Legal Counsel - Assistant Director - EY GDS Spain

GDS Global Counsel - Assistant Director – Spain

The GDS firms are various service delivery centers from which EY Client Service and Enablement Services teams operate to deliver strategic support to EY member firms. GDS spans all geographies, practices, services lines, sectors and competencies within EY to deliver deeply integrated services that result in efficient and world-class solutions.

The opportunity

Our Global Delivery Services business (GDS) is seeking a qualified lawyer to support GDS operations across our GDS locations with focus on employment law matters and contracts of GDS Spain. The lawyer will be part of the GDS Legal Team and will advise, oversee and provide strategic direction on all matters pertaining to employment law matters and providing support on commercial contracts in GDS Spain while also extending support to other GDS locations.

The GDS Legal Team (GDS GCO) is part of the Global GCO team and is responsible for all legal support to the GDS business.

You will be part of the GDS Legal Team responsible for advising or overseeing advice in relation to all contract and employment law related matters across the GDS centres in India, Poland, China, Argentina, the Philippines, UK, Sri Lanka, Hungary, Spain, Mexico and other upcoming GDS locations with primary focus on matters in Spain. You will be working closely with the other members of the GDS Legal Team, GDS Talent team as well as business stakeholders in all GDS locations.

Your key responsibilities

Your primary responsibility will be to work alongside the GDS GCO Leads for employment and contract portfolios, to assist and advise on all aspects relating to contract and employment/labour law matters. 

The incumbent in the role shall:

• Sound understanding on contract and employment/labour laws in Spain and work with the other GDS jurisdictions to oversee advice and strategy on employment law matters.


• Create documents of support relating to employment law and employee relations, including memos and templates in compliance with legal requirements.


• Support the Employment Lead and HR teams in formulating and/or revising Policies.


• Support the organization with the applicable legal requirements on the POSH (or equivalent) matters and wherever required with the Internal Committees, unions, work council.


• You will be responsible for drafting, negotiating and advising on various contracts, in particular: sponsorship contracts; meeting and events contracts; services contracts; real estate; corporate responsibility contracts.

Skills and attributes for success

• Sound knowledge and understanding of contract and employment/labour laws of Spain, together with experience of working with other jurisdictions in a global corporate environment.


• Strong knowledge and experience with work councill/unions.


• Commercial awareness of the business issues facing the GDS organisation across locations.


• The ability to translate complex legal advice into practical advice for a range of stakeholders who may be unfamiliar with the legal environment.


• Build & maintain trusted and effective inter-personal relationships and adopt a sensitive approach to intercultural contacts, communication and ways of working.


• Highest standards of excellence and personal integrity.


• Being flexible, organised and adaptable; able to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and prioritise key areas of responsibility where deadlines may conflict.


• Strong personal communication skills, including an excellent command of the English language.


• Sound decision-making based on risk assessment and evaluation.


• Ability to operate with limited supervision, whilst keeping leadership abreast of key matters.


• Strong written skills, including drafting legal advice, contracts and policies.


• Working knowledge of Excel, Word & PowerPoint. Demonstrated comfort in use and adoption of technology and tools for streamlining legal support.

To qualify for the role, you must have

• A graduate/post graduate degree in Law.


• Professional qualification/certification in Spain.


• Experience in providing advise on obligations of an organization towards its works council (mandatory)


• Strong cross border experience working in a global environment.


• At least 10 years of relevant experience.

• Ideally, prior experience of working in an In-house Legal Department supporting commercial contracts and employment law portfolios.


• Working proficiency in both Spanish and English.

Proficiency in English: Candidates must demonstrate a high level of proficiency in English, both written and spoken. This is essential for effective communication within our team and with our clients. Preferably, candidates should possess a recognized certification of English proficiency (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge English Qualifications) to validate their language skills.

What working at EY offers

At EY, we’re dedicated to helping our clients, from start–ups to Fortune 500 companies — and the work we do with them is as varied as they are.

You get to work with inspiring people in meaningful projects. Our focus is education and coaching alongside practical experience to ensure your personal development. We value our employees and you will be able to control your own development with an individual progression plan. You will quickly grow into a responsible role with challenging and stimulating assignments. Moreover, you will be part of an interdisciplinary environment that emphasizes high quality and knowledge exchange. Plus, we offer:

• Support, coaching and feedback from some of the most engaging colleagues around;


• Opportunities to develop new skills and progress your career;


• The freedom and flexibility to handle your role in a way that’s right for you;

About EY

As a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services, we’re using the finance products, expertise and systems we’ve developed to build a better working world. That starts with a culture that believes in giving you the training, opportunities and creative freedom to make things better. Whenever you join, however long you stay, the exceptional EY experience lasts a lifetime. And with a commitment to hiring and developing the most passionate people, we’ll make our ambition to be the best employer a reality.

If you can confidently demonstrate that you meet the criteria above, please contact us as soon as possible.

Join us in building a better working world.