HR Business Partner - Employee Relations Specialist in City of London

A leading global financial services firm has an exciting new opportunity for an Employee Relations (ER) Specialist to join their busy HR team in their London headquarters. You will be the in-house expert on all things ER, supporting teams across Europe, APAC and the US, operating from the central global People team. As a leading proprietary trading firm, the business operates in a highly regulated environment and you will play a critical role in ensuring their People practices meet all compliance and ethical standards while fostering a positive working culture worldwide.

Key Responsibilities:

• Casework Management: Manage a varied and high-risk employee relations caseload across all regions, including disciplinaries, grievances, appeals, investigations, performance and capability concerns, with professionalism and cultural sensitivity, taking ownership of sensitive and complex matters as they arise.
• Change Management: Advise on and support the implementation of business-critical organisational change (including redundancies and international transfers), ensuring regional compliance.
• Manager Training: Develop and deliver targeted training for managers in APAC, Europe, and the US, building ER capability and confidence to address best practices and employee matters locally and globally.
• Policy Development: Draft, harmonise and implement robust HR and ER policies reflecting the latest UK, APAC, and US employment law, best practice and the regulatory standards that apply to trading environments.
• Risk Mitigation: Proactively ensure people-related actions are fully aligned with relevant employment law and internal requirements, supporting our regulatory obligations at all times.
• Expert Advice: Act as a trusted partner for leaders and managers, providing practical, timely, and legally sound guidance on employee matters that reflect the fast-paced, regulated nature of the trading industry.
• Employment Contract Project Management: Lead and manage complex employment contract projects, taking ownership of initiatives that require navigating multi-region requirements. Ensure all contract terms, including restrictive covenants, are compliant, commercially sound, and aligned with diverse jurisdictional and regulatory standards. Provide expert advice on the drafting and enforcement of non-compete, non-solicitation, and confidentiality clauses across multiple geographies.
• Conflict Resolution: Mediate disputes and lead fair, impartial investigations into complaints, ensuring an ethical and compliant approach throughout.
• Regulatory Liaison: Partner with Compliance, Legal and Risk teams as needed to ensure regulatory integrity in ER and people processes.
• Data Analysis: Monitor ER metrics (e.g., turnover, absences, trends) globally, identify themes, and present actionable recommendations for ongoing improvement.

In addition to core Employee Relations responsibilities, the role may also contribute to broader HR initiatives and generalist activities where appropriate, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities.

Key Requirements:

• Qualifications: CIPD Level 5 (minimum) or Level 7 (preferred).
• Experience: Demonstrated track record managing complex ER caseloads in a regulated, fast-paced, international environment. Experience within financial services or trading environments is highly advantageous.
• Legal Knowledge: Strong knowledge of UK Employment Law required; awareness of APAC and US frameworks preferred.
• Compliance Focus: Deep understanding of the importance of regulatory compliance and its impact on HR policies and processes.
• Stakeholder Management: Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with a global mindset and sensitivity to different cultures.
• Emotional Intelligence: High resilience and discretion in handling confidential and sensitive situations.
• Coaching Capability: Skilled at upskilling and empowering managers to navigate ER issues and conduct people processes confidently and compliantly. Experience in HR Business Partnering is advantageous.
• Collaboration: A key element of this role will be working with the legal function, ensuring a close-knit, excellent communication line and working relationship to ensure the business is best served at all times.

This is a unique opportunity to shape global ER strategy and standards within a forward-thinking proprietary trading firm, reporting directly to the Chief People Officer.

What’s on offer:

• A great environment whereby technology is key to success.
• The upside of a start-up without the associated risks.
• Friendly, informal and highly rewarding culture.
• A fast-growing global firm with plenty of opportunities where you will have a significant impact.
• Competitive compensation package.
• Excellent benefits.
• Hybrid working: 3 days in the office, 2 days remote.
• London city office location.