In-house lawyer

Location: London (Oval), flexible

Type: Full-time or Part-time

Salary: £80,000 - 100,000

Our Mission: 

We are creating a world where teachers and schools are no longer wasting time with expensive agencies because Zen allows them to reliably connect and get back to what really matters … our children! 

UK schools spend well over £2bn per year on covering short-term absences with supply teachers. The current model exclusively relies on agencies that charge a massive commission and are terribly inefficient (everything is paper and phone-call-based). We are consolidating this analogue, fragmented, and inefficient marketplace onto a digital platform. Think Uber for supply teachers. In the process, we're pulling hundreds of millions of waste out of the education system and making a huge positive impact on teachers and schools.

We are well-funded by high-profile investors and are led by start-up veterans behind two of London's most prominent tech companies. We have recently raised our Series B funding of $37mil, the largest round in European EdTech this year. This is an exciting opportunity to make a difference and be part of a high growth start-up that is expanding rapidly in the UK and US markets!

Looking to make a difference?

We are seeking an In-House Lawyer that can support us on our employment law matters primarily as well as oversee all legal matters within the organisation. The ideal candidate will have a passion for employment law whilst having the versatility to jump in to other areas such as commercial or corporate law, including supporting our M&A work.

You’ll be joining Zen in a key position, navigating us through complex legal matters while providing strategic guidance to senior management.

This role is a crucial part of enabling Zen’s growth and scalability. It is a great opportunity for someone looking to apply themselves for a great cause and with great responsibility and autonomy to futureproof us for years to come.

Key responsibilities:

- Lead employment law and provide counsel on UK employment law, including employee relations, contracts, policies, and compliance. Oversee internal investigations, employment litigation and dispute resolution.

- Support on commercial contracts including drafting and review of a range of contracts and agreements.

- Support Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) transactions, including due diligence, negotiation, and integration. Coordinate with external legal advisors and consultants during M&A activities.

- Key thought partner to the executive team and Board of Directors on all things people up to complex legal matters, ensuring compliance with all applicable laws, industry regulations and standards.

What we're looking for:

- 4+ years of relevant experience, ideally in employment law.

- Commercial or M&A experience is desirable but not required.

- Experience working with executives to navigate legal matters

- Strong communication skills, comfortable presenting to the team and senior executives

- Growth mindset – dedicated to improving your skills as a professional 

- Top performer that wants to be part of a high-performing, motivated team

- Strong bias to action

- Excellent people skills for working with both our customers and teams at Zen

What's in it for you?

- Work that you want to talk about

- Competitive salary

- Ownership in the company

- 25+ days of holiday (increases with tenure)

- Life Insurance

- Health Insurance

- Electric Car Scheme 

- Cycle to Work Scheme 

- Central London office with perks like fresh fruit, bike parking, showers and an on-site gym and café

- Fun-loving, tight-knit team solving a problem that makes a difference

Diversity and Inclusion

At Zen, we strive to build a culture of equity and inclusion, where everyone is respected, valued, and appreciated for their unique traits, experiences and perspectives. We are committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment where our team can thrive, regardless of age, ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, disability, religion or beliefs. We value our differences and believe that practices of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion help us create a fairer, more compassionate environment for all. 

We welcome applicants with diverse backgrounds and different experiences and perspectives — just like the staff who teach through Zen and the children at the schools we work with. We believe in hiring the best people from the widest pool and creating an inclusive culture where people’s voices are heard and all our team can look forward to coming to work. 

We are committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of our community and promoting an equitable and inclusive environment for all. We seek out diverse opinions, beliefs, and experiences because they collectively make us stronger; we’ve had former teachers, pilots, fundraisers, engineers, lawyers, marketers, social media experts and more join our team.

How to apply

You can apply for this role via our careers page (https://jobs.lever.co/zeneducate).

We look forward to hearing from you!