HKA - Leading Global Consultancy in Risk Mitigation

HKA is a leading global consultancy in risk mitigation, dispute resolution, expert witness, and litigation support. We anticipate, investigate, and resolve complex challenges by harnessing world-leading multi-disciplinary expertise and experience.

As trusted independent consultants, experts, and advisors, we deliver solutions amid uncertainty, dispute, and overrun, and provide the insights that make the best possible outcomes a reality for public and private sector clients worldwide. Our experts have testified across the globe on many of the largest quantum, delay, engineering, and commercial damages matters.

What You Can Expect At HKA

• A strong collaborative, high-performing culture focused on making HKA a great place for our brilliant people to work, play, and grow.
• Growth of our people, their talent and expertise, diversity, wellbeing, and engagement as the bedrock of our success.
• Two-way regular engagement and communication, collaborating globally, and living our values.

The Opportunity

HKA is looking to recruit an experienced Senior People Manager with responsibility for our UK and European business as part of our wider International People Team. This is a pivotal role combining operational excellence with tactical partnership, supporting business leaders across multiple jurisdictions while leading the delivery of people initiatives that enable business growth.

Our ideal candidate will have a strong generalist HR background, significant experience operating in a multi-country European environment, and a deep understanding of employment law, particularly within the UK and Europe. They will be a highly credible HR professional with a strong track record of business partnering, capable of building trusted relationships with stakeholders at all levels and influencing people decisions that support organisational success. The role will also provide leadership and development support to one direct report and play a key role in driving consistency, compliance, and best practice across the region.

With responsibility to provide expert people leadership, HR advice, and tactical support across the UK and European region, ensuring alignment with local employment laws, company policies, and business objectives, the Senior People Manager will act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders and employees while driving employee engagement, organisational effectiveness, and high-performance cultures.

This is a highly visible role requiring a strong presence within the business. The successful candidate will be expected to work from our London office a minimum of three days per week and travel periodically to other HKA offices across the UK and Europe to build relationships, provide on-the-ground support, and strengthen engagement with our people and leaders.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the lead People partner for our UK and European region, providing expert advice and guidance to senior leaders, managers, and employees.
• Act as a trusted and visible People Business Partner to senior leaders across the UK and Europe, building strong and effective relationships that support business performance and employee engagement.
• Develop a deep understanding of the business, its priorities, challenges, and growth ambitions, providing commercially focused people solutions and advice.
• Lead and manage complex employee relations matters across multiple jurisdictions, including disciplinary, grievance, performance management, restructuring, organisational change, and workforce planning activities.
• Ensure compliance with UK and European employment legislation, with particular focus on France and the UK, proactively identifying risks and recommending practical solutions.
• Partner closely with leaders to develop people strategies that drive engagement, performance, retention, and organisational effectiveness.
• Lead the delivery of regional people initiatives and projects, ensuring alignment with wider Global People Team and business objectives.
• Manage and develop one direct report, providing coaching, support, and development opportunities to strengthen capability and performance.
• Collaborate with HR colleagues globally to drive consistency, share best practice, and implement people policies and processes across the organisation.
• Support business growth and change initiatives through expert people advice, change management support, and effective stakeholder engagement.
• Advise on reward and benefits matters in partnership with the Total Reward team, ensuring market competitiveness, compliance, and internal equity.
• Monitor, interpret, and communicate changes in employment legislation and HR best practices across relevant jurisdictions (with a focus on UK and France), updating policies and advising stakeholders accordingly.
• Coach and develop managers on people management practices, employment law, leadership capability, and employee engagement.
• Analyse workforce and HR metrics to identify trends, opportunities, and risks, providing insights to support decision making.
• Maintain a regular presence within our London office for a minimum three days a week and travel periodically to regional offices across the UK and Europe to strengthen stakeholder relationships and support local teams.
• Collaborate and contribute to the continuous improvement of our People processes, systems (we use Workday People System), and service delivery across the wider international region.