The Department

The People team play a key role in enabling the firm to attract, develop and retain great people, and giving them the tools and support needed to develop and fulfil their potential, and that of the firm. The team is welcoming, inclusive, driven by providing a 'high touch' level of service, and collaborative in terms of how we work. The team consists of c.50 people in both business-facing, generalist roles (Advisory) alongside specialist teams (Data & Systems; Reward; Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing; Employment, Policy & Engagement; Talent Acquisition, as well as our Academy, which consists of Academy Learning, Academy Tech and Early Careers).

Role Overview

The People Advisor role is a key part of the Advisory team, which acts as the key interface between the business and the wider People function. This role will work closely with a range of people of all levels of seniority across the areas they support, including Partners, and others with co-ordination/team leadership responsibilities focussing on fee earning and group businesses.

Duties and Responsibilities

The role will include the following:

Talent Management

• Have a deep understanding of your client groups' practice areas, business plans and on-going objectives and the role the People team plays in meetings these objectives.
• Effectively support the Head of People Advisory/ People Advisory Manager in devising and implementing People policies and initiatives which support these objectives.
• Keep abreast of relevant employment legislation and assist with the management of any disciplinary, grievance or performance-related issues, in conjunction with the Head of People Advisory/ People Advisory Manager and Head of Employment, Policy and Engagement.
• Support the Head of People Advisory/ People Advisory Manager on all aspects of resourcing and development including implementation of our approach to continuous, informal feedback (ELM - Engage, Listen, Mentor), assessment of training requirements and identification of high potential candidates for promotion.
• Manage the process for employees taking family-friendly leave including production of all related paperwork, and advising the employee on their benefits and entitlements.
• Work closely with our People Hub team to ensure all systems are updated and the relevant instructions are given to Reward, Payroll and Finance teams.

Wellbeing

• Ensure that ELM - Engage, Listen, Mentor conversations are taking place and be a point of contact for wellbeing conversations and supporting employees.
• Coach and support managers in their conversations with employees.
• Be the point of contact for those going on and returning from family leave and coach them on their transition.
• Provide support on all aspects of absence management, including sickness and return to work guidance, occupational health referrals and follow ups, and work with the wider team to ensure the right support is in place, including Income Protection claims.
• Support the Diversity and Wellbeing Manager on all projects / initiatives, being a key driver in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Reward

• Assist the Head of People Advisory/ People Advisory Manager with data preparation, analysis and admin support for the remuneration processes.
• Work with the Reward team to ensure Willis Towers Watson benchmarking is complete and up to date.
• Work with the People Hub and Reward team on the monthly Payroll submission, ensuring accurate and timely submission.

Recruitment & On-boarding

• Work in partnership with the Talent Acquisition team to support recruitment for roles within your portfolio. This may include scoping out the business rationale and securing necessary approvals, drafting the job description, managing internal stakeholders and candidates, and identifying key internal talent.
• Take an active role in ensuring all new joiners are properly inducted and supported upon joining the firm, and manage the probation process through liaising with Managers seeking feedback and implementing personal development plans where needed.

Reporting & Analysis

• Analyse the output of regular and ad hoc management information reports including (but not limited to) sickness, turnover, raising points of interest as appropriate.
• Work in partnership with the Head of People Advisory/ People Advisory Manager to proactively identify areas of improvement and focus and support the implementation of any initiatives put forward.
• Assist the Head of People Advisory/ People Advisory Manager with the development of organisational charts and evaluation of team structures, operations and working practices.

General

• Support and lead where necessary on ensuring that effective processes and procedures are being followed in relation to the employee life-cycle (i.e. recruitment, joiner and leaver process, implementation of family friendly policies). Ensure that best practice is followed and proactively identify improvements.
• Act as a role model within the team and seek ways to support the continuous development of your colleagues.
• Provide cover for the other People Advisors in the team and provide support when necessary.
• Contribute and actively lead on People projects and other team initiatives as and when requested.
• Continuously identify ways to add value within the team.
• Build strong and effective relationships across the team, including specialist areas of Reward, the Academy, Early Careers, Talent Acquisition and Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing.
• Take responsibility for own continuous professional development, ensuring up to date knowledge of employment law and HR best practice.
• Positively embrace change and strive for continuous improvement in all that the People team do, including the team's work on embedding the firm's Equality, Diversity & Inclusion strategy.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

Skills/Experience

• Significant experience as a generalist with proven experience working as an Advisor or at a similar level
• Experience of working in a professional services environment
• Experience of independently managing a range of disciplinary, grievance and performance-related issues with minimal assistance
• Experience of adding value and actively managing business-related projects and initiatives
• Confidentiality in all sensitive and confidential issues
• Ability to manage People projects and initiatives with minimal guidance
• Ability to solve problems quickly and creatively
• Good working knowledge of People processes and policies
• Strong IT Skills in Word and Excel, proficiency using HR databases, analysing data and using it to present key findings/recommendations.

Skills/Attributes

• Excellent attention to detail
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to develop effective relationships at all levels within the People team and the firm
• Ability to effectively manage own workload
• Ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Personable and confident, with the ability to build relationships with key stakeholders
• Assertive and proactive in communications
• Resilient and calm under pressure
• Adaptable and flexible approach
• Pro-active and takes initiative.

About The Mishcon de Reya Group

The Mishcon de Reya Group is an independent international professional service business with law at its heart, employing over 1450 people with close to 670 lawyers. It includes the law firm Mishcon de Reya LLP and a collection of leading consultancy businesses that complement the firm's legal services. We have grown rapidly in recent years, showing more than 40% revenue growth in the past five years alone.

Based in London, Cambridge, Oxford, and Singapore, with an association with Karas So LLP in Hong Kong, the firm services an international community of clients and provides advice in situations where the constraints of geography often do not apply. The work we undertake is cross-border, multi-jurisdictional and complex, spanning six core practice areas: Corporate; Dispute Resolution; Employment; Innovation; Private; and Real Estate.

As of 1 January 2023, Mishcon de Reya and Taylor Vinters merged. The merger delivers on both firms' strategies to support the innovation economy and accelerate our growing share of the technology, media and life-sciences legal and consultancy services market in the UK and in key international innovation hubs globally.

In times of such far-reaching and profound change we want to be the law firm that enables our clients - and our own people - to shape the world's possibilities. We are here to help our clients benefit from new economies, new geographic centres of wealth, the new global movement of people and capital, and the impact of new technologies and new knowledge.

Our purpose remains rooted in our founding values. We take pride in the diverse range of people who make up the firm and are proactive in driving change and continuous improvement across the spectrum of equality, diversity and inclusion. Mishcon Academy , our in-house place of learning, development and new thinking for our people, clients and contacts and our innovative impact strategy, including a commitment to be a net zero carbon business , also play a central strategic role in the direction of the firm. In 2020 we launched Mishcon Purpose , a first-of-its-kind sustainability practice providing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) advice and purpose-driven insight to clients.

The Mishcon de Reya Group comprises standalone businesses MDR Brand Management , MDR Cyber , MDR Discover , MDR One , MDR Mayfair (in London, Singapore and Dubai) and MDRx . Complementary to Mishcon de Reya's core areas of work, each is led by best in class professionals recruited from a variety of non-legal industries and sectors.

We strive to create a fully diverse and inclusive workplace where all our people are empowered to fulfil their potential. We are proud of our agile working culture and are always happy to talk flexible working.

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