Lewis Silkin
Human Resources Business Partner
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HR Business Partner - Employment, Immigration, and Data Teams
The HR Business Partner for the Employment, Immigration, and Data teams will partner with the firm’s senior leaders to develop and deliver people solutions that support performance, growth, engagement, and legal practice group success. Acting as a trusted adviser, the role combines strategic insight with practical HR expertise to develop and implement people solutions that enhance performance, enable change, strengthen leadership capability, and create an environment in which our people can flourish.
Working collaboratively across their client groups, they play a critical role in ensuring that their area remains a high-performing, inclusive, and engaging place to work, consistent with our ethos of bravery and kindness. With the support of two/three HR Advisors for which they have line management responsibility, they are responsible for ensuring the efficient and effective delivery of the full employee life cycle for their assigned groups and also work with the wider HR team on firmwide people projects.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic HR Business Partnering
- Partnering with the Joint Managing Partner, Talent Partners, and LPGs in the achievement of people strategy, including change, transformation, and people-focused projects.
- Providing expert guidance and support to the Joint Managing Partner and Talent Partners regarding workforce planning and shaping future resourcing needs, employee engagement, and reward strategy to align with people strategy and business needs.
- Close collaboration with the HR business partnering team and wider HR team to ensure the delivery of a consistent, aligned, and high-quality people experience across the firm.
- Responsible for resourcing, reward, talent management, learning and development, and employee relations issues for all staff within the practice groups.
- Providing support to the Chief People Officer in the achievement of firmwide strategy, people objectives, and projects.
- To manage and develop two/three Senior HR Advisors/HR Advisor.
Operational HR Duties for Designated Departments
- Ensuring the effective delivery of appraisal and career development programmes within the LPGs, including programme planning and facilitation of identified Learning and Development objectives (with the support of the Head of People Development).
- Responsible for supporting and/or leading group changes and restructures.
- Managing the annual salary review and budgeting processes in liaison with the Talent Partners, with input from the Chief People Officer and Reward Manager.
- Working with the Head of People Development to ensure design and delivery of relevant high-quality training across all roles within the LPGs.
- Managing risk and handling day-to-day employee relations issues, including the management of disciplinary, performance review, and grievance hearings.
- Responsibility of sickness absence management, including referrals to Occupational Health and acting upon any recommendations accordingly.
- Advising staff and managers on matters of HR policy and queries relating to terms and conditions.
- Key contributor at management meetings.
- Providing appropriate people data, analysis, insights, and research to ensure ongoing people best practice, innovation, and the continued provision of an exceptional employee experience.
- Formal and informal mentoring, coaching, and counselling of staff as appropriate.
- Conducting exit interviews with senior leavers and acting upon key trends identified.
- Managing flexible working requests when required.
- Supporting the talent acquisition team with the recruitment for partners, associates, and departmental business team staff.
- Ensuring joiner and leaver procedures are effectively implemented.
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Learning & Development Duties
- Working with the Head of People Development, Joint Managing Partner, and Talent Partners to undertake training needs analysis following the annual appraisal process and considering strategic objectives of the practice groups and the firm.
- Work with the Head of People Development on the development of relevant training and evaluate effectiveness of outcomes.
- Support the development and occasional delivery of key training across the firm (e.g., recruitment skills workshops / diversity training / appraisals, etc.) and any strategic projects, as and when required.
Firmwide HR Projects
- Overseeing the timely delivery of firmwide People projects including:
- Devising and owning the HR project plan for their client groups.
- Ensuring key milestones are identified and communicated to key stakeholders.
- Identifying and implementing solutions for any issues arising along the way.
HR Departmental Responsibilities
- As a member of the HR leadership team, collaborate with colleagues within the HR Business Partnering team and wider HR team to ensure that the firm maintains and develops its excellent people experience offering for all colleagues.
- Working in partnership with other HR Business Partners to develop and implement HR policies and initiatives in line with best practice to achieve the firm’s objectives and ambitions.
- As part of the HR leadership team, play an important role in the management and development of the HR function, contributing to overall high performance, engagement, and expertise.
- Supporting the Chief People Officer as required.
About You
The successful candidate will have a professional manner and first-class communication and stakeholder management skills, ideally with experience of working in a law firm or similar professional services environment. They will be highly organised and able to demonstrate a proactive and flexible approach to their work. They will enjoy working in a collaborative team environment as well as independently and be keen to guide and motivate others. They will be highly responsive to stakeholder requirements, and have a cooperative and willing attitude, with proven experience in finding solutions for their client groups.
Specialist Experience
- Experience of working in a law firm or similar professional services environment.
- Proven senior-level HR business partnering experience, ideally in complex, multi-professional or matrix organisations.
- Analytical and data-literate with the ability to use HR metrics and workforce intelligence and recruitment expertise to guide business decisions.
- Strong knowledge of UK employment law, HR best practice, and experience of dealing successfully with complex employee relations work.
- Proven ability to support change, transformation, and innovation.
- Experience of collaborating with learning and development professionals to develop required learning solutions.
- Line management experience or experience of supervising a team.
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Abilities and Desired Qualities
- Commercially astute with a genuine interest in understanding the firm's strategy, clients, and business priorities, and the ability to translate these into practical people solutions.
- Credible and influential, able to build trust quickly and confidently challenge, coach, and advise senior leaders in a constructive manner.
- Collaborative and relationship-focused, creating strong partnerships across teams and offices and fostering a culture of openness, learning, and shared success.
- Brave and kind, demonstrating courage to address difficult issues and make sound recommendations, while treating colleagues with kindness, empathy, and respect.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to balance long-term firmwide goals with immediate operational needs and challenges.
- Emotionally intelligent, with strong self-awareness, empathy, and excellent judgement when navigating complex people situations.
- Resilient and adaptable, comfortable working in an evolving environment, managing ambiguity, and leading through change.
- Data-informed and analytical, using insight and evidence to identify trends, challenge assumptions, and support decision-making.
- Proactive and solutions-oriented, taking ownership of issues, anticipating challenges, and driving positive outcomes.
- Highly credible communicator, able to engage effectively with partners, managers, and colleagues at all levels, adapting style to different audiences.
- Flexible and willing to travel to other offices as required.
IT Skills Required
- Proficient IT Skills – Microsoft Office.
- Experience of working with a document management system (NetDocs) and HR Database (SuccessFactors) would be an advantage, although full in-house training will be provided.
Educational and Professional Qualifications Required:
- Educated to degree level (or equivalent).
- Level 7 CIPD qualification would be an advantage.
- Fluent spoken and written English.
At Lewis Silkin
Our ethos is simple. We strive to do the best for our clients, our people, and the communities in which we operate. We recognise that an inclusive workplace allows for all kinds of ideas and thoughts, a variety of points of view that can trigger discussions or deliver innovative results, and a wide range of versatile skills and expertise. We are proud of the diversity within Lewis Silkin and of our culture that allows people to be themselves at work, ensuring we provide the best possible service to our clients. We are committed to supporting candidates throughout the recruitment process by supporting anyone who requires adjustments, in order to ensure they have the opportunity to perform at their best. All applicants will be considered equally and fairly. If you’d like to request any adjustments throughout the recruitment process, or would like to discuss flexible working patterns, please email the recruitment team in confidence (recruitment@lewissilkin.com).
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