Senior Advisor: Human Resources

Mayer Brown is an international law firm positioned to represent the world’s major corporations, funds, and financial institutions in their most important and complex transactions and disputes. We are recognized by our clients as strategic partners with deep commercial instincts and a commitment to creatively anticipating their needs and delivering excellence in everything we do.

We are a collegial and collaborative firm where highly motivated individuals with an unwavering commitment to excellence receive the opportunity, support, and development they need to grow, thrive, and realise their greatest potential all while supporting the Firm’s client service principles of excellence, strategic partnership, commercial instinct, integrated strengths, innovation, and collaboration across our international firm.

If you enjoy working with team members whose defining characteristics are exceptional client service, initiative, professionalism, responsiveness, and adaptability, you may be the person we are seeking to join our HR department in our London office as a Senior Advisor: Human Resources.

Responsible to: Senior Manager: Human Resources

Hours: Standard hours are 9:30am to 5:30pm with flexibility in accordance with the needs of the business.     

Our current working from home policy allows for two days working from home, subject to business need. 

This policy is subject to change and does not form part of contractual terms.

Purpose of the role:

To work closely with the Advisory team, to provide a proactive service in relation to HR matters working with the firm's Practice Groups, Business Services and Secretarial teams across the London and Dubai offices.

This role will require a strategic and hands-on HR professional who supports the firm’s people strategy across multiple areas including employee relations, performance management, talent development, and policy creation and implementation.

• Responsible for the secretarial client group, including ER issues, performance management, annual compensation cycles and workforce planning.
• Responsible for the apprentice programme, including working with departments on requirements, drafting business plans, working with training providers with the L&D team, acting as first point of contact for any ER issues.
• Oversees the management of both short and long-term sickness absence cases, working closely with the HR Assistant, HR Managers, and Payroll Manager to ensure appropriate escalation, compensation adjustments, return-to-work support, and occupational health engagement.
• Escalation point for probation issues, including drafting associated documentation and supporting line managers and partners.
• Provides HR Advisory knowledge and support on all family leave policies procedures, and employment law including maternity, paternity, shared parental leave. Conduct pre maternity meetings and liaise with individuals, managers and partners on return to work arrangements including advising on flexible working requests.  Prepare associated paperwork.
• Oversees all aspects of consultant engagement, including drafting and maintaining consultancy agreements, managing SDS determinations for IR35 compliance, coordinating invoice processing and fee adjustments, and ensuring consistent governance across all related contractual and operational matters.
• Reviews current policies and procedures, collecting feedback from the business, the market and best practice. Drafting recommendations for improvements and, if necessary, new policies
• Supports the Advisory team with formal disciplinary, capability and grievance meetings, such as running meetings, note taking, preparing paperwork and liaising with staff as required.
• Supports HR Managers with capability and performance issues, including drafting performance improvement plans.
• Owns the annual performance review process for both fee-earners and business services teams. Including managing communications, working with HRIS and maintaining the performance review systems.
• Supports the HR Management team in the annual salary review and bonus processes.
• Liaises with the departments on temporary staffing needs and working with the Recruitment team.
• Conducts exit interviews for senior business services and fee-earners. Highlighting any issues or trends to the HR Management team.
• Has a working knowledge and understanding of immigration-related processes, including verifying employees' right to work in the UK, supporting visa applications and renewals, maintaining accurate records, and ensuring full compliance with Home Office requirements and UK immigration law.
• Delivers inductions for new starters
• Works with the payroll team to process any pay related employee actions.
• Assists with the firm’s diversity and wellbeing programmes, and graduate recruitment initiatives as required.
• Assumes responsibility for own personal development, and contributes to the development of more junior members of the HR team by providing informal guidance and knowledge sharing.

Educated to A Level standard

CIPD qualification desirable

Experience, skills and personal attributes:

• Track record of working in a service environment and providing HR support at both an administrative and advisory level
• A good understanding of current employment law and how to apply this in the workplace.
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to work well in a team and support other team members
• Works with minimal guidance
• Ability to engage with and gain support from a range of individuals throughout the firm working with a diverse group of colleagues and external service providers.
• Flexible and adaptable to changing priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Outstanding organisational skills and ability to prioritise and juggle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to use initiative and provide pro-active and pragmatic solutions to problems.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet strict deadlines.

At Mayer Brown, we are committed to creating an inclusive work environment that offers our people the opportunity and support they need to succeed.

Our culture promotes mutual respect, acceptance, cooperation and productivity among people from all backgrounds and values different perspectives and ideas.

One of our core values at Mayer Brown is to promote inclusion at all levels within the business which is actively supported by our Employee Resource Groups - LGBT+, Fusion (Race & Ethnicity), Multi-faith, Women, Enable (Disability) and Work and Me (Family).

We are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments that individuals may require throughout the recruitment process and once they have joined the Firm.

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