Human Resources Assistant in Edinburgh

People Engagement (HR) Assistant – Operational Team – Performance & Talent

Based in Edinburgh or Glasgow. Our hybrid working approach allows the opportunity to combine working from home as well as in our offices.

JOB PURPOSE

The People Engagement (PE) Assistant will work as part of the operations team to support the business in delivering an effective and responsive people engagement service across all practice areas and business services teams. As well as providing core administration people support to the business, the PE Assistant will have the opportunity to develop their skills in a particular area of PE, working closely with Business Partners in a specialist area of the Team. For this role the specialist area is Performance and Talent.

The PE Assistant role requires strong organisational and prioritisation skills, attention to detail, and the ability to deliver to tight deadlines in a fast‑paced, people‑focused environment. This is an exciting and challenging role. We are looking for an individual who can work well within a team, is proactive, resilient, and committed to doing an excellent job. The role holder will support and work closely with the business partner team ensuring an exemplary people engagement service is delivered.

PRIMARY TASKS

• Support the PE Business Partner team by assisting with the delivery of core operational activities across the full employee lifecycle, including performance management processes and talent management initiatives.
• Coordinate monthly/quarterly practice area lead catchups, preparing relevant agendas, succession plans, absence reports, and financial reporting materials to support informed decision‑making.
• Work alongside the relevant PE Business Partner to provide guidance and support to managers and colleagues on employee relations matters, including absence management, wellbeing‑related issues, and performance management processes.
• Manage colleague family leave processes, sharing information with colleagues and line managers at the relevant process points and collaborating with the Reward team in relation to payroll changes.
• Analyse absence data to identify trends and key areas of focus, recommending appropriate actions in partnership with the relevant PE Business Partner.
• Work with the PE Business Partners on employee relations cases, taking minutes and organising relevant meetings and any other associated administration. You will also attend meetings, prepare records, and support case progression.
• Contribute to performance and talent related projects, helping to drive continuous improvement across the firm.
• Act as a first point of contact for talent, operational, and performance queries via dedicated inboxes, triaging and escalating where necessary.
• Maintain and enhance internal intranet hubs, the legal career progression hub, and performance and appraisal pages, ensuring colleagues have access to current, relevant, and user‑friendly content.

SECONDARY TASKS

• Deliver a responsive PE service to colleagues, including answering inquiries, addressing (or redirecting) concerns, and providing guidance on PE‑related matters.
• Serve as a key contact via the PE inbox, advising colleagues on Brodies policies and procedures and connecting them with the right support.
• Prepare PE life‑cycle documents and correspondence, ensuring changes are processed accurately on the internal PE system, governance requirements are met, and relevant stakeholders are kept informed. This will include supporting colleagues directly.
• Manage invoicing and budget tracking for your specialist area, ensuring accuracy and value for money. Taking primary responsibility for your specialist area.
• Ad hoc support for other specialisms as required.
• Be aware of Brodies’ information security policies, and protect information assets from unauthorised access, disclosure, modification, destruction or interference at all times.

PERSON SPECIFICATION & SKILLS

• Previous experience in a people‑focused support role, ideally within a People Engagement (HR) function in a professional services environment.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise competing demands and work effectively to tight deadlines.
• Excellent attention to detail, with a high level of accuracy in all work.
• Ability to communicate confidently with colleagues at all levels with excellent written and verbal communication.
• Proactive in identifying opportunities to enhance the colleague experience and improve ways of working, willing to speak up to ensure those ideas are heard.
• Proficiency in HRIS software, Applicant Tracking System and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Demonstrates integrity to handle sensitive and confidential information.
• Strong team player with the ability to build trusted relationships across the People Engagement team and with internal and external stakeholders, acting as a visible and approachable point of contact.