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Executive Compensation Attorney Jobs with Visa Sponsorship (UK)

Executive compensation is a niche where employment, tax, corporate governance, and securities rules collide. As listed and PE-backed companies grapple with pay transparency, shareholder scrutiny, and cross-border deals, UK demand for executive compensation (exec comp) attorneys keeps rising—especially in London. For international lawyers, visa-sponsoring employers (primarily under the Skilled Worker route) make this a realistic path into the UK market.

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What “Executive Compensation” Covers (quick refresher)

  • Fixed pay & incentives: base salary, annual bonus, and long-term incentives (LTIPs, RSUs, PSUs, options).

  • Benefits & protections: pensions, deferred comp, malus/clawback, change-in-control and severance.

  • Share plans & tax: UK tax-advantaged plans (e.g., EMI, CSOP, SIP, SAYE) and cross-border equity issues.

  • Governance & disclosure: directors’ remuneration policies/reports, shareholder votes, and proxy adviser engagement.

  • Regulatory overlays: listed-company rules and financial-sector remuneration regimes (FCA/PRA), plus M&A/IPO-driven pay design.

What Executive Compensation Attorneys Do

  • Draft service agreements, bonus and LTIP rules, leaver provisions, restrictive covenants, and clawback.

  • Advise boards/remuneration committees on policy design, disclosure, and shareholder engagement.

  • Structure equity and cash incentives with UK tax/compliance in mind; coordinate with US/EU counsel on global plans.

  • Support transactions (M&A, IPO, SPAC de-SPACs, carve-outs) including golden parachute analysis and retention pools.

  • Handle disputes and investigations around pay, leavers, and post-termination restrictions.

Why the UK (especially London)?

  • A deep market of FTSE-listed and large private companies, PE platforms, and global banks/asset managers.

  • Ongoing governance reform and investor scrutiny drive steady advisory work.

  • London teams routinely lead multi-jurisdictional mandates, giving exec comp specialists outsized cross-border exposure.

Visa Sponsorship: What to Expect

  • Primary route: Skilled Worker visa via a Home Office–licensed sponsor (most large City and US firms in London are sponsors).

  • Other routes (situational): Global Business Mobility (intra-group transfers), Scale-up visa (if the employer holds this status).

  • What employers look for: eligibility under the relevant SOC code for legal professionals, salary meeting Home Office thresholds (City firms typically clear this), and a clean compliance history.

  • Tip: verify the employer appears on the public Register of Licensed Sponsors and confirm sponsorship in your offer letter.

Where the Jobs Are (hiring segments)

1) Law firms (private practice)

  • Magic Circle & Silver Circle: executive compensation often sits within Employment/Benefits or Corporate.

  • US firms in London: sustained demand for transaction-heavy comp and US/UK hybrid equity advice.

  • Specialist boutiques: executive pay, incentives, and employment litigation teams handling board-level mandates.

2) In-house legal & reward

  • FTSE 100/250 issuers, financial institutions, and PE portfolio groups—roles blend legal, reward, and governance.

  • Often titled Legal Counsel (Reward/Executive Compensation) or Senior Counsel—Incentives.

3) Consulting & advisory

  • Big Four legal/reward practices and human-capital consultancies (Mercer, WTW, Aon) hire lawyers for plan design, tax, disclosure, and shareholder engagement.

Skills & Profile Hiring Managers Want

  • Core legal breadth: employment/benefits, contracts, corporate support on deals, and UK tax awareness for equity.

  • Listed-company fluency: remuneration policy/report drafting, shareholder voting dynamics, proxy adviser expectations.

  • Financial-services know-how (nice to have): remuneration codes, deferral, malus/clawback, and buy-out structures.

  • Cross-border comfort: coordinating US §409A/§280G and EU rules; IFRS 2 basics and cap-table effects.

  • PQE bands: common sweet spot is 2–6 PQE for mid-level roles; senior counsel/partner for 7+ PQE.

  • Soft skills: board-facing communication, negotiation, stakeholder management, and crisp drafting under time pressure.

Compensation Snapshot (indicative, London)

  • Private practice: bases are competitive with City employment/corporate teams; bonuses tied to firm performance and billables.

  • In-house: base + cash LTIP or RSUs; finance/PE/finserv often pay at the higher end for seasoned counsel.
    (Firms rarely publish exact bands; benchmarks vary by firm tier and PQE.)

How to Position Your CV (and deal sheet)

  • Keep it to 1–2 pages; add a deal/add-back sheet if you have significant transaction work.

  • Showcase remuneration report/policy drafting, equity plan implementations, M&A/IPO comp work, leaver cases, and board/RemCo exposure.

  • Name jurisdictions, industries, and your role (lead, drafting counsel, due-diligence).

  • Add relevant certifications (e.g., ICSA governance modules) and presentations/articles on exec pay.

Target Employers & Recruiters (examples)

  • International & City firms: A&O Shearman, Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Linklaters, Slaughter and May; US firms such as Latham & Watkins, Kirkland & Ellis, Skadden, Simpson Thacher, Davis Polk, Cooley, Goodwin, Ropes & Gray.

  • Consultancies/People advisory: Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC; Mercer, WTW, Aon.

  • Recruiters (legal): Taylor Root, SSQ, Major, Lindsey & Africa, Fox Rodney, Michael Page Legal, Hays Legal, BCL Legal, Hydrogen.

  • Job boards: LinkedIn Jobs, The Lawyer Jobs, Legal Week Jobs, RollOnFriday Jobs, TotallyLegal, Indeed.

  • Visa check: UK Register of Licensed Sponsors (to confirm a firm can sponsor).

Interview Prep: What You’ll Be Asked

  • Walkthroughs of remuneration policy/report projects, share plan implementation, or deal-driven comp work.

  • Scenario questions: leaver classifications, malus/clawback triggers, buy-out awards, or director disclosure issues.

  • For finserv roles: deferral structures, risk adjustment, identification of MRTs, and regulator engagements.

  • Expect a short drafting test (service agreement/LTIP rules) and stakeholder-management hypotheticals.

For International Candidates (visa + UK practice fit)

  • Map your experience to UK concepts (e.g., “good/bad leaver,” LTIP/PSU, RemCo, disclosure).

  • If you have US compensation depth (409A/280G, SEC proxy), emphasize cross-border equity value-add for London teams serving US-listed clients.

  • Bring evidence of client-facing experience and comfort advising boards/PE sponsors.

How to Find Roles (practical workflow)

  1. Create a target list (10–15 employers): mix City/US firms, two consultancies, and 2–3 FTSE/PE in-house targets.

  2. Check sponsorship: verify on the licensed sponsors register; ask recruiters directly about recent sponsorships.

  3. Warm intros: message partners/counsels on LinkedIn who publish on executive pay or sit on RemCo advisory groups.

  4. Pitch samples: have anonymised policy/report excerpts, a template LTIP schedule, or a short client alert ready.

  5. Use niche search terms on boards: “executive compensation,” “share plans,” “incentives,” “remuneration,” “employment incentives,” “benefits & incentives.”

FAQs (fast)

Do UK firms sponsor visas for exec comp roles?
Yes—especially large City and US firms with licensed sponsorship and clear demand.

Do I need UK qualification?
Many firms prefer or require England & Wales admission, but some will consider foreign-qualified lawyers with strong, relevant experience (especially US equity/SEC crossover) and support requalification.

Which practice should I sit in?
Often Employment/Benefits or Corporate with a dedicated Incentives/Share Plans sub-team.

What about remote/hybrid?
Hybrid is common; fully remote roles are rarer at the senior, board-facing end.

Clear Next Steps

  1. Shortlist 12 targets: 6 law firms, 3 consultancies, 3 in-house FTSE/PE groups; confirm they’re licensed sponsors.

  2. Rewrite your CV (this week): add a one-page deal/work highlights sheet with bullets on policy/report drafting, LTIP rules, leaver analysis, and any finserv remuneration work.

  3. Collect evidence: anonymised writing samples (policy extracts, plan rules, client alerts) and a two-paragraph board memo on malus/clawback—ready for interviews.

  4. Call two recruiters: pick specialist legal recruiters (e.g., Taylor Root, SSQ) and ask specifically about visa-sponsoring exec comp roles at your PQE.

  5. Line up references: a partner/GC who can speak to your board-level exposure and drafting quality.

  6. Prepare answers: rehearse 3 case studies—(i) redesigning LTIP on an IPO, (ii) complex leaver dispute, (iii) finserv deferral/clawback.

  7. Apply in waves: 4–5 tailored applications per week; follow with warm LinkedIn messages to the partner or TA lead within 48 hours.

  8. Visa conversation early: once you have traction, ask HR to confirm Skilled Worker sponsorship in writing and expected timelines.

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