General Counsel - Equal Pay and People

About this Role

JOB DESCRIPTION

GMB is one of the UK and Ireland’s largest general trade unions: we’re proud to represent over half a million members from across the professional spectrum and all walks of life.

About the Role

Are you a passionate legal professional committed to social justice and workers’ rights? At GMB, we are rooted in our values of solidarity, equality, democracy, and collective strength. As part of our continued commitment to ensuring fairness and justice in the workplace, we are seeking a dedicated and experienced Legal Officer to lead our national work on employment and industrial relations law, based at our National Office in London.

This is more than a legal job - it’s an opportunity to use your legal skills to support working people, help shape GMB’s national industrial policy, and defend trade union rights. At GMB, we believe in the power of collective action to transform lives. We fight for better pay, safer workplaces, and dignity for all workers. This is a senior role at the heart of our legal strategy - supporting our members, shaping national policy, and defending the rights of working people. You’ll be working alongside union leaders, solicitors, and activists to ensure that justice is not just an ideal, but a reality for our members.

About You

The successful candidate will:

• Provide advice and develop strategy in relation to legal or political work as directed by General Secretary or SMT
• Develop and co-ordinate strategy for national campaigns
• Provide advice and support to Legal Department in relation to all legal provision of services to members
• Direct and co-ordinate all national legal actions run by GMB, managing costs and strategic decisions regarding adverse cost risk, selection of external solicitors and litigation strategy
• Provide advice and support to Political Department as required
• Provide strategic support and assistance to Press Office as needed
• GMB Managing Director for UnionLine, with overall management responsibility for all aspects of GMB’s law firm supplying services to almost 1m members and their families with a current turnover of £36m

What We’re Looking For

• Broad experience in employment and industrial relations law
• A masters degree or equivalent leadership experience in business management with particular expertise in legal services management, accounting and business strategy
• Strong leadership, legal management and corporate governance experience
• Excellent negotiating and key influencer skills
• Ability to build strong interpersonal relationships with diverse group from government ministers through Union officials and union members
• Experience in managing relationships with press and media, and effectively representing Union position both on and off the record
• Good organizational and IT skills
• Experience in putting together diverse and creative campaigns, which balance achieving positive industrial outcomes with other Union goals
• Good understanding of the aims of the trade union movement and the political process

This is an extremely varied but highly rewarding role, and a commitment to putting the needs of working people first is absolutely essential.

In return, we offer excellent terms and benefits, including:

• Final Salary Pension Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Childcare Assistance Scheme
• Season Ticket Loan
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Generous holiday allowance
• Eye Care claim back Scheme
• Annual Leave Purchase Scheme
• Annual Health Check
• Further Information about the role: 

Though the role is based at national office and will therefore be required to be in regular attendance in Euston, London, we will consider requests for the standard place of work to be located in another GMB office in one of the regions.

The successful post-holder will be expected to attend regional or national meetings/events across all four nations of the UK, so a willingness to travel is a must. 

The hours of work for this post are designated as ‘unspecified’, and there will therefore be a requirement for the successful candidate to work some unsocial hours, which may include some weekend and/or evening work, when required by the role. 

If you think this sounds like you, and you’d like to know more about either the role or us as an organisation and what we can offer you, we’d like to hear from you.

Further information

To apply and for more information please visit GMB website