Role: Senior HR Business Partner
Location: London
About
Corient is the world’s largest multi-family office and non-bank wealth manager focused on serving ultra-high- and high-net-worth clients. As the industry’s only global professional services partnership, we combine the personal service and objectivity of a boutique with the scale and resources of a global institution. Our partnership model fosters collaboration over competition, bringing together the collective expertise of Corient to each relationship to deliver a transparent, client-first experience. As a fully integrated global firm, we deliver comprehensive solutions across investment management, wealth strategy and family office services to help clients simplify their lives, manage their wealth and establish lasting legacies.
Position Overview:
The Senior HR Business Partner will deliver the people agenda across the UK during a period of significant organisational change, with specific HR business partnering oversight of Corporate Functions. Working closely with senior functional leaders, managers and the global HR team, the role will translate and execute global people strategies, frameworks and programmes locally, ensuring they are applied consistently while reflecting local business priorities, employment requirements and market context. The role will provide practical HR advice, lead complex employee matters and change activity, and ensure core people processes are delivered effectively. The role line manage HR Coordinators and deputise for the HR Director, UK & Europe, when required.
Key Responsibilities:
HR Business Partnering and Leadership Support
• Act as the lead HR Business Partner for Corporate Functions and the main HR contact for leaders and managers across the UK, with support also covering the British Isles from time to time, providing practical, timely and commercially balanced advice.
• Deputise for the HR Director, UK & Europe, as required, representing HR in leadership meetings, progressing agreed priorities and providing continuity during periods of absence.
• Work with managers on workforce requirements, performance, development, engagement, retention and succession activity.
• Use people data and case trends to identify issues, support decisions and recommend practical actions.
• Coach managers to handle people matters confidently, consistently and in line with policy.
• Maintain end-to-end oversight of the people agenda for Corporate Functions, working with functional leaders to align workforce, organisation design, talent, performance, succession, engagement and capability priorities with global functional strategies and local business needs.
• Partner closely with the global HR team, HR specialist functions and regional colleagues to shape and execute global people strategies, frameworks and programmes locally, adapting delivery where necessary to meet UK and British Isles business, legal and cultural requirements while maintaining global consistency.
Change Management, Integration and Workforce Planning
• Manage the HR delivery of organisational change, integration and restructuring activity, including planning, documentation, consultation and implementation.
• Enable the effective people integration of acquired businesses, supporting the organisation’s strong M&A appetite by partnering with global and local stakeholders on due diligence, integration planning, organisational alignment, cultural integration and the timely delivery of people-related commitments.
• Support leaders with role design, team structures, resource requirements and capability gaps.
• Assess employee impacts and risks and prepare clear consultation, communication and engagement plans.
• Track actions, risks and outcomes and provide regular progress updates to relevant stakeholders.
• Build trusted relationships across geographically dispersed offices and travel regularly to the British Isles to maintain visible, effective partnership with leaders and employees.
Leadership, HR Operations and Payroll Governance
• Line manage, coach and develop HR Coordinator, setting clear priorities, allocating work and ensuring consistently high-quality service delivery across the employee lifecycle.
• Provide appropriate oversight while enabling the coordinator to take ownership of transactional activity, routine employee queries, data maintenance and lifecycle administration.
• Oversee the accuracy, control and timely delivery of HR operational processes across the UK, identifying opportunities to improve service quality and efficiency.
• Review and check payroll inputs and outputs, including starters, leavers, contractual changes, variable payments, deductions and benefits, resolving discrepancies with Payroll, Finance and external providers before approval.
• Maintain effective payroll controls, clear audit trails and accurate people data, escalating material risks or issues promptly.
Employee Relations and Employment Risk
• Lead and advise on complex and high-risk employee relations matters, including performance, conduct, grievance, absence, restructuring and senior exits.
• Provide pragmatic, commercially informed advice that balances employee experience, business objectives, legal obligations and reputational risk.
• Ensure consistent application of policies and appropriate case governance, engaging specialist legal advice where required.
• Identify themes from casework and workforce data and work with leaders to address root causes through targeted management, culture or policy interventions.
Qualifications and Experience
• Significant HR business partnering experience in a complex, matrixed or regulated organisation, with confidence advising senior leaders and managers.
• Experience partnering with Corporate Functions and working effectively within a global HR operating model, including translating global people strategies and frameworks into high-quality local execution.
• Demonstrable experience supporting organisational change, workforce planning, performance, talent, engagement and employee development activity.
• Experience leading complex employee relations matters and applying sound judgement to employment risk.
• Previous line management experience, with the ability to develop and empower HR team members while maintaining strong standards and controls.
• Hands-on experience reviewing and checking payroll inputs and outputs, investigating discrepancies and working effectively with Payroll, Finance and external providers.
• Good commercial judgement and confidence using people data to support decisions and actions.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management and organisational skills, with the credibility to operate independently at senior level.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly as required
• CIPD-qualified or equivalent professional experience is desirable.
