HR Business Partner, EMEA

Korn Ferry; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic Human Resources Business Partner to oversee HR activities for a diverse workforce across EMEA. This hybrid role involves strategic business partnering, employee relations management, and developing HR policies to align with organizational goals. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in HR within partnership-style organizations, showcasing strong leadership and stakeholder engagement skills. Join a collaborative environment where your contributions will shape the future of HR practices and employee engagement across multiple countries.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in HR advisory roles with team management experience.
• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and best practices.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end HR activities for 3000 employees across EMEA.
• Support employee relations, recruitment, and compliance initiatives.

Skills

Human Resources Management

Employee Relations

Talent Acquisition

Learning & Development

Payroll Processing

UK Employment Law

Team Management

Problem Solving

Education

Degree Level Education

Level 5 CIPD Qualification

Tools

HRIS Systems

Job description

Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We help clients synchronize strategy and talent to drive superior performance. We work with organizations to design their structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people to bring their strategy to life. And we advise them on how to reward, develop, and motivate their people.

Our 10,000 colleagues serve clients in more than 50 countries. We offer five core solutions:

• Organizational Strategy
• Assessment and Succession
• Talent Acquisition
• Leadership Development
• Total Rewards

POSITION OVERVIEW

Reporting to the Director – Human Resources, EMEA, the Human Resources Business Partner, EMEA will be responsible for managing the end-to-end delivery of HR activities to approximately 3,000 employees across 32 EMEA countries.

These services include the provision of support, advice and guidance and consultation on areas including (but not limited to) Employee Relations, Learning & Development, Redundancy, TUPE, Payroll, Employee Benefits, Recruitment, and general Human Resources best practice, alongside acting as a business partner to regional leaders and stakeholders across all lines of business. The HR Business Partner will also have line management responsibility for a team of Advisors and Administrators.

Korn Ferry is a US-Headquartered organisational consulting firm, and we are looking for candidates who have had experience of working in similar sized partnership-style organisations. We’re also looking for someone with extensive UK and EMEA experience. A proven track record of successful senior stakeholder engagement and team management is essential. This is a hybrid role which requires the successful incumbent to be in our London office a minimum of three days’ a week.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Business Partnering

• Conduct monthly management meetings with relevant stakeholders to identify evolving issues and areas for support and development.
• Develop and implement departmental or company-wide initiatives to achieve strategic objectives.
• Promote and develop the company culture and shared vision.
• Review and develop company policies and procedures in line with legislative changes.

Generalist Human Resources

• Manage the end-to-end employee life-cycle administration, including offer letters, contracts, references, resignation letters, employment confirmation letters, etc.
• Oversee and manage the UK & EMEA shared mailboxes.
• Develop and implement people policies, procedures, and process improvements on a continual basis.
• Manage the HR onboarding and induction/offboarding process across EMEA.
• Act as a subject matter expert and point of escalation for Maternity, Paternity, and/or Adoption queries, and manage parental leave within the UK&I.
• Support the Director – Human Resources, EMEA, and in-country HR Business Partners in Employee Relations matters.
• Oversee pre-employment screening for new hires across EMEA.
• Manage the administration of the Company’s annual (and ad hoc) Bonus, Promotion, and Salary Review processes.
• Handle invoice administration related to HR activities (e.g., legal invoices, benefits invoices).

Employee Relations

• Act as the subject matter expert for employee relations queries, including grievances, disciplinary actions, performance management, flexible working, and managing sickness absence.
• Participate in informal/formal employee relations processes, including investigations, documentation, and hearings.
• Support complex organizational change projects, including redundancy, restructuring, and TUPE.

Learning & Development / Talent Management / Organisational Development

• Deliver core ‘HR on Tour’ training sessions to managers across EMEA.
• Develop and deliver issue-specific training sessions as required.
• Support the Talent Management Team in developing and delivering the company’s Talent Management Strategy.
• Champion the company’s values and vision to ensure alignment with objectives and behavioural expectations.
• Act as a subject matter expert and point of escalation for complex employee benefit queries.
• Oversee the timely completion of the ‘Payroll Tracker’ within relevant EMEA countries to ensure all employee variable data is included in time for payroll cut-off each month.
• Support the EMEA Payroll Team with HR-related queries during the monthly payroll processing schedule.
• Manage the UK employee benefits platform (Benefex), including annual benefit enrolment processes and system enhancements.
• Ensure all new starters are added to, and leavers are removed from, relevant company benefit schemes across EMEA in a timely manner each month.

Reporting & Audit

• Prepare and maintain agreed business reports (e.g., special compensation, provider reports, internal leadership reports).
• Support the preparation and delivery of ad-hoc report requests, including internal and external audit reports and data requests.

HRIS and Compliance

• Act as a HCM Initiator for EMEA, supporting the HRIS function with initiating new hires and processing leavers.
• Ensure employee personal information is up to date and support employees in making changes via the Employee Self-Service (ESS) system.
• Support global HRIS initiatives, acting as a champion of HR systems, new system implementation, and system utilization.
• Ensure HR & HRIS functions comply with SOX obligations.

Cross-Functional Partnering

• Partner with internal teams (Finance, Talent Acquisition, IT, Operations) on cross-functional activities across the employee life-cycle.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure process compliance and continuous improvement/efficiency.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 10 years of prior experience in a generalist Human Resources advisory role.
• Experience managing a small team and prior individual line management experience.
• Business acumen and high client-service orientation.
• Situational and cultural adaptability.
• Ability to organize and shape practical solutions to complex problems.
• Excellent communication and community-building skills at all levels.
• Detail-oriented and able to work in a fast-paced environment with constantly changing priorities.
• Strong knowledge of UK Employment Law and ACAS guidelines.
• Experience with redundancy, restructuring, and TUPE processes.
• Experience with UK and/or EMEA payroll processing.
• Experience administering employee benefit schemes across the UK and/or EMEA.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Problem-solving skills and the ability to provide solutions.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (both verbal and written).
• Ability to influence others and gain the trust and support of key stakeholders.

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Educated to degree level or above.
• Level 5 CIPD qualified or above.

Internal Mobility at Korn Ferry

If you currently work for Korn Ferry or one of our affiliates, you must be eligible to apply for a different position within Korn Ferry to use the Careers Site. If you accept such a position, your benefits programs and Human Resources policies may change. Please consult with your HR contact for the new position concerning application eligibility, including any immigration/visa needs, benefit programs, and HR policies applicable to that position.

Korn Ferry is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.