Director, Legal Employment and Compliance Counsel
- Universal Music Group
- Kings Cross, London
- Mar 11, 2026
Job Description
Music is Universal
It’s the passionate and dedicated team at Universal Music who help make us the world’s leading music company. From A&R to finance, legal to digital, sales to marketing, Universal Music is the place to grow and develop your career within a truly commercial and innovative business that leads in everything it does.
Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment because of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, age, marital status, background, pregnancy, or caring responsibilities. We also recognise the importance of diversity of thought within our teams and are fully committed to embracing the talents of people with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and other forms of neurocognitive variation.
We will always seek to make appropriate adjustments to recruitment, workplaces, and work processes to be fully inclusive to people with different needs and working styles. If you need us to make any reasonable adjustments for you from application onwards, including alternatives to the online form or to disclose a neurocognitive condition, please email UniversalMusicCareers@umusic.com.
About Us
Legal & Compliance – Universal Music Group UK and International
We are Universal Music Group – the world’s leading music-based entertainment company. We exist to shape culture through the power of artistry, helping UK and International artists produce, distribute, publish and promote the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music to inspire and entertain fans at home and around the world. Our Legal & Compliance team is central to that mission, acting as strategic partners to our labels, artists and corporate teams, protecting creativity, enabling commercial ambition and ensuring we operate with integrity in a fast-moving global industry.
The function provides end-to-end legal expertise across the full music ecosystem, including artist and recording agreements, digital and brand partnerships, copyright and IP protection, corporate transactions, employment law, compliance and dispute resolution. Combining deep legal knowledge with commercial acumen, the team safeguards rights, manages risk and structures opportunity so that creativity can thrive responsibly and successfully at scale.
As Director, Legal Employment and Compliance Counsel, you will be a senior adviser at the heart of the business, balancing pace and ambition with rigour and care.
A day in the life
This is a visible, high-impact role operating across a dynamic creative organisation.
You will:
Advise senior leaders and people business partners on complex employment matters including day to day general advisory, restructures, investigations, senior exits, policy issues and organisational change.
Manage employment tribunal claims, managing external counsel where required.
Guide disciplinary, grievance, redundancy and TUPE processes with clarity and fairness.
Review and shape employment policies in line with UK legislation and inclusive best practice.
Monitor regulatory developments and strengthen compliance and governance frameworks.
Manage day to day conflict of interest compliance processes.
Work across UK and International teams to deliver a seamless employment law service.
You will translate legal complexity into practical, balanced advice that enables confident decision making while protecting our people and our reputation.
Your impact
In this role, you will:
Provide strategic, risk-based employment law advice to people business partners and senior stakeholders.
Lead on high-risk and sensitive matters with sound judgement and integrity.
Strengthen employment compliance and governance across the UK business.
Support the development of fair, transparent and inclusive people practices.
Contribute to the wider Legal function and cross-functional initiatives.
Your expertise will help create a workplace that is legally robust, commercially confident and aligned to our values.
Who will thrive here
We welcome applications from qualified solicitors or barristers in England and Wales with strong employment law experience, gained in private practice and or in-house.
You will bring:
Deep knowledge of UK employment law and some experience of international jurisdictions.
Experience advising people, business partners, and senior stakeholders on complex matters.
Ability to manage sensitive situations calmly and professionally.
Strong analytical skills and sound commercial judgement.
The ability to communicate clearly and influence with credibility, driven by the development of strong relationships.
A collaborative approach and commitment to inclusive practice.
An understanding of working internationally across the US, ME and Asia time zones.
You do not need prior music industry experience. If you are excited by the opportunity to apply your expertise in a creative, fast-moving environment, we encourage you to apply.
If you meet most of the criteria and believe you could add value in this role, we would love to hear from you.
Why Join UMG
When you join Universal Music Group, you become part of a vibrant, creative, and culturally diverse environment at the forefront of the music industry. We offer rewarding careers, opportunities for personal and professional growth, and a workplace where your contributions make a tangible impact. At UMG, you'll collaborate with talented colleagues, drive meaningful change, and help shape the future of music and entertainment.
Your Reward and Benefits
At UMG, we recognise and reward your contributions through competitive compensation and extensive benefits, including:
Competitive salary reflective of your experience and contribution
Generous annual leave entitlement
Private healthcare and wellness initiatives
Pension scheme with employer contributions
Employee assistance programme and mental health resources
Discounts on music, merchandise, events, and products
Comprehensive training and career development opportunities
A dynamic and inclusive workplace culture focused on professional growth and well-being
Hybrid working – 4 days per week in the London office
Just So You Know…
The company presents this job description as a guide to the major areas and duties for which the jobholder is accountable. However, the business operates in an environment that demands change and the jobholder's specific responsibilities and activities will vary and develop. Therefore, the job description should be seen as indicative and not as a permanent, definitive, and exhaustive statement.
Job Category:
People, Inclusion & Culture
We are UMG, the Universal Music Group.
We are the world’s leading music company.
In everything we do, we are committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship.
We own and operate a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising, and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries.
We identify and develop recording artists and songwriters, and we produce, distribute and promote the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music to delight and entertain fans around the world.
Our vast catalog of recordings and songs stretches back over a century and comprises the largest, most diverse and culturally rich collection of music ever assembled.
As digital technology refashions the world, our unmatched commitment to lead in developing new services, platforms and business models for the delivery of music and related content empowers innovators and allows new commercial and artistic opportunities to flourish.
Knowing that music, a powerful force for good in the world, is unique in its ability to inspire people and bring them together, we work with our artists and employees to serve our communities.
We are the home for music’s greatest artists, innovators and entrepreneurs.
Together, we are UMG, the Universal Music Group.