HR Consultant - United Kingdom - Browne Jacobson LLP

Description

At Browne Jacobson, we've always worked across business and society, and this expertise sets us apart. Social and environmental impact are at the top of our business agenda. We champion fairness, make the complex simple and forge connections between clients to find creative solutions. This is how we improve outcomes for every person, community and business we serve.

With offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Dublin, Exeter, London, Manchester and Nottingham, we're a UK & I based law firm with an international reach. Our sectors include: health; real estate and construction; education; energy and infrastructure; financial services; government; insurance; manufacturing and industrials; and retail, consumer and logistics.

We nurture talent at all levels and from every background and celebrate what makes people individuals. Law needs all voices to reflect the society it serves and we're working towards social mobility, diversity and inclusion in our firm - and our profession. We strive to create meaningful personal and professional development opportunities and offer flexible working in support of a good work-life balance. We focus on wellbeing and individuality, so that all our people can thrive.

We're a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who best meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role. Tick on the application form if you'd like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme.

We strive to create meaningful personal and professional development opportunities and offer flexible working in support of a good work-life balance. We focus on wellbeing and individuality, so that all our people can thrive.

Why is this role important and how does it fit into the team, department and wider firm?

Providing client focused comprehensive and pragmatic HR advice and support to schools and academies in line with their specific policies, procedures and legal requirements is a core component of our service to clients and a core component of this role. This role also supports the Senior HR Consultants and the Head of HR Services in the development of HR consultancy services to the education sector.

Our team of legal and HR specialists have a wealth of education knowledge and experience and come highly commended; consistently featured in Band One of the Legal 500 and Chambers UK listings. At the core of our approach is our objective to help our education clients do what is fundamentally right for their pupils and their organisation as a whole.

To build excellent relationships with clients at all levels, striving to deliver pragmatic, sector orientated advice that is carefully aligned to client's interests and at the forefront of national best practice. To build excellent relationships with colleagues, relating well to people at all levels within the firm, building team spirit and showing a collegial commitment to ongoing development of the firm's services to the education sector. Objectives set are achieved, and new business generated promotes continued and sustainable growth for the firm.

What does the role actually involve?

• Provide a solution focused, pragmatic HR advisory service to clients on the full range of complex employee relations and wider HR issues
• Deliver exceptional client service at all times, keeping the client at the centre of all that we do
• Maximise new business opportunities for the firm seeing them through to successful completion
• Keep abreast of sector developments and changes in order to ensure that advice is compliant, and sector focused
• Lead on ad-hoc client projects, covering the full scope of generalist HR (including investigations of all types)
• Lead on complex casework, and the provision of telephone and email service
• Delegate to and supervise HR Advisors as required
• Prepare for pitches/tender presentations
• Create content for and deliver training to clients
• Prepare and create new precedent documentation for clients based on changes to legislation and sector direction/initiatives
• Collaboratively undertake reviews of existing precedent documentation ensuring compliance and best practice
• Undertake public speaking at conferences and other events, demonstrating credibility
• Write blog posts and advisory articles on an ad-hoc basis for both Browne Jacobson materials as well as sector publications and websites
• Build and engender trusted advisor relationships with allocated clients, ensuring exceptional client care. Lead on the client conversation regarding annual renewal of HR services
• Manage allocated client matter files, ensuring that fees and time are managed carefully and that support teams are notified of billing requirements. Also, to be involved in any client conversations regarding outstanding invoices yet to be paid
• This is a client facing, fee-earning role within a professional services environment, therefore the role holder will need to carry out appropriate recording of all activities, ensuring that time spent on each activity is accurately recorded each day in line with the firm's time recording policy (a software system is used in support of this)

What technical skills are required for someone to be successful and enjoy the role?

• Up-to-date knowledge and understanding of HR best practice and a thorough understanding of the practical application of employment law
• Previous experience of business development activities
• Sound experience of managing and bringing to a successful conclusion complex and contentious HR casework including discipline, grievance, capability, and harassment
• Knowledge and experience of working with and negotiating with trade unions is desirable

Who would be a good fit for this role?

As part of the HR Services team, you would be expected to have the following skills and experience:

• Evidence of continual professional development as a HR practitioner (ideally from within the education sector but this is not essential)
• Ability to generate and follow up business development leads, seeing them through to pitch presentations and ultimately deliver new business for the organisation
• Ability to work collaboratively to review, develop and implement effective human resources policies and procedures
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex information and prepare and deliver briefings, articles, papers and or presentations
• Effective communication, influencing and persuasion skills together with evidence of success in building and forming working relationships, and working flexibly, across professional and operational boundaries
• Ability to engender trust and confidence and demonstrate probity and integrity in the provision of advice
• Ability to manage conflicting priorities and a demanding workload
• Demonstrable experience of working as a trusted advisor to key organisational stakeholders
• Ability to produce innovative ideas, approaches, or insights in order to continually develop the HR Services practice, be that through internal system development or through new products and services that add value to our clients
• Ability to take on board new projects and instructions with confident self-direction, researching and gathering information in order to support decision making, personal practice and exceptional client service
• As a role model, sets appropriate standards of behaviour, upholding Browne Jacobson's core values and ethics, promoting and defending equal opportunities and embracing diversity and inclusion

If external support is required on a vacancy, a member of the Browne Jacobson recruitment team will release the role to one of our agency partners. We ask that recruitment agencies do not send CVs unless instructed on the role. Please note that any speculative CVs submitted via agencies without invitation will not be considered as represented by the agency.