At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the transformation of our people function and drive a high-performance culture.
- Company: Join Shoosmiths, a top-tier law firm aiming for excellence by 2030.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career growth opportunities, and a supportive work environment.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team focused on innovation and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on our people strategy and help shape the future of law.
- Qualifications: Senior HR leadership experience and a passion for operational excellence.
The predicted salary is between 75000 - 100000 € per year.
The Director of People will be responsible for continuing the transformational journey of Shoosmiths' people function into a high-performing, commercially focused, operationally excellent business enabler. This role ensures our people strategy directly underpins our ambition to be a top tier law firm by 2030 servicing client excellence internationally. Working collaboratively with the other Business Services functions to ensure we operate with a mindset of being client-centred, business-led, financially excellent, future-enabled law firm.
As a key member of the senior leadership team, the Director of People will drive strong return on investment from all People initiatives, embed a culture of supportive high performance, streamline and standardise processes, and ensure our talent strategy, systems and operations support profitability and long-term growth. This role reports to the COO and partners closely with the CEO, Divisional Heads, People Directorate leadership, and Business Services leaders as well as working with the firm's Chair to support the partner processes and remuneration process and drive the firm's culture.
The team The People Directorate Is Made Up Of Four Areas:
- Business advisory and specialist projects (headcount 11)
- People experience and reward (headcount 12)
- Performance and talent (headcount 12)
- Responsible business and talent acquisition (headcount 13)
Each area is headed up by a motivated and well-respected leader with 48 people across the whole directorate.
Main Responsibilities
- Strategic people leadership
- Translate Shoosmiths' 2030 ambition and People Directorate 2026-27 objectives into a clear people strategy that is operational, measurable, and commercially grounded.
- Position People as a business-critical partner: driving performance, profitability, future skills, and workforce optimisation.
- Lead firmwide cultural evolution towards supportive high performance, with clear expectations, strong accountability, and a mindset of continuous improvement.
- Support the Chair in reviewing, refreshing and communicating our Partner processes, including remuneration processes and procedures.
- Champion "Client Centred. Business Led. Financial Excellence. Future Enabled" in all people policies, systems and processes.
- Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership team on people matters and business change initiatives.
- Operational excellence & process modernisation
- Drive a modern, efficient, digitally enabled People function with streamlined processes.
- Drive and oversee delivery and optimisation of People operational services, ensuring consistency, quality and scalability.
- Lead the transformation of People systems, including preparation for the implementation of a new HRIS in 2027.
- Embed data accuracy, reporting excellence, and a single source of truth for people data.
- Introduce a clear People Process Library and ensure policy frameworks are current, simple, and aligned with business needs.
- Ensure the employee and partner lifecycle is efficient and modernised through the roll-out of ServiceNow and other digital workflows.
- Performance, talent & workforce planning
- Lead the refinement and embedding of the new performance management process, ensuring clarity of expectations and reward alignment.
- Embed supportive but robust performance conversations, stewardship behaviours, and transparent succession planning.
- Oversee talent reviews, talent maps, promotion pipelines, and divisional talent strategies aligned to financial leverage and market growth.
- Lead workforce planning ensuring the firm has the right roles, skills and structures to deliver profitable revenue growth and effective leverage.
- Define future skills requirements and oversee programmes supporting AI-enabled working, leadership capability, and manager development.
- Support and deliver the firmwide talent acquisition strategy, ensuring hiring plans are aligned to growth ambitions, financial targets and workforce plans across the business.
- Define and deliver a firmwide emerging talent strategy, including trainees, apprentices, and early career professionals, ensuring a sustainable pipeline of future skills and leadership capability.
- Evolve the firm's employer brand and employee value proposition, ensuring Shoosmiths is positioned strongly in the external talent market and differentiated from competitors.
- People Experience, Culture & Engagement
- Ensure all People offerings deliver a consistent and exceptional employee and partner experience.
- Strengthen onboarding, probation, and returner processes to ensure colleagues are equipped for high performance early.
- Ensure an inclusive, diverse environment and equitable and inclusive processes aligned to Shoosmiths' values.
- Support evolution of employee networks and People Experience initiatives.
- Drive a culture of supportive high performance ensuring our unique and celebrated approach is maintained and protected through periods of change and growth.
- Lead external market and competitor benchmarking across reward, talent and workforce models, ensuring the firm remains competitive and informed in people decision making.
- Lead the development and refinement of reward frameworks, including bonus scheme revisions and benefits optimisation.
- Ensure reward structures drive a performance-led culture and support talent attraction and retention.
- Embed financial understanding across managers and leaders, linking people decisions to profitability and commercial outcomes.
- Ensure People initiatives have clear ROI, with transparent business cases, cost discipline, and measurable outcomes.
- Leadership of the People Function
- Provide visible leadership across the People directorate, ensuring teams are high-performing, collaborative, and business focused.
- Coach, inspire, and develop the People leadership team and wider People function.
- Lead organisational design and role clarity across the People Directorate.
- Foster a culture of innovation, self-service, continuous improvement, and proactive partnering with the business.
- Provide clear financial leadership across the People Directorate, with robust budgeting, cost management, forecasting, and reporting that supports informed decision-making and accountability.
- Own and actively manage the People Directorate risk profile, ensuring risks are anticipated, mitigated, and governed in line with the firm's appetite and strategic objectives.
Skills & Qualifications
- Senior strategic HR leadership experience within a professional services, partnership, or multi-site environment.
- Demonstrated ability to deliver operational transformation, including process reengineering and HR technology modernisation.
- Proven track record embedding high performance cultures with clear accountability and measurable improvement.
- Experience driving data-led decisions, people analytics, reporting suites and insight generation.
- Strong commercial acumen with proven ability to connect people initiatives to business performance, revenue growth and profitability.
- Experience influencing senior stakeholders and supporting leaders through change.
- Deep understanding of modern talent, performance, and workforce planning models.
- Previous leadership of People functions internationally through periods of organisational transformation.
- Partner remuneration management or oversight.
- Experience overseeing or implementing new HRIS platforms.
- Legal sector or wider professional services experience.
Skills & Behaviours
- Commercial & financial mindset: Able to link people strategy to firm performance, profitability, and growth.
- Operational discipline: Passion for streamlined processes, consistency, and efficiency.
- Data & technology Orientation: Confident with HR tech, analytics, and system optimisation.
- Leader of change: Able to drive cultural evolution, challenge constructively, and build alignment.
- High emotional intelligence: Builds trust and credibility at all levels.
- Strategic & hands-on: Capable of setting the vision while rolling sleeves up when required.
- Outcome focused: Always looking for simplification, efficiency, and measurable improvement.
- Supportive high performance: Clear expectation-setting combined with coaching, support, and accountability.
- Passion & energy: Engages the business with passion and energy to build understanding, trust and momentum.
We will consider applications in any of Shoosmiths Offices.
Director of People in London employer: DiverseJobsMatter
Shoosmiths is an exceptional employer that prioritises a supportive high-performance culture, offering employees the opportunity to be part of a transformative journey within a top-tier law firm. With a strong focus on professional development, collaboration, and operational excellence, employees can expect to thrive in an environment that values innovation and continuous improvement. Located in a vibrant area, Shoosmiths provides a unique advantage for those seeking meaningful work while contributing to a client-centred, business-led approach that drives profitability and long-term growth.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Director of People in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to connections in the legal sector and let them know you're on the hunt for a Director of People role. You never know who might have the inside scoop on openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching Shoosmiths' culture and values. Tailor your responses to show how your experience aligns with their ambition to be a top-tier law firm. Remember, they want someone who can drive performance and profitability!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your strategic thinking! Be ready to discuss how you've successfully led people initiatives that resulted in measurable improvements. Use data to back up your claims and demonstrate your commercial acumen.
✨Tip Number 4
Don't forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you're serious about joining the team and contributing to their vision for 2030.
We think you need these skills to ace Director of People in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to reflect the specific skills and experiences that align with the Director of People role. Highlight how your background supports Shoosmiths' ambition to be a top-tier law firm by 2030.
Showcase Your Leadership Style:We want to see how you lead and inspire teams! Share examples of how you've driven cultural evolution and high performance in previous roles, especially in professional services or multi-site environments.
Be Data-Driven:Demonstrate your ability to use data and analytics to inform people strategies. Include any experience you have with HR technology and how it has helped improve operational efficiency in your past roles.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensure you’re considered for this exciting opportunity at Shoosmiths.
How to prepare for a job interview at DiverseJobsMatter
✨Know the Company Inside Out
Before your interview, make sure you research Shoosmiths thoroughly. Understand their values, mission, and recent developments in the legal sector. This will help you align your answers with their goals and demonstrate your genuine interest in the role.
✨Showcase Your Strategic Thinking
As a Director of People, you'll need to think strategically. Prepare examples of how you've successfully implemented people strategies that drove performance and profitability in previous roles. Be ready to discuss how you can translate Shoosmiths' 2030 ambition into actionable plans.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that assess your problem-solving skills and ability to handle change. Think of scenarios where you've led transformation or managed cultural shifts. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses effectively.
✨Demonstrate Your Leadership Style
The interviewers will want to know how you lead and inspire teams. Be prepared to discuss your leadership philosophy and provide examples of how you've developed high-performing teams. Highlight your emotional intelligence and ability to foster a supportive culture.
