HR Manager in Newcastle

REPORTING TO: Head of HR

HOURS: 09.00 – 17.00 Monday - Friday (*)

LOCATION: Manchester, Newcastle or Harrogate

About Hempsons

With over 250 staff and lawyers working across five offices nationwide, Hempsons is a leading law firm for the health and social care, charity, and social enterprise sectors. We help our clients tackle a constantly changing array of opportunities and challenges – never more so than now. Our aim is to provide outstanding legal services that deliver the best possible client outcomes whilst nurturing a culture that makes us a "great place to work".

The Role:

We have an opportunity for a HR Manager to join our HR team in either Manchester, Newcastle or Harrogate. Although this role can be based in either our Manchester, Newcastle or Harrogate offices, you will be expected to support the HR team nationally. As part of a team providing HR strategic and operational support for the firm, the generalist HR Manager (HRM) will provide day to day advice and guidance on employment legislation, best practice, the firm’s policies, procedures, benefits, and will work to deliver the recruitment and other objectives of the firm. The role will be responsible for providing HR support and being the first point of contact to our Healthcare Litigation, Advisory, Inquests, Regulatory and Costs teams.

The HR team consists of a Head of HR, two HR Managers (one is this vacancy), a Talent Acquisition Manager, a Social Value and Inclusion Advisor, HR Advisor, Emerging Talent Assistant, and an HR Assistant.

Core Duties and responsibilities although not limited to:

• New Employees, Induction and Probation: Oversee the induction for all new staff liaising with appropriate members of other departments including ensuring 1 month, 3 month and 6 month reviews take place and documentation is returned. Where it looks as though may not pass their probation alert the Head of HR as soon as possible.
• Employee Relations: To provide day-to-day advice and guidance on all aspects of employee relations and the firm’s procedures related to these. Provide specific advice on disciplinary, grievance and equality and diversity matters. Act as investigating officer in disciplinary matters where appropriate and keeping notes of investigations conducted, making recommendations. Attend disciplinary hearings as a member of the panel where appropriate, keeping notes of the proceedings. Maintain disciplinary and grievance records and ensuring that staff are monitored and reviewed at the right time and written to as appropriate.
• Performance Review: Oversee the annual performance management / appraisal process ensuring the relevant forms are completed for all eligible staff.
• Salary Review (including promotion process): In conjunction with the rest of the HR Team to assist the Head of HR with the salary review. To conduct market research into the locations our offices are in. To liaise with the Finance Director or Financial Controller and rest of HR team to produce salary charts for each office and each staff group and make amendments to those as directed. To assist with the production, amendment, mail merge and distribution of salary review notification. To assist the Head of HR with the management of the annual formal fee earner promotion process.
• Absence Monitoring: Ensure all sickness records are up to date. To conduct absence interviews for staff with more than the agreed amount of sickness absence and clinical appointments and to make and keep notes for the file of the same. Acting or liaising with the Head of HR as necessary. To monitor staff on long-term sickness and to discuss with the Head of HR.
• Payroll: You will be the first point of contact for partners, employees, and finance on all payroll matters. You will provide Finance with accurate payroll information for each month in a timely fashion, ensuring all changes are covered including, leavers, joiners, changes in salary or hours. Ensure that relevant letters are issued, and the HR system is updated. Ensure compliance with any changes to legislation.
• Compensation and Benefits: Support the Head of HR on the renewal and review of the firm’s benefits package. Support the Head of HR on the pay review process.
• Leavers: For leavers, send the appropriate leavers letter to acknowledge resignation. Arrange and conduct an exit interview with the individual concerned and circulate to the appropriate parties any comments that need to be addressed. Pass the appropriate recruitment business case forms to their line manager to start the recruitment process if the employee is to be replaced.
• Internal communications from HR: Lead on drafting communications from the HR team on all firmwide communications. Take responsibility for the HR team’s SharePoint page on the intranet ensuring content is relevant and up to date.
• HR System: Be the main point of contact for the HR system (currently PeopleHR), ensuring data integrity. Ensure system is being used efficiently and provides a good return on investment.
• Policies: Lead on the review of policies in line with their agreed review dates, ensure the policy review spreadsheet is kept up to date. Draft new policies, and keep up to date with relevant legislative changes.
• Recruitment: Liaising with the Talent Acquisition Manager to support recruitment of staff in the most expedient manner possible, in line with the firm’s agreed recruitment policy and procedure. Working with the Talent Acquisition Manager to ensure each recruitment request is supported by a business case, candidate specification and job description, is within budget and is authorised appropriately. Coordinate with the Talent Acquisition Manager for employment offers and/or provide feedback via the agencies or direct to candidates as appropriate.
• HR Projects: Leading and delivering on firm-wide HR projects and initiatives to improve culture, employee engagement and retention.
• Any other duties: Any other duties as reasonably directed by the Head of HR.

Candidate specification:

• You will have experience of being a manager who can deliver the HRM responsibilities;
• Proven, relevant generalist HR experience, with at least one year at manager level, gained within a professional services environment (e.g. a law firm ideally);
• Experience of handling own employee relations cases;
• Experience of the full TUPE processes (in and out);
• Experience of leading or being involved in HR change management projects;
• Ability to take a commercial approach when making recommendations to the Head of HR and partnership;
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal;
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to get on with a wide range of people at all levels;
• Experience of conducting recruitment interviews;
• Experience of the graduate recruitment process would be desirable;
• Strong academics are required (fully CIPD qualified, part-CIPD qualified, a bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualifications; relevant proven industry experience may be considered in lieu of a degree);
• Experience of reviewing and drafting HR policies and/or employee handbooks;
• A sound knowledge of current employment legislation and recognised HR best practice is required;
• IT skills are required that include a good working knowledge of Outlook, Word and Excel, as well as experience of (or capacity to learn) about the use of an HR database (the Firm uses PeopleHR).

What we can offer you:

Our benefits package is designed to enable all colleagues to thrive in an inclusive and supportive environment. These benefits range from private health insurance, life assurance, critical illness cover to season ticket loans, cycle-to-work scheme and much more.

Hempsons is an equal opportunities employer. Hempsons is committed to providing equal opportunities for all and to encouraging diversity through recruitment. Applications are welcome from all sections of the community and decisions to progress will be made with reference to entirely objective criteria only.

Hybrid Working, in line with the firm’s current hybrid guidance, a minimum of 2 days per week in the office is required.

(*) Advertised working hours are from 09.00 – 17.00 but staff may be required to work additional hours, sometimes at short notice, in order to deal with work in hand.

Please note, this job description is not contractual and may be amended or revised from time to time, to meet the needs of the firm or the department. It will be reviewed periodically.