Our client, a prestigious global Law firm, are looking for a HR Specialist to join their growing office in London on a permanent basis. The HR Specialist will work in consultation and with the support of the Associate Director of HR and Administration and will have a good understanding of human resources policies and procedures as well as UK employment practices. The HR Specialist will act as the main point of contact for all London business services staff and paralegal queries in relation to HR policies and processes.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Work closely with the Associate Director of HR and Administration to assist with employee relations issues including performance issues, grievances, disciplinary proceedings and dismissals for all business services.
- Serve as the primary liaison with HR and Finance functions in the US and ensure adherence to Firm-wide processes with regards to notification and processing of changes, including, arrivals, departures, leaves of absence, compensation changes, secondments, etc.
- Support the yearly business services performance evaluation process.
- Work closely with the Associate Director of HR and Administration to assist with all leaves, including parental leaves and sickness absence
- Assist junior team members with respect to all departmental processes, including maintaining employee files, responding to general HR enquiries, processing payments and tracking departmental expenses.
- Work with HR colleagues, Legal Directors and external immigration counsel on London office immigration matters. Serve as the primary liaison with external immigration counsel.
- Manage on-boarding for all new hires and coordinating of induction programmes.
- Compile business services salary survey information and other compensation data for annual salary review and bonus recommendations.
- Coordinate and support business services training initiatives, including coordinating with external vendors with respect to content and logistics of training programmes where necessary
- Manage mandatory training compliance, working closely with the London Office Risk Partner
- Keep abreast of changes in UK Employment Law, Equality Act, Data Protection, Immigration and SRA Code of Conduct.
- Ensure that the London Business Services Handbook is regularly reviewed and updated, particularly in line with any UK employment legislation changes
- Lead the recruiting and interviewing process for business services positions, including negotiating agency terms and conditions, drafting job specifications and employment contracts, gathering feedback and coordinating background screening and reference checking.
- Supervise junior team members with respect to filing for candidate documentation in line with the Firm's GDPR guidelines
- Work closely with Facilities and IT to coordinate office moves and seat allocation for lawyers and business services.
- Lead office-wide Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, working closely with the CSR team in the US and the London office Partners
- Plan and execute office-wide social events, including the London office Summer and Winter parties
- Work closely with the Benefits team to implement well-being initiatives in the London Office
- Work with the Associate Director of HR and Administration in day‐to‐day management of the secretaries and receptionists, and in developing ways to improve secretarial services for the office.
- Organise the weekly London Administration team meetings and facilitate them in the Associate Director of HR and Administration's absence.
The successful candidate will have at least 3+ years of human resources experience in a law firm or professional services firm and the ability to easily shift priorities in a fast-paced, high-pressured environment. You will have excellent communication skills both oral and written and the ability to work with all levels of Firm personnel.
If this sounds like an exciting opportunity for you, please send your CV for immediate consideration. We would love to hear from you!
