HR Business Partner, Practice Groups and Business Services (12 month FTC) Fixed Term

The Opportunity

Key responsibilities

• Business Partnering and day to day operations
  • Work closely with leaders to understand how HR can support their people and operational priorities.
  • Act as a trusted adviser and sounding board for lawyers, partners and Business Services employees.
  • Support for the HR Managers with aspects of business partnering as determined necessary.
  • Where relevant, attend and actively participate in management meetings to facilitate the resolution of operational people issues and to help drive the people strategy.
  • Produce and analyse data to support decision-making and make recommendations for change as appropriate.
  • Deputise for the HR Manager as needed.
  • Actively support the development of the junior HR Business Partners within the HR team.
• Employee Relations
  • Act as the first point of contact for employees in relation to HR issues; provide guidance and support to ensure that all employee issues are resolved, with the emphasis on building excellent relationships and instilling trust.
  • Co-ordinate the delivery of performance management, performance review and salary review and bonus processes.
  • Successful implementation of new employment policies and practices.
  • Conduct exit interviews where deemed necessary, communicating the feedback to the business, working with the HR Manager in identifying potential solutions for trends identified from exit feedback.
  • Support the HRBPs in conducting new joiner conversations, collate feedback and communicate to the appropriate people as necessary.
  • Oversee the probation review process.
  • Work with the Employee Relations team to ensure all Employee Relations matters are dealt with in accordance with precedents across the London Practice groups and Business Services.
  • Act as a champion for mental health and provide proactive support for lawyers requiring assistance under the firm’s global mental health strategy.
  • Support investigations and disciplinary and grievance hearings across the London office as required.
  • Assist the HR Manager with providing expert guidance and supporting line managers with redundancies and restructures.
• Reward and Performance
  • Co-ordinate the delivery and communications of lawyer performance reviews and the bi-annual talent management process, with support from the HR Manager(s) as required.
  • Support the annual salary review process in conjunction with the Reward team, with support from the HR Manager(s) as required.
  • Act as an ambassador to encourage groups to engage in regular “check in” conversations with their supervisors.
  • Support annual headcount planning/budgeting with Finance. Refer to this budget when identifying resourcing needs in the business and work with the Recruitment team to provide cost efficient and effective recruitment solutions.
  • Lead the talent discussions with senior management in Business Services groups, with support from the HR Manager as required.
  • Assist with the inbound and outbound international and client secondments movements within the practice groups and liaise with the International mobility and tax teams on any complex queries.
• Talent Development
  • Attend meetings with Learning and Development Managers when required.
  • Work with the coaching team to respond to requests for coaching and to arrange internal/external coaching for senior associates and partners as required.
  • Support the HR Managers and Heads of HR, with implementation and delivery of the partner performance review process in the UK.
  • Support the division in identifying and managing its talent by co-ordinating the annual review of talent across the division with partners.
  • Support the HR Manager in succession planning, identifying potential talent to be considered as nominees for development programmes or promotion opportunities.
  • Liaise with the Trainee HR Manager to manage Apprenticeships in Business Services.
• Project work
  • Assist with or lead (where applicable) regional people initiatives on behalf of the practice group HR team.
  • Support the HR Manager with local actions to drive cultural change initiatives e.g. furthering D&I initiatives in line with people and culture strategy.
  • Support the Practice Manager(s) and other business services teams such as Business Finance with ad hoc requests and projects.
• Learning and Development
  • Working alongside the HR Manager, promote learning and development options with partners to ensure identified development needs for them and their teams are met.
  • Liaise with L&D in respect of lawyer development needs and attendance at business skills programmes.
  • Encourage the use of the Internal Coaching Faculty to deliver high performance.

Qualifications, skills and experience

• A minimum of 3 years generalist HR and business partnering experience at the Business Partner level, preferably within a law firm. Those with less or more experience will be considered provided they can demonstrate the core skills and experience required for the role.
• Solid understanding of UK employment legislation.
• Good knowledge of employee relations processes, particularly performance management and disciplinary/grievance procedures.
• Strong communication skills, verbally and in writing.
• Strong influencing and negotiating skills.
• Commercially aware.
• Proactive, determined and robust approach to getting things done.
• Empathetic and collaborative.
• Driven to provide excellent client service.
• Able to take decisions and work autonomously, as well as part of a team.
• Experience of leading junior team members.
• Ability to prioritise and delegate effectively.
• Experience with and/or a curiosity about AI and emerging technologies.

Competencies

• Personal Leadership
  • Positively impacts those around them, makes quality decisions and develops themselves both personally and professionally.
  • Demonstrates sound knowledge in their field.
  • Anticipates potential problems and identifies a range of possible solutions.
  • Adapts their interpersonal style to suit different audiences in a genuine way.
• Builds Authentic Relationships
  • Takes time to get to know people beyond their role.
  • Treats people with respect and in a fair and consistent way.
  • Recognises when colleagues are under pressure and volunteers to assist them where possible.
• Collaborates with others
  • Works within teams and across boundaries to share knowledge and achieve results.
  • Identifies and builds relationships required to achieve the best outcomes for the firm.
  • Engages people with the right skills, knowledge and expertise to provide advice and assist with tasks.
  • Connects other people in the firm who have mutual interests or work objectives.
  • Generously shares their time, knowledge, expertise and talent to support others’ success.
• Enhances the Client Experience
  • Creates opportunities to enhance the experience of the firm’s clients through their daily tasks.
  • Behaves consistently with the firm’s values in their interactions with others.
  • Conducts themselves in a way that reflects positively on the firm’s brand, both inside and outside the firm.
• Achieves Results
  • Maintains focus and drive to achieve quality outcomes.
  • Focuses their time and efforts on issues that will have the greatest impact on agreed objectives.
  • Anticipates responses and plans their approach accordingly.
  • Looks for the most effective way to achieve outcomes.
  • Maintains perspective and optimism when faced with setbacks.

Team Human Resources

Working Pattern: Full time

Location: London

Contract type: Fixed Term Contract

Diversity & Inclusion: We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives. We see this as essential to our success, including our ability to innovate and achieve sustained high performance. This is a key part of our Values—Human, Bold, and Outstanding.