The posting
Job Description
Employment & Incentives (Managing) Senior Associate
Amsterdam: 7+ Years' Employment Law Experience
Exceptional by design. Lead international employment matters and help shape the future of a growing practice.
Pinsent Masons is seeking an experienced and commercially minded (Managing) Senior Associate to join our Employment & Incentives team in Amsterdam.
This is an exceptional opportunity to join a highly international practice, advising domestic and international clients on a broad range of employment law matters, including the employment aspects of mergers and acquisitions, reorganisations, outsourcing projects, employee data protection, global workforce management and complex workplace disputes.
As part of a global Employment & Incentives practice comprising more than 135 specialist employment lawyers, you will work closely with colleagues across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa, advising some of the world's leading organisations on their most significant workforce challenges. The role offers a genuinely international platform, with regular exposure to cross-border projects, multinational clients and multi-jurisdictional employment matters.
Our Amsterdam office is at an exciting stage in its growth journey. Established only a few years ago, it has grown into a thriving office of approximately 40 professionals and 8 partners, with ambitious plans for further expansion of its Employment & Incentives practice.
The Opportunity
This role offers the opportunity to operate as a senior member of the Employment & Incentives team, taking a leading role in client delivery, people development and practice growth.
You will advise on a broad range of advisory, transactional and contentious employment matters for multinational clients, while also helping shape the strategic development of the team. The successful candidate will be expected to build and deepen client relationships, lead significant matters , and contribute to the continued growth of the Amsterdam Employment & Incentives practice.
Employment is recognised as a core strategic practice, with a strong client base, international reach and a clear commitment to developing its people.
This role provides a genuine platform for an experienced lawyer looking to combine high-quality legal work with leadership responsibilities .
You will be joining a collaborative, entrepreneurial and highly connected international team where your expertise, ideas and contributions will have a visible impact on both clients and colleagues.
What You'll Do
As a (Managing) Senior Associate within our Employment & Incentives team, you will:
- Lead complex domestic and cross-border employment law matters for multinational clients.
- Advise on restructurings, redundancies, and workforce transformation programmes .
- Lead the employment aspects of domestic and international M&A transactions.
- Manage complex employment litigation, executive disputes and contentious workplace matters.
- Support clients on employee participation, equality, diversity and inclusion matters.
- Advise on global mobility, international workforce and cross-border employment issues.
- Guide organisations through complex outsourcing, insourcing and employee transfer projects.
- Advise on employee privacy, HR data protection and workplace technology issues.
- Coordinate multi-jurisdictional projects involving lawyers across the firm's international network.
- Build long-term client relationships and act as a trusted strategic adviser to senior stakeholders, HR leaders and in-house legal teams.
- Develop opportunities for new and existing client relationships through networking, cross-selling and market engagement.
- Contribute to thought leadership, client training, publications, webinars and conference speaking opportunities.
- Play an active role in pitches, proposals and broader business development initiatives.
- Support the recruitment, retention and development of junior talent within the team.
- Supervise, mentor and coach Associates, helping them develop both technically and professionally.
- Take responsibility for matter management, financial performance and efficient delivery of client work.
- Work closely with Partners to support the continued growth and success of the Amsterdam Employment & Incentives practice.
About the Team
Our team balances a close-knit, supportive culture with a genuinely international platform.
The Employment & Incentives team advises leading multinational organisations across Pinsent Masons' key sectors, including:
- Technology, Science & Industry
- Life Sciences & Healthcare
- Financial Services
- Infrastructure & Real Estate
- Energy & Natural Resources
- Retail, Sport & Hospitality
The Amsterdam team has a strong international outlook and focus on cross-border work. Clients regularly rely on the team to coordinate employment law projects across multiple jurisdictions, particularly where business transformation, acquisitions, restructurings and global workforce considerations are involved.
The team works in a highly integrated fashion with our Corporate, TMT, and Litigation specialists. Senior lawyers are encouraged not only to develop market-leading technical expertise but also to build their own profile, client base and specialism within the wider practice.
Why Join This Team?
What makes this opportunity stand out?
- A truly international practice with daily exposure to overseas clients and colleagues.
- The opportunity to act as a lead adviser on strategic and complex client matters.
- Significant responsibility and autonomy within a high-performing team.
- A non-hierarchical culture where senior lawyers are encouraged to build their own profile and practice and with clear progression opportunities.
- An entrepreneurial environment where business development and initiative are actively encouraged and rewarded.
- Genuine opportunities to build and strengthen your own client relationships.
- The chance to make a meaningful contribution to the growth and direction of a developing practice.
- The opportunity to mentor and influence the next generation of employment lawyers.
- A collaborative international platform with one of the most connected teams across the global network.
What We're Looking For
At Pinsent Masons, we look for people who are curious, collaborative, ambitious and commercially minded.
You'll be a Netherlands-qualified lawyer with 7+ years' experience in employment law, ideally gained within a well-regarded law firm and with experience advising international clients.
You will also bring:
- Strong technical employment law expertise and the ability to provide pragmatic, commercially focused advice.
- Significant experience advising on employment-related transactions, restructurings, workforce transformation programmes and workplace disputes.
- Confidence leading complex matters and managing sophisticated stakeholder groups.
- Experience developing and maintaining strong client relationships.
- A proven interest in business development and market-facing activities.
- Excellent analytical, organisational and project management skills.
- Demonstrable experience supervising, mentoring and developing junior lawyers.
- Strong commercial awareness and an understanding of clients' business objectives.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills in both Dutch and English.
- The ability to manage multiple priorities and thrive in a fast-paced international environment.
- A collaborative leadership style and enthusiasm for working across jurisdictions and disciplines.
- A genuine interest in helping grow a market-leading employment practice.
Experience gained in an international environment would be particularly attractive, although by no means essential. We are particularly interested in lawyers who enjoy building relationships, taking ownership of client matters and playing an active role in the development of people, clients and the wider practice.
Our Commitment
We are committed to recruiting and retaining the best talent and building an inclusive, fair and supportive workplace. We value the strength that comes from different experiences and strive to create an environment where everyone feels they belong.
We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates across jurisdictions. If you require reasonable adjustments, we will work with you to identify a suitable approach.
How to Apply
Applications are accepted via our recruitment portal only.
For an informal and confidential discussion about the role, please contact our Talent Acquisition team: [email protected]
A Note for Recruitment Agencies
Please do not submit CVs for this role if you are not on our Preferred Supplier List (PSL), as we are committed to supporting and protecting our existing agency partnerships. Pinsent Masons will not be bound by your terms of business in respect of any unsolicited CVs submitted to us by email, and no fee will be payable, even in the event that we progress a candidate.
If you would like to discuss a specific candidate and are not currently on our PSL, please contact the Talent Acquisition Advisor responsible for this role. Please note that this does not guarantee that the candidate will be progressed or that any fee will be payable.
