HR Business Partner

Farrer & Co is synonymous with the highest quality legal advice and service.

We advise individuals, families, businesses, financial services, educational and not-for-profit organisations on every aspect of the law, wherever the need arises. From our offices in London we work with trusted professionals around the world to deliver a seamless international service.

Our clients present us with complex and varied challenges. Whether that's a complicated family trust issue, a multinational corporate transaction, or an emerging threat to their reputation, they need clear thinkers who can advise on the best solutions, fast thinkers when speed is of the essence and agile thinkers who can produce a fresh approach to get the job done. That's why they choose us.

Our clients value our in-depth knowledge, technical excellence and diversity of disciplines. But what really binds our long-standing relationships with them is our approach: pragmatic, plain speaking and always steadfast in our values, which we hold dear. Values which mean we gain our clients' trust, always strive to do the right thing, and aim for the best results for them.

Superb client service sits at the heart of everything we do. We are modern lawyers with timeless values.

The HR Team is responsible for the development of HR strategy in line with the firm's vision and values and effecting this through the design and implementation of HR policies, practices and initiatives across all areas of people management including professional development, recruitment and selection, diversity and inclusion, employee relations, pay and benefits, and organisational change and development.

1. To be a trusted adviser to managers and employees within the designated client groups, delivering a pro-active and responsive generalist HR service that meets each department’s needs and is aligned with the firm’s strategic objectives. 
2. To provide comprehensive, proactive operational support within the HR Team and more broadly to the firm’s HR function. To ensure that operational procedures, systems and processes are co-ordinated and aligned with the HR team’s aims and objectives as well as with the firm’s business imperatives for excellence.
3. To provide managerial/supervisory support within the HR Operations Team to ensure annual processes and any assigned projects are carried out effectively.

Client Group

• Build and maintain strong and effective working relationships to support all stakeholders within the designated client groups.
• Hold regular meetings with managers in assigned client groups, circulating the agenda beforehand, noting any actions and following up on these in a timely manner.
• Attend team meetings (where appropriate) with the client groups to develop relationships, provide input, give updates on relevant HR initiatives and ensure stakeholders know their HR point of contact.

Induction of new joiners

• Proactively follow-up with new joiners after induction to help ensure an effective initial integration into their team and the firm.
• Respond quickly to any early difficulties or concerns in relation to the new joiner, liaising with the relevant line manager as required.

Employee correspondence

• Manage all correspondence across the employee lifecycle; changes to terms and conditions of employment, family related leave, secondments, flexible working requests and any other items which require written confirmation of changes.
• Prepare correspondence relating to employee relations meetings (including grievance, disciplinary and capability hearings, flexible working request meetings, family leave and return to work from family leave, and complex exit interviews). 
• Draft scripts in preparation for employee relations meetings, escalating to Senior HR Manager for input when required.

Family leave process and guidance

• Manage the family leave process for designated client groups, including initial meetings, overseeing letters and liaising with the Recruitment Manager and relevant line manager to arrange cover.
• Manage the preparation of pre and post family leave paperwork including correspondence and any other documentation required for all long-term family leave matters in client group.

Employee Absence Management and Wellbeing

• Monitor monthly the client group absence levels, analyse trends, highlight issues and concerns against the firm’s policy, and make recommendations to leaders within the designated client groups.
• Provide guidance to line managers in respect of any return-to-work meetings they are preparing for, as required.
• Oversee Workstation Assessments when required and manage individual cases to resolution.
• Manage referral process to Occupational Health Advisers, including completion of referral forms, arranging of appointments, and liaising with line managers and employees to discuss and implement the advice received. Escalate to/discuss with Senior HR Manager more complex or sensitive cases.

Employee Relations

• Attend Employee Relations meetings, such as performance management, disciplinary and grievance meetings as HR representative, providing input, support to the chair and ensuring compliance with the firm’s policies and procedures.
• Attend employee relations meetings in a note-taking capacity when another member of the HR team is the HR representative.
• Meet with the leadership teams of designated client groups to discuss results of regular employee engagement surveys on the firm’s engagement platform and formulate action plans to address issues raised and acknowledge positive results.

Leaver Process

• Oversee the preparation of leaver letters and complete relevant leaver administration.
• Manage the exit interview process for leavers in relevant client groups, which is conducted by the Junior HR Adviser.
• Coordinate feedback from exit interviews and work with line managers to implement actions arising from exit interviews for client group.

Benefits, Salary and Bonus Review

• Complete monthly payroll variation instructions within the timeframes required.
• Assist Senior Reward & Benefits Manager with the annual benefits, salary and bonus review processes as required.

Business Continuity Planning (BCP) Committee

• HR representative for the BCP Committee.

Appraisals

• Manage the firm’s annual performance appraisal and mid-term review processes under the supervision of the Senior HR Manager and support the Junior HR Adviser with preparing the on-line appraisal system data.
• Answering systems and process queries received from partners and employees within the designated client group.

Policies, Projects and Other Duties

• Maintain up to date process notes for all aspects of the HR Manager role.
• Support the annual HR budgeting exercise, as required by the HR team.
• Continually review the efficiency and usability of the HR intranet, HR systems, policies and processes and make recommendations for enhancements where appropriate.

Recruitment

• Provide the Recruitment Manager with support on candidate screening, arranging, and attending interviews and testing for roles within the client group when required.
• Work with line managers to update and compile job descriptions to support the recruitment process as required.  Work with Senior Reward and Benefits Manager to ensure the salary for the role is benchmarked in accordance with WTW and agency data.
• Have good working knowledge of the recruitment system.
• Provide wider support on recruitment where required.

Trainees and Solicitor Apprentices

• Responsibility for ensuring new Trainees and Solicitor Apprentices are added to HR system, cost centres and departments are updated for seat moves, job titles and salaries are updated as Trainees progress to their second year, maintaining the succession table, and updating Newly Qualified (NQ) job and salary records on qualification.
• Coordinate regular engagement surveys for the Trainee and Solicitor Apprentice population using the firm’s engagement platform and analyse results and make recommendations to be shared with Training Principal. Organise the NQ survey, analyse results and make recommendations to the Training Principal to satisfy ongoing Lexcel (the Law Society’s legal practice quality mark) accreditation requirements.

HR Team Support

• Supervise the Junior HR Adviser aligned to the same internal client group.
• Cover other team members’ responsibilities as required during periods of absence and/or particularly busy times.
• Assist with any other ad hoc project or task as identified and required by the firm or HR leadership team.
• Provide coaching, guidance and mentoring to the Junior HR Advisers/HR Assistants/Apprentice as required.

• Experience as a HR Manager, Business Partner or Senior Adviser
• Previous experience in a professional services/legal Human Resources team
• Strong MS Office skills
• Clear speaking, listening and written communication skills
• Ability to multi-task and stay organised
• High attention to detail
• Strong customer service and team work ethic.

• Ideally part/fully CIPD qualified.

The hours of work for this opportunity are 9:30am - 5:30pm but we would expect the successful candidate to be committed, flexible and prepared to work beyond the normal office hours if necessary and in response to client demand. You will be expected to follow the Firm’s agile working policy, which embraces home working but will require employees to spend a minimum number of days each week in the London office.

Farrer & Co is an equals opportunity employer who welcomes applications from candidates from all backgrounds. We look to employ the best candidates regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, social or economic background, religion, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, or any other protected characteristic.

We are keen to ensure candidates have the best interview experience possible, if you require any adjustments during the interview or application process please let the recruitment team know.

Farrer & Co conducts a pre-employment screening which consists of a Criminal History Background and Credit Check for successful candidates.