Head of HR

Overview of role

Office: LONDON (hybrid 50% required) 

Working as part of the global Human Resources team, the Head of HR will act as a strategic partner to the London business, with a primary focus on supporting the Office Managing Partner, their senior leadership team and a number of the Business Services Functions globally. The role plays a key part in shaping and delivering a people strategy that aligns directly with commercial priorities, ensuring the firm is well positioned to attract, develop and retain high calibre talent.

This role requires a commercial and forward-thinking approach, using data and insight to inform decision making and provide constructive challenge where needed. The Head of HR will be comfortable analysing workforce data, identifying trends and translating these into clear, practical actions that support business performance and long-term capability.

As a visible and credible leader, the role will set the standard for what high quality HR looks like within the firm. This includes leading change and transformation initiatives, driving continuous improvement across people processes that improve efficiency and enhance the overall employee experience and making effective use of technology and AI enabling the firm to operate effectively in a competitive and evolving market.

Duties, Responsibilities & Person Specification

The Head of HR will have a broad Business Partner remit, including the following:

• STRATEGIC BUSINESS PARTNERING - Act as a trusted adviser to the Office Managing Partner and senior leadership team, providing commercially focused HR guidance that supports delivery of the firm's strategic objectives. Translate business priorities into clear and practical people plans, using data and insight to inform decision making and measure impact.
• C-SUITE PARTNERSHIP AND STRATEGIC HR SUPPORT - Act as one of the dedicated HR leads for the firm's global C-Suite functions, building strong and credible relationships with senior stakeholders. Provide strategic HR guidance across workforce planning, organisational design, performance management, promotion, reward and succession planning. Lead HR engagement through the annual performance and promotion cycles, ensuring a consistent and well governed approach, supporting high quality decision making and alignment with firmwide frameworks.

• GENERALIST HR AND EMPLOYEE RELATIONS - Provide senior level HR advice and support across the employee lifecycle, delivering balanced and commercially sound outcomes. When necessary and working in conjunction with the Senior ER Manager, manage and take responsibility for complex employee relations matters with confidence and discretion, and coach leaders to handle people issues effectively and fairly.
• RECRUITMENT AND ONBOARDING - Partner with the Resourcing team to ensure hiring strategies support business priorities and future capability needs. Ensure packages are competitive by market research and soundings across a broad network.  Contribute to senior hiring decisions where appropriate and ensure a high-quality onboarding experience that supports engagement and early performance.
• PERFORMANCE AND TALENT MANAGEMENT - Support and challenge leaders to drive a high-performance culture, setting clear expectations and maintaining consistent standards. Play a central role in the delivery of performance management and promotion processes, ensuring alignment with talent and reward frameworks.
• LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT - Work closely with the Head of Learning and Development to identify capability gaps and future skill requirements. Support the design and delivery of development initiatives, particularly for senior populations, aligned to business needs.
• REWARD AND BENEFITS - Provide commercially informed advice on reward and benefits, supported by data and benchmarking insights. Play an active role in salary review and bonus processes, ensuring alignment with performance outcomes and market positioning.

• HR BUDGET MANAGEMENT - Lead the HR budget process for the London office, working closely with Finance to ensure accurate forecasting and alignment with business priorities.
• POLICIES, GOVERNANCE AND COMPLIANCE- Ensure HR policies and processes are fit for purpose, compliant with employment legislation and aligned with best practice. Provide practical guidance to managers to support consistent and effective application.
• CHANGE, TRANSFORMATION AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT- Lead and support organisational change and transformation initiatives across the business. Drive improvements in C-Suite and HR processes by using data, technology and AI to increase efficiency, improve decision making and enhance the overall employee experience.
• PROJECTS AND GLOBAL INITIATIVES - Contribute to and lead HR projects at office, regional and global level. Support the implementation of global initiatives within the London office and across C-Suite functions.
• PEOPLE MANAGEMENT - Lead, develop and support the HR Manager and HR Administrator, setting clear objectives and supporting ongoing development and performance

Education, Skills & Experience

• CIPD qualification strongly preferred
• Educated to a minimum of degree level
• Technically strong HR generalist with a relevant experience in a legal, professional services or financial services environment, ideally operating across multiple jurisdictions.
• Proven experience partnering with senior leaders, including Partners, executive or C‑Suite populations, and credibility in operating at a strategic level.
• Strong working knowledge of UK employment law.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver pragmatic, commercially sound HR solutions aligned to business priorities.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence and advise confidently at senior level.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise multiple, competing demands effectively.

• Commercial, thoughtful and solutions‑focused approach
• High level of integrity and discretion when handling confidential matters
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgement and remain effective under pressure
• Flexible and collaborative, with a willingness to support the wider HR team as needed
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality
• Confident communicator, able to engage professionally with colleagues at all level 
• An enthusiastic, motivated, quick learner
• Ability to work under pressure using own initiative and judgement
• Flexible approach and willing to adapt and provide assistance where required
• Attention to detail and passionate about quality
• Professional attitude with a high degree of integrity and discretion in dealing with confidential matters
• Good communication skills with an ability to interact professionally with staff at all levels of the organisation, both verbally and in writing

Please note that Walkers will not accept any applications received from agencies at this time. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

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