Employee Incentives Associate - Top Tier Team, International Firm

Employee Incentives Associate 

The Department

The Remuneration and Incentives team operates within a wider Employment practice, while working closely with Corporate on transactional matters and early-stage business support. The role is open to candidates who qualified in corporate, employment, or tax departments, provided they have relevant experience advising on reward matters.

The firm has seen significant growth in recent years, both organically and through strategic acquisitions. Recruitment for this role is driven by continued expansion and the need to build capacity to support a diverse client base.

The team takes a cohesive, integrated approach, with members handling both M&A transaction-related work and other advisory projects. Based in London, the group supports clients nationally and internationally.

The Work

The team provides comprehensive tax and legal advice to companies, covering:

• Design, drafting, and implementation of statutory and bespoke equity incentives and cash-based bonus plans for employees, non-executive directors, and consultants.
• Guidance on de-risking and optimising remuneration structures as businesses grow or expand globally.
• Support throughout the employee lifecycle, including onboarding offers, governance alignment, and termination packages.

In addition to advising employers, the practice also works with individual executives, including in high-profile and contentious matters, offering specialist input on equity incentive elements of compensation packages and helping to negotiate favourable terms.

Work spans all stages of client engagement, from understanding commercial and strategic goals to designing and implementing tailored solutions.

Clients

The client portfolio is broad, covering sectors such as entertainment, life sciences, technology, fashion, energy, and private equity. The team advises both private and listed businesses, from high-growth entrepreneurial ventures to global corporations, as well as management teams, non-executive directors, and globally mobile executives.

Skills and Experience

This is an opportunity to join a highly regarded Incentives practice. Candidates should have:

• A strong background in employee incentives and share plans.
• Experience in both advisory matters (design and implementation of incentive structures) and transactional support (take-privates, M&A, IPOs).
• Solid understanding of UK tax aspects relating to employee share plans and employment-linked arrangements.
• Excellent drafting, attention to detail, and organisational skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build lasting client relationships.
• Capability to work independently as well as within a team, and to mentor junior colleagues.
• Candidates should be self-motivated, commercially minded, and confident in taking initiative. A willingness to contribute to business development and grow personal profile is essential.

Attributes

• Demonstrated passion for incentives and reward work.
• Commercial awareness and creative legal thinking.
• Resilience and adaptability under pressure.
• Personable, confident, and collaborative approach.

About the Firm

This is a leading independent, international professional services business with law at its core. Operating across multiple jurisdictions, the firm advises on complex, multi-jurisdictional matters in areas including Corporate, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Private, Innovation, and Real Estate. Alongside its legal services, the firm has complementary consultancy arms and invests in legal innovation and technology.

The organisation is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and agile working culture, encouraging its people to develop fulfilling, long-term careers.