HR Advisor

Fieldfisher; Belfast City District; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance

Health cash plan

Dental insurance

Life assurance

Critical illness insurance

Matched pension contributions up to 7%

Holiday trading

Job summary

Fieldfisher in Belfast seeks an experienced HR professional to join the HR Operations team. You will advise on the full HR lifecycle, manage leave and absence processes, and support managers with performance and salary reviews.

You’ll handle flexible working, visa and right-to-work processes, and participate in HR projects to improve people practices. A hybrid work setup with a Belfast office is available.

Qualifications

• Generalist HR experience required with knowledge of UK/NI employment law.
• Experience supporting employee relations cases (disciplinary, capability, grievance).
• Proven ability to advise across full HR lifecycle in a professional services environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide proactive HR advisory support to allocated fee-earning groups.
• Manage family leave processes and absence management including RTW interviews.
• Handle flexible working requests and hybrid working patterns.
• Lead on smaller disciplinary, capability or grievance procedures with support.
• Support performance and salary review processes and talent management.

Skills

Generalist HR experience

Employment law knowledge

HR policy interpretation

Stakeholder management

Disciplinary/ER support

Education

Strong academic record

CIPD or equivalent

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

Outlook

HRIS

Job description

The job holder will work under the HR Operations team who are responsible for all generalist HR processes and activities. You will report into one of the teams HR Business Partners, working closely with them to provide dedicated, proactive advisory support to an allocation of fee earning groups.

• Provide guidance and assistance to employees, managers and partners across the full HR life cycle (i.e. from start through to departure), keeping the HR Business Partner abreast of all ongoings in each allocated business unit.
• Manage the family leave process for all employees (maternity, adoption, co-parent, shared parental leave).
• Responsible for absence management, including conducting return to work interviews, reviewing absence trigger points, occupational health referrals, supporting PHI processes and implementing reasonable adjustments.
• Handle flexible working processes, including informal and formal requests and hybrid working patterns and compliance.
• Undertake exit interviews and analysing themes which may require further investigation or action.
• Lead on smaller disciplinary, capability or grievance procedures, or provide support to more complex cases, working closely with the HR Business Partner and ER Advisor.
• Support HR Business Partner with delivery of performance and talent management processes, including annual performance and salary review.
• Coach and support people managers with the above, providing solutions that are commercial and in line with people best practice, while minimising risk and financial exposure.
• Provide day-to-day support and advice to the business on policy and process queries. Work to ensure that the Firm's HR policies and procedures are consistently applied.
• Ownership of Visa and Right to Work processes for your business units.

HR Operations

• Work closely with HR Administration team to ensure all administrative tasks (drafting letters, updating HRIS etc) relating to your allocated business units are conducted within agreed SLA's.
• Ensure payroll changes are provided to the Administration and Payroll teams in a timeline and efficient manner.
• Take responsibility for delivering bi-weekly inductions to new joiners.
• Create and produce reports and management information on request.
• Ownership of Visa and Right to Work processes for your business units.

HR Projects

• Lead on smaller HR projects at a business unit-level or with a firm-wide reach.
• Contribute to larger HR projects and policy development to drive improvement, in line with the Firm's HR strategy.
• Advise on, support and implement initiatives internally and externally that promote culture, inclusion and people best practice.

Key Skills & Experience

• Generalist HR experience, at least as an HR Assistant (or equivalent), is essential.
• Experience within a legal and/or professional services organisation, or with a good understanding of professional services/partnerships.
• Excellent understanding of English Employment Law and evidence of practical application. Understanding of Northern Ireland employment law is desirable, but not essential.
• The necessary drive and commitment to deliver first-rate, proactive and appropriate HR support.
• Experience in managing or supporting employee relations cases (disciplinary, capability, grievance etc).
• Excellent attention to detail, ability to multitask, prioritise and manage conflicting demands.
• A confident and professional manner; quickly able to establish credibility with the partners and/or senior managers.
• Ability to effectively and appropriately challenge and influence using commercial acumen and strong HR knowledge.
• Diplomacy and pragmatism are essential.
• A positive and resilient disposition as well as being a strong team player.
• An awareness of and commitment to complying with our Equality and Diversity Policy and procedures.
• Strong academics.
• A good working knowledge of IT packages (MS Word, Excel and Outlook) and familiarity with HR systems.
• Experience of working for a multi-site organisation is desired, but not essential.

What We're Looking For

• A proactive and customer-focused approach to delivering HR support.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to handle confidential information sensitively and professionally.
• A willingness to learn and develop within a fast-paced professional services environment.
• Commitment to accuracy, continuous improvement and delivering an excellent employee experience.

What do we offer?

• You can be yourself: It takes everyone to make us who we are. We’re a culture of diverse perspectives, with each of us making unique contributions that make us better together.
• In the office or WFH?: We think the best balance is more time in the office than at home, so we operate a 60:40 rule.
• Beyond salary: We offer plenty of benefits; private medical insurance, health cash plan, dental insurance, life assurance, critical illness insurance, matched pension contributions up to 7%, holiday trading, plus many more. Visit: Reward & Benefits ¦ Fieldfisher.
• Modern Office Space: Located at Adelaide Exchange, Belfast City Centre, with excellent commuter links and parking nearby.
• Nurturing your talent: Take a 'build a career' approach to your training. You'll be on a pathway but free to wander if you see something you'd like to study more closely.
• Funnel your interests: You have a life outside work, and we can help it to flourish. Join clubs, affinity networks, inclusive events, and pro bono/charity initiatives.

Inclusion is not exclusive:

If all our differences are highlighted, no one stands out for being different. At Fieldfisher, all our rich diversity is celebrated.

We will provide the equipment to allow you to shine, at interview and beyond. Just let us know what you need.

For accessibility information on our Belfast office, visit: Accessing Fieldfisher Belfast Hub ¦ Fieldfisher