheld across the organisation, including the wellbeing of team members.
Ensure you adhere to brand rules and maintain high standards of department presentation.
Comply with quality standards and identify and contribute ways to continuously improve department and personal performance.
Ensure understanding of cost cap requirements and identify opportunities to improve optimisation.
Required Qualifications or Experience:
Qualified solicitor in England & Wales (or equivalent jurisdiction) with 6+ years PQE, including significant relevant in-house legal experience with a focus on employment law and general litigation.
Demonstrable experience across a wide breadth of employment law matters, including hiring arrangements, remuneration, contractual terms, IP and confidential information protection, restructurings (including TUPE), data privacy, employee relations support, contractor arrangements (including IR35).
Ability to manage general disputes across the organisation.
A trusted business adviser who can communicate effectively and credibly with the most senior leaders of the organisation.
Proven ability to manage external legal counsel relationships, including knowing when to seek support and selecting the right adviser for the matter at hand.
A proactive mindset - someone who builds strong client relationships, takes ownership, and drives continuous improvement in legal processes and precedents.
Ability to coordinate effectively with Legal and HR colleagues across the organisation.
Excellent drafting skills and the ability to adapt communication style to suit a variety of stakeholders.
Experience or a proven interest in corporate governance, including legislative updates affecting UK corporates and directors' duties.
Excellent academic credentials.
Previous experience in a sports, entertainment, technology or other fast-paced, high-profile environment is desirable.
Familiarity with the regulatory and commercial landscape of Formula 1 or elite sport is desirable.
This job description is not exhaustive, and the job holder will be required to carry out from time-to-time tasks in addition to the above that will be both reasonable and within their capabilities.
Additional Information
Atlassian Williams F1 Team is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and inclusion. We are happy to discuss reasonable job adjustments.