Senior People Advisor in London

As a Senior People Advisor, you'll be a trusted and autonomous partner to your client groups - someone who can pick up complex, high-impact work and run with it. You'll bring well-rounded HR experience across employee relations, learning & development, and people operations, with the confidence to lead projects end-to-end and the credibility to influence at all levels. This role is well-suited to someone who thrives in a fast-moving environment, isn't afraid to juggle multiple priorities at once, and can act as a genuine deputy to the People Partner when needed.

Responsibilities

• Employee Relations
  • Lead complex ER cases independently, including TUPE, redundancy, serious misconduct, capability, and grievance - exercising sound judgement and escalating only where appropriate.
  • Advise and coach line managers on the full spectrum of ER issues, from probation and performance through to exits, ensuring confidence and capability is built across client groups.
  • Identify systemic ER patterns and proactively recommend policy or process improvements to reduce risk and improve manager effectiveness.
  • Provide training and guidance to managers on people processes, acting as a subject matter expert.
  • Oversee and quality-assure ER work handled by the People Advisor, offering guidance and peer review.
  • Support employees through family-friendly processes and identify opportunities to enhance these policies over time.
• People Advisory
  • Act as a highly autonomous trusted advisor to designated client groups, operating with minimal oversight and directly partnering with senior stakeholders and leadership teams.
  • Deputise for the People Partner as required, owning broader strategic conversations and representing the People team in senior forums.
  • Lead or co-lead people-related projects - such as organisational design, workforce planning, DE&I initiatives, or management capability programmes - from scoping through to delivery and evaluation.
  • Work in close partnership with the People Partner to ensure consistent, joined-up support across shared client groups and contribute actively to People team strategy.
  • Liaise with and provide people support to colleagues in our US and EMEA locations, navigating cross-jurisdictional complexity with confidence.
• Employee Lifecycle
  • Own and continuously improve onboarding and induction processes, ensuring a consistently excellent experience at scale.
  • Manage the offboarding process end-to-end, drawing insights from exit data to inform retention strategy.
  • Identify and drive improvements across the employee lifecycle, proactively spotting gaps rather than waiting to be asked.
• Learning and Development
  • Lead the design and delivery of the annual People training calendar, balancing strategic priorities with operational needs and managing the associated budget.
  • Manage Docebo (our e-learning platform), overseeing compliance tracking, module updates, and new content development.
  • Manage relationships with external L&D providers and facilitators, including procurement, briefing, and performance evaluation.
  • Design and deliver impactful training sessions on a broad range of People topics - from manager essentials to employment law - building lasting internal capability.
  • Lead assessment and evaluation processes for internal developmental programmes, using data to measure impact and drive iteration.
• People Operations
  • Oversee the People Coordinator's output, providing coaching and day-to-day support to drive their development and ensure high quality work.
  • Lead the development and optimisation of HiBob functionality, driving automation and continuous improvement.
  • Serve as a key point of expertise on TriNet and other Employer of Record (EOR) systems for our US and APAC populations.
  • Champion the use of AI and system automation to streamline people processes and improve team efficiency.
• Compliance and Reporting
  • Ensure full operational compliance across employment processes, including right-to-work, visa renewals, and any complex jurisdictional requirements.
  • Own monthly people reporting, producing high-quality insights that inform business decisions.
  • Handle all employee data in line with MVF's data protection obligations, acting as a role model for good data governance.

What Success Looks Like

• Complex ER cases resolved well and with minimal escalation.
• Client groups actively seek you out as a first point of call - not just for problems, but for strategic people conversations.
• Projects delivered on time, to a high standard, with tangible outcomes.
• A thriving, well-regarded training calendar that demonstrably improves manager capability.
• A People Coordinator who is developing well under your guidance.
• You're regularly acting with autonomy on things that previously required People Partner involvement.

Our Ideal MVFer

• Significant HR generalist experience, ideally at Advisor level or above, with a strong track record of managing complex ER cases independently.
• Proven ability to lead people projects autonomously - from scoping and design through to delivery and evaluation - without needing to be managed through the process.
• Experience in Learning & Development, including owning a training calendar, managing external providers, and ideally administering an LMS or e-learning platform.
• Comfortable operating across multiple priorities and stakeholder groups simultaneously - you're used to plates spinning and you know how to keep them up.
• Experience working with or supporting US and/or EMEA teams, including confidence navigating cross-jurisdictional employment matters and Employer of Record arrangements.
• Experience with HiBob or a similar HRIS is strongly preferred.
• CIPD qualified (Level 5 or above) or equivalent demonstrable experience.
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills - you can adapt your style whether you're coaching a new manager or presenting to senior leadership.
• Resilient and pragmatic, especially when navigating sensitive or ambiguous situations.
• Analytical and commercially minded, with strong reporting skills and a good eye for data.
• A genuine team player who makes the people around them better.

What we’re offering you

• Summer Fridays
• Competitive holiday benefits - 25 days a year paid holiday, plus 8 bank holidays (increases 1 day a year up to 30 days)
• Hybrid working - 3 days a week in the office
• Closed for Christmas holidays - extra days not taken from your annual holiday allowance
• Work from anywhere for 2 weeks a year
• Life Assurance and Income Protection to protect your loved ones
• Benefits allowance for health, dental, and vision coverage
• Six months paid maternity leave, and one month paid paternity leave (subject to qualifying conditions) inclusive of same-sex and adoptive parents
• Defined Contribution Pension and Salary Sacrifice Scheme
• Be Well: our award-winning wellbeing and mental health programme to support all MVFers and their families
• Family Forward support for our MVF parents and their mini-mes
• 2 charity days a year
• Free breakfast when in the office

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are the foundation for MVF to build, promote and sustain a culture of trust, safety, growth and belonging where everyone can thrive. Our DEI guiding principles underpin how we build our teams, develop our talent, provide a fair working environment and create an ambitious company that reflects the diversity of our employees, customers, clients and partners, globally.

As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage all MVFers to respect, value and celebrate our differences, and commit to actions that ensure that we can belong and be authentic at MVF, without limitations or barriers. We’re committed to providing support and/or adjustments to those who may need them during employment. If you consider yourself someone who may need support or adjustments, please speak with your Line Manager, Department DEI Ambassador or People Partner.

We are diverse by nature, but inclusive by choice.