HR Business Partner

Osborne Clarke; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading professional services firm in the UK is looking for an HR Business Partner to drive strategic workforce planning and support department people plans. The successful candidate will have proven experience in HR, strong interpersonal skills, and a proactive approach to employee engagement and wellbeing. This role offers flexible working arrangements and a competitive salary package, promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion throughout the organization.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Generous benefits

Health and wellbeing initiatives

Qualifications

• Proven experience as an HR Business Partner in a professional services environment.
• Strong ability to engage with senior clients and provide commercial advice.
• Demonstrated strategic thinking aligned with OC’s overall strategy.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic input to business plans and drive workforce planning.
• Partner with department heads to support their people plans.
• Lead on complex employee relations matters and influence reward decisions.

Skills

Strategic business partnering

Interpersonal communication

Influencing skills

Change management

Job description

In this role as HRBP, you'll work in close partnership with our business services leaders to ensure departments implement their strategic people plan and manage their people in a way that meets the current and future needs of the business. Our team is on a very exciting journey at the moment, working on lots of interesting strategic priorities and transformation projects. This position will be based in our Bristol or London office, with the flexibility to embrace hybrid working and some travel between our UK offices as required, and will manage an HR Advisor.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with Operations Board stakeholders to provide strategic input to their business plans, strengthening operations using strategic workforce planning tools.
• Partner with Chiefs and Heads of Department to support the department's people plan and contribute to change projects across business areas.
• Use data‑driven insights to influence decision making and measure impact in terms of business outcomes, bringing an external perspective to our HR offering.
• Improve the performance of the functions through people and HR initiatives aligned to the overall OC strategy, working with People Development to develop management capabilities.
• Oversee talent management and succession planning, focusing on retention of key internal talent and working with recruitment to map future positions.
• Ensure diversity & inclusion is central to the department's people plan and that business leaders consider decisions through a D&I lens.
• Advise on organisational design, reviewing regularly and using insights to influence people, promotions and recruitment decisions throughout the year and during budgeting.
• Support business leaders in continually monitoring and improving employee engagement and wellbeing, ensuring feedback is acted upon to keep our culture competitive.
• Lead on complex or sensitive employee relations matters, serving as an escalation point for the HR Advisor on less complex cases and supervising their workload.
• Lead on HR function strategic projects for the development of the overall Core HR team.
• Influence reward decisions in Business Services and Business Support, driving fairness and consistency, and lead annual pay review and bonus nominations.
• Coach the HR Business Services team to build their capability and act as an escalation point for the HR Advisor as necessary.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as an HR Business Partner with a strong background in strategic business partnering in a professional services environment.
• Proven ability to engage confidently with a senior client group, driving business forward with pragmatic, solution‑focused, commercial advice.
• Strategic thinking and acting, well‑versed in OC’s strategy to inform big‑picture implications.
• Ability to forge strong, trusted, professional working relationships with internal clients.
• Demonstrably strong interpersonal, influencing and communication skills, comfortable interacting with people at all levels.
• Professional and flexible approach, adapting to changing requirements and circumstances.
• Ability to manage expectations among internal clients while maintaining credibility and professionalism.
• Custodian of OC culture.

Benefits & Culture

People are at the heart of our business and this is an exciting time to be in HR and support the firm in adapting to the future of work. Our HR team is central and strategic, helping Osborne Clarke continue its growth and success. We offer competitive salaries and generous benefits, supporting the health and wellbeing of our people through a wide range of initiatives.

At Osborne Clarke we value difference and encourage applicants from all backgrounds. We want everyone to feel that OC is a place where you can be yourself and belong, supported by interest groups and diversity networks.