This role will work alongside the People Lead to deliver a
high-quality HR advisory service to the firm's Commercial groups:
Commercial Disputes (which is comprised of the Commercial &
Banking Litigation, Regulatory, Restructuring & Insolvency and Tax
Disputes teams); Corporate (including Real Estate and Employment); and
MIPTOC (which stands for Media, IP & Technology and Outsourcing
& Contracts).
Key internal relationships
People Lead (Commercial)
People Assistants
Senior Recruitment Manager and Recruitment Administrator
Wider People & Talent Development (P&TD) team
Commercial departments
Reports to
People Lead (Commercial)
Duties and Responsibilities
include but not are limited to the following:
People Advisory Service
Works closely with the People Lead to establish strong working
relationships with key stakeholders and assist with the development
and delivery of a high-quality, proactive and solutions-focused HR
advisory service to the Commercial groups
Supports People Lead with preparation and analysis of monthly
reporting for Group and Team Leaders
Brings any compliance risks to the attention of the People Lead
and assists with developing and implementing solutions where appropriate
Talent Management
Assists Commercial groups with identifying high performers and
underperformers and helps to design appropriate
development/improvement plans
Collaborates with Learning & Development (L&D) to support
Commercial groups with Quarterly Conversations and nominations for
milestone programmes
Oversees the set-up and preparation of talent mapping meetings,
attending and contributing to these meetings where appropriate and
ensuring consistency and fairness of approach. Assists with the
analysis of and reporting on talent mapping across the Commercial groups
Supports the Commercial groups to ensure that individuals are
managed effectively through promotion processes. Oversees the
accurate and timely completion of the relevant paperwork and system
updates which will be administered by the People & Resourcing Assistants
Salary review
Works with the People Lead to support the year-end and mid-year
salary review processes for the Commercial groups, including
preparing materials e.g. salary schedules
Oversees the set-up and preparation of salary review meetings with
relevant stakeholders, including Group/Team Leaders and Partners,
attending and contributing to these meetings where appropriate and
ensuring consistency and fairness of approach
Assists with the analysis of and reporting on salary proposals
across the Commercial groups
Works with the People Lead and Reward & Operations Manager to
use external salary benchmarking data, including Willis Towers
Watson, to inform decisions
Employee Relations and Welfare
Provides clear guidance on firm policies and procedures and keeps
up-to-date with employment law to ensure that any advice given is
accurate and relevant. Works with the People & Talent
Development team to review and update policies and procedures as necessary
Provides a first contact point for employees and line managers on
routine employee relations matters such as performance and
capability, welfare issues, sickness absence (including ergonomist
and occupational health referrals), probation reviews and flexible
working applications. Handles meetings in a confidential manner and
escalates to the People Lead where appropriate
Manages or supports disciplinary/grievance investigations and
hearings, involving the People Lead where appropriate
Inclusion and Diversity
Works in conjunction with the People Lead and Inclusion &
Diversity (I&D) team to help deliver on the firm's I&D
strategy and ensure that I&D is woven into every aspect of the
service and output delivered in the role
Plays an active part in one of the firm's I&D workstreams
Resourcing and Recruitment
Supports the People Lead to manage headcount for the Commercial
groups, including assisting with the annual headcount planning
process and tracking headcount against the agreed plan for each team
Works with the People Lead and Senior Recruitment Manager to
clarify resource requirements for the Commercial groups and agree an
appropriate strategy, e.g. recruitment or reallocation of existing
internal resource, including seeking appropriate approvals
Supports on recruitment-related activity, including interviewing
for selected roles, reviewing salary bands and assisting with
mobility and immigration queries
Oversees the accurate and timely preparation of offer paperwork by
the Recruitment Administrators and assists with aspects of the
onboarding and induction processes, including supporting the new
starter programme when required
Collaborates with the Early Careers team in relation to the
vacation scheme assessment and trainee qualification processes and
requests for SQE sponsorship/support
Employee life cycle
Oversees the starter/leaver/new parent leave/secondment processes
for the Commercial groups, which will be administered by the People
Assistants, ensuring accurate records are kept of employee movements
and appropriate notifications are made to Payroll. Identifies areas
for improvement in our processes and procedures and works with the
Advisory team to implement appropriate changes
Conducts new starter check-in meetings with employees and oversees
the probation process which will be administered by the People Assistants
Conducts exit interviews and escalates areas of concern/highlights
positive feedback where appropriate. Works with People Lead to
collate feedback and report on themes to senior management
Other
Understands the information contained in the firm's HRIS, is able
to run standard reports and helps ensure the integrity of the data
for the Commercial groups. Works with the HR Systems team as required
Manages ad-hoc requests, including remote working applications and
achievement award nominations
Involved in developing and delivering on People projects
Collaborates and shares knowledge across the People & Talent
Development team and coaches, mentors and motivates more junior team members
Knowledge, skills and experience
Experience in a People Advisory environment, preferably within the
legal sector or other professional services firm
At least five years' HR experience, with two years at HR
Officer/Advisor level, including supporting on key HR cyclical
processes and managing employee lifecycle and routine employee
relations issues
Ideally has or is working towards the CIPD qualification
Attributes
The successful applicant will have/be able to demonstrate:
A good knowledge and understanding of employment law, HR practices
and procedures
Strong interpersonal and client relationship skills with the
ability to build rapport, influence and develop relationships at all levels
Strong communication skills, both orally and in writing
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to plan own
activities, multi-task and adapt plans to shifting priorities
IT literacy with specific competence in Microsoft Office (Word,
Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook)
Strong accuracy and attention to detail with a commitment to
maintaining data integrity
A collaborative approach, effectively working as part of a team,
but also be strongly self-motivated and with the ability to manage upwards
A flexible, pragmatic and commercial approach to meeting business
needs with a strong client service focus
Good diagnostic and analytic skills with the ability to see beyond
the immediate task/issue and to exercise sound judgment
A proactive and solution-orientated approach, but conscious of
when to consult with others
An enthusiastic and positive attitude, with the ability to remain
calm under pressure
