Counsel - People & Culture

Job Family Group:

Legal Group

Job Description:

We are seeking a seasoned Employment Law Counsel to serve as a trusted advisor to our P&C (People & Culture) team, business leaders, and People & Culture partners in India. This role supports a breadth of legal matters, with a strong emphasis on employment law compliance, dispute management, policy development, and employment-related transactions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Client advice and counsel/ Legal Advice & Compliance:

Provide daily counselling to P&C, managers and other lawyers on a wide range of Indian employment law matters, including labour law, compliance issues, disciplinary matters, performance management, leave policies, contractor engagements, wage and hour compliance, etc.

• Employment Contracts:

Draft, review, and negotiate employment agreements (contracts, offer letters, confidentiality, non-competes, separation agreements

• Reorganizations: Provide strategic legal advice and hands on support for corporate reorganizations, including:

Structuring and implementing individual and collective redundancies, ensuring compliance with consultation processes and statutory notice requirements to minimize legal risk
Guiding policy and communication around workforce restructuring, including collective redundancies, employee consultations, and managing risk related to labor relations.

• Mergers, Acquisitions & Business Transfers

Provide employment law guidance on corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, and disposals.
Advise on employee transfer matters, including applicability of transfer of undertakings, implications for terms and conditions, and managing communications with impacted employees.
Support legal aspects of insourcing, outsourcing, and joint ventures, ensuring compliance with Indian labour laws and minimizing business disruption.
Advise on all matters involving industrial relations as needed.

• International Assignments

Provide day-to-day legal guidance to the International Mobility team, including reviewing international assignment agreements and related employment contracts

• Disputes, Compliance & Regulatory Engagement

Review and assess employment tribunal and court claims; engage and manage external legal counsel where necessary.
Provide timely legal and strategic input on labour authority notices, audits, or investigations.

• Internal Investigations

Advise on internal misconduct investigations related to violations of company policy, including misconduct, harassment, or compliance breaches.

• Training & Legal Enablement

Deliver legal training sessions to People & Culture (P&C) teams, business stakeholders, and legal colleagues—both locally and as part of BP’s global legal training calendar.
Conduct targeted training for employees on workplace matters such as anti-sexual harassment, workplace ethics, and compliance and disciplinaries.

• Precedent & Policy Development

Review, draft, and update core employment legal documents and templates, such as secondment agreements, and legal guidance notes.
Work closely with P&C to ensure company policies and precedents reflect current legal standards and business needs.

Qualifications & Experience:

5 to 7 years of niche employment law practice ideally gained in-house or at a firm with a strong labour and employment focus.
Proven track record of managing multiple sophisticated legal matters concurrently, demonstrating good judgment and decisive action under pressure with minimal direction.

Skills & Competencies:

Comprehensive understanding of Indian labour and employment legislation, regulatory requirements, and compliance standard processes.
Demonstrated expertise in drafting and negotiating employment contracts and agreements, developing HR policies, resolving disputes, and leading internal investigations.
Pragmatic, risk-focused approach with the ability to identify and address material legal risks effectively.
Exceptional interpersonal, communication, negotiation, and collaborator management skills.
Proven ability to establish credibility and influence decisions at the senior leadership and cross functional levels.

Role Requirements:

Legal Qualification: Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or equivalent; Indian Bar enrollment required.
Professional Traits: Independent, decisive, client-oriented, and trustworthy under pressure.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company! We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Travel Requirement:

Negligible travel should be expected with this role

Relocation Assistance:

This role is eligible for relocation within country

Remote Type:

This position is a hybrid of office/remote working

Skills:

Coaching, Collaboration, Commercial Acumen, Communication, Conflict Management, Creativity and Innovation, Decision Making, Digital fluency, Employment Advice, Employment Law Advice, Influencing, Labor and Employment Law, Labor Law Compliance, Legal Consulting, Legal Practices, Managing strategic partnerships, Mentoring, Organizational knowledge, Resource and budget planning, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Advice, Supplier Relationship Management

Legal Disclaimer:

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity/neurocognitive functioning, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp’s recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us.
If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.