Lead HR Business Partner in Exeter

Are you keen to find an exciting new role where you will be part of a dynamic, forward-thinking, agile team? If so, come and join us on the journey.

Why Michelmores? Michelmores is the destination law firm for the ambitious, the imaginative and the distinctive. We help enterprises and individuals navigate change to find a positive future. We are a flexible, friendly, and inclusive organisation with as clear a focus on fresh thinking as we have on growth and success. We value and nurture our people’s potential and inspiration and give them a creative, open, and collaborative environment in which to develop a career and succeed.

As our clients’ needs change and evolve, so do we. Our business services teams are continuously looking for ways to innovate and attract and retain the best clients and the brightest people. Central to our culture is our nurturing, friendly and flexible environment which genuinely allows our people to grow and flourish, both professionally and personally. We really care about what we stand for and want to move forward together.

What sort of work? We have an exciting opportunity for a Lead HR Business Partner to join our team, either in Bristol or Exeter. This is a role for a credible, commercial, technically strong HR professional who thrives at the heart of a partnership environment. You’ll work shoulder‑to‑shoulder with Partners and senior leaders — advising, influencing and constructively challenging — to shape people decisions that strengthen performance, culture and long‑term success. This is not about process for process’ sake; it’s about sound judgement, commercial insight and confident delivery.

What you’ll do:

• Be a trusted adviser to Partners
• Act as a confident, pragmatic sounding board on complex people issues across the full employee lifecycle — from performance and reward through to succession, ER and change.
• Challenge as well as support
• Provide clear, balanced advice that holds the line on values, fairness and legal risk, while enabling Partners to make bold, well‑judged decisions.
• Shape talent, performance and succession
• Lead performance management, promotion and reward conversations; identify future leaders and critical roles; and help Partners build strong, sustainable teams.
• Lead through change
• Support restructures, growth, TUPE and consultation processes with a calm, measured approach that protects both the employee experience and the firm’s commercial interests.
• Set the HR standard
• Line manage the HR Business Partners and act as a senior escalation point on complex ER matters and a role model within the HR team — coaching others and raising capability, consistency and confidence.

Why this team? The HR team works in partnership with the key stakeholders across the firm, building trusted relationships and advising on a wide variety of people matters. They are focused on getting the best out of our greatest asset – our people. That means helping to create a culture where we reward those who think commercially, where our people feel valued as individuals and are constantly growing and developing. We are always looking to improve the employee experience and create and keep a culture where people feel supported to become the very best versions of themselves.

How do we work? We take a flexible, agile approach to working patterns. As a team we agree together on the best working arrangements that will enable each of us to provide exceptional client service, to collaborate and connect with colleagues, and to achieve the right home/work balance.

Who are we looking for? The role can be based from our Bristol or Exeter office, with regular travel between our other offices as required. We are looking for:

• An experienced HR Business Partner with strong credibility at Partner level, ideally within a professional services or partnership environment
• Demonstrable leadership or mentoring/coaching experience within an HR team
• Deep technical strength in UK employment law, employee relations and change
• The confidence and judgement to give clear, commercial advice — even when it’s challenging
• Strong interpersonal skills: calm, persuasive, discreet and trusted
• Comfortable using data and insight to influence decisions and demonstrate impact
• Professional, pragmatic and resilient — with the presence to operate as a true peer to senior leaders

This is a chance to play a visible, influential role in a successful partnership — shaping leadership behaviour, culture and performance while operating at the top of your profession.

Next Steps: To apply please click here or if you would like to talk to someone about the role, please call Lisa Gater, Recruitment Business Partner, on 07355 677986.

Michelmores LLP is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We do not discriminate on grounds of race, gender, marital status, age, religion, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, disability or sexual orientation in the selection, recruitment, and treatment of our staff.

View our Inclusion and Belonging pages for more information. As part of our recruitment policy our candidates are subject to pre-employment screening checks. The Employee Screening Process includes DBS screening, adverse media checks, financial screening, and will also involve verification of employment history, your right to work in the UK and any relevant qualifications and memberships. If you would like further information around this, at this stage, please get in touch with our recruitment team (careers@michelmores.com).

*No agencies please – any agency assistance will be via invitation only. Please note any speculative candidates submitted via agencies without invitation will not be considered as represented by that agent.