Senior HR Advisor

Company Description

Who we are

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.

Job Description

This is a fixed term contract to the end of February 2026. Ideal start date will be February 2025.

The role

You will work with the HR Business Partnering team to deliver people priorities aligned to the firm's People and Talent Strategy.

Who you will work with

You will work with the HR Business Partnering team as well as other members of the wider HR team to deliver high impact, highly efficient people priorities and processes to specified client group/s (typically a practice area and other Business Professional departments) encompassing Partners, Fee-earners, Business Professional Managers and employees.

What you will be responsible for

As well as being a trusted advisor to key stakeholders, you will cover a range of HR activities including advisory and reporting. You will assist with many of the HR processes, such as talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, employee relations, talent management, diversity, equity and inclusion and wellbeing as well as global and regional strategic projects.

What you will do

The below key responsibilities are to be carried out in line with the global People and Talent Strategy, together with any additional regional or local HR strategic priorities.

People and Talent Strategy

• Assist the HR Business Partnering team to embed the firm's people priorities.
• Be a trusted advisor to key stakeholders, implementing people priorities and applying policies consistently.
• Work with the HR Business Partnering team and participate in regional and global strategic projects aligned to People and Talent strategy as and when required.

Employee Relations

• With guidance and direction from the HR Business Partnering team, be a trusted advisor to key stakeholders on low-risk employee relations issues and identify early interventions. 
• Assist with ER, performance and sickness absence processes (by initiating OH referrals, assisting the HR Business Partnering team to ensure any approved recommendations from the OH reports are carried out, monitoring absence etc.).
• Respond to queries and provide guidance in line with our policies and procedures.
• Assist Business Professional staff (up to Manager level career band) and junior-mid level Lawyers prior to and on return from their parental leave.
• Assist with any flexible working requests.

Financial Management, Risk, Data and Analytics

• Work with key stakeholders to finalise HR reports capturing accurate data, including employee movements, CDP alignments, etc.
• Assist the HR Business Partnering team with the budget headcount every quarter and at financial year end.

Talent Management

• Assist the HR Business Partnering team with the 3 conversations. This includes liaising with Practice Support Managers to ensure PAs schedule meetings, chasing completion of 3 Conversations for Lawyers and Business Professionals employees and assisting Partners to upload evaluation summaries on the on-line system.

Career Development

• Work closely with Partners, the Global Mobility team, Group Administrator and HR Business Partnering team to ensure client and international secondments are advertised and that the secondment terms are in place.
• Liaise with relevant Partner/s and the overseas HR teams to confirm the transfer terms of colleagues relocating to the UK, before liaising with Global Service Delivery teams to update systems and other relevant resources.
• Liaise with Partners to confirm Associates to be promoted to Senior Associate level and update the central spreadsheet accordingly.
• Assist with requests received from our Partners and/or international offices to assign work experience students, as well as Erasmus and Referendar students. This will involve liaising with Partners to decide numbers, start dates, duration, before then liaising with the Practice Support Manager to on board the students (assign an office, PA, etc).

Compensation

• Work with HR Business Partner team and Reward CoE, to execute the year end compensation processes.

Talent Acquisition

• Work with managers to draft job descriptions for new vacancies (up to manager level).
• Role map new roles up to Manager level and liaise with Reward CoE for reward guidance.
• Work with the HR Business Partnering team to draft recruitment authorisation forms and assist with the approval process.
• Deliver the NQ induction to welcome NQs and brief them on career development.
• Meet all new lateral joiners in Business Professionals (up to Manager level career band) and junior-mid level Lawyers, within 2 weeks of joining, and then again at the end of their first 100 day to deliver the new joiner induction.

Exit Management

• Conduct exit interviews (where appropriate) up to manager level and junior-mid level lawyers, using exit themes to highlight key issues to the Senior HR Business Partner that will drive change to attract, retain and motivate talent.
• Identify and escalate any ER related issues to the Senior HR Business Partner.

Inclusion

• Work with the HR Business Partnering team to embed the inclusion objectives and action plans for business, in order to deliver against our inclusion targets to recruit, develop and retain our diverse talent.
• Proactively build knowledge of the key inclusion pillars and strategy in order to speak confidently and competently.

Wellbeing and People Experience

• Work with the HR Business Partnering team to embed the wellbeing and people experience objectives and action plans for business.
• Proactively build knowledge of the Wellbeing strategy, enablers and priorities in order to speak confidently and competently.
• Frequently engage in a wide range of employee listening methods to identify key themes and inform timely solutions to protect and enhance people's wellbeing.

Qualifications

Your experience

Skills

You will have flexible and effective communication skills, with the ability to interact and influence people at all levels. You will also demonstrate a proactive approach at all times to improve services.

You will have the ability to cope with a mixed workload with excellent attention to detail. The ability to deal with a variety of potentially sensitive issues as and when they arise will also be required as well as a high level of confidentiality.

You will have the confidence and ability to deal with situations where there is conflict.

Experience

It is essential that you will have gained relevant experience in a HR role where you have dealt with aspects of employee absence, performance or other employee relations issues. 

Ideally, you will have worked in a professional services organisation. 

Experience of working in a matrixed/global environment is desirable.

Knowledge

You will have a thorough working knowledge of Microsoft Office Packages.

You will have a good understanding of HR policy and best practice, and an interest in employment law (working knowledge of employment law is desirable). You must demonstrate a strong willingness to develop knowledge in all of these areas.

Qualifications

Ideally, you will have a formal HR qualification e.g. CIPD or equivalent. 

How we will support you

From your first day with us, you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and develop your skills and knowledge. From formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on the job learning.

Additional Information

What we offer including our broad range of benefits and working environment

When you join Clifford Chance, you will have access to a broad range of benefits to support you across many aspects of your personal and professional life including financial, wellbeing, lifestyle, and family friendly benefits. For more information on what we offer specifically in the UK, please visit our What We Offer page on our career site.

Hybrid Working

This role follows our 'balanced' hybrid working approach and as long as business needs allow, you will be supported to work in a hybrid way with the expectation of working from the office for a minimum of 50% of your time.

Equal opportunities statement

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age. This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm. 

Find out more about our inclusive culture here