People Advisor

Herbert Smith Freehills; Singapore; On-site; SGD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Herbert Smith Freehills Singapore is seeking a motivated People Advisor to manage the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding, payroll, and compliance, while collaborating with Recruitment, Reward, L&D, and payroll teams. The role supports Prolegis initiatives and may involve secondments to HSFK projects.

You will partner with the General Counsel and Risk teams to ensure legal and regulatory compliance and contribute to Early Careers and diversity initiatives in a fast-paced legal setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with at least 3 years HR experience ideally in a legal or professional services firm.
• Strong attention to detail and organisational skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and confident in interacting with people at all levels.
• Experience in stakeholder management – dealing with multiple stakeholders.
• Able to work collaboratively in a team and independently when needed.
• Effective planning, scheduling, prioritisation and time management skills.
• Ability to understand new concepts quickly and put learning into action.
• High level of customer focus and ‘can do’ attitude.
• Diplomacy, discretion and confidentiality.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively and work cohesively within a high performing team.
• Flexible approach to resourcing and allocation of work.
• Develop understanding of clients’ needs through the checking of requirements and requests.
• Show initiative and demonstrate ability to prioritise conflicting tasks.
• Able to problem solve under pressure.
• Respond to requests in an efficient and timely manner.
• Checks with clients to ascertain whether requests have been carried out to their satisfaction.
• Punctual, reliable and able to demonstrate flexibility when required.
• Assists colleagues and/or other departments to complete tasks where practical.

Responsibilities

• Manage all People related matters across the whole employee lifecycle including contracts, onboarding and induction, payroll, confirmation of employment, references, probation, secondments and leaver logistics.
• Manage People database - create accounts, update changes, maintain accuracy of data, keeping adequate staff’s record including but not limited to personal data, annual leave, etc.
• Work with the Rewards and Benefits team to ensure all new joiners are enrolled in benefits schemes.
• Provide employees with general People policy advice.
• Regularly catch up with employees to act as a bridge between employees and management, escalating concerns as necessary, providing support to employees.
• Work with the Learning and Development team on training related matters for employees.
• Support Resourcing team with recruitment of lawyers and business services employees.
• Support and work closely with internal Diversity & Inclusion committee and networks to build and maintain employee engagement in relation to diversity.

Skills

People operations

Interpersonal skills

Stakeholder management

Discretion & confidentiality

Time management

Communication

Teamwork

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR or related field

Job description

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced People Advisor to join our team. The People Advisor will play a critical role as the face of People function for Prolegis and should be able to build strong relationships with employees at all levels. The People Advisor will manage the day-to-day processes in the employee lifecycle, and will work with other functions including Recruitment, Reward, L&D, and payroll.

The People Advisor will support Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Prolegis Former Law Alliance (“FLA”) partner as need be on project specific deliverables in conjunction with the work and the business of the FLA.

From time to time, the People Advisor may be seconded and assigned projects which advances the interest of the FLA or to assist Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (“HSFK”).

Specific tasks will include:

People Operations

• Manage all People related matters, across the whole employee lifecycle, including employment contracts, onboarding and induction, payroll, confirmation of employment, confirmation of staff details, references, probation, secondments and leaver logistics including leaver letters and exit interviews

• Manage People database - create accounts, update changes, maintain accuracy of data, keeping adequate staffs’ record including but not limited to personal data, annual leave, etc.

• Work with the Rewards and Benefits team to ensure all new joiners are enrolled in benefits schemes.

• Provide employees with general People policy advice

• Regularly catch up with employees in to act as a bridge between employees and management, escalating concerns as necessary, providing support to employees

• Work with the Learning and Development team on training related matters for employees

• Support Resourcing team with recruitment of lawyers and business services employees

• Support and work closely with internal Diversity & Inclusion committee and networks to build and maintain employee engagement in relation to diversity

Regulatory and Compliance

• Work with General Counsel and Risk and HSFK People Manager on matters relating to Formal-Law Alliance (FLA), ensuring that the firm operates within the parameters for FLA establishment

• Administer and monitor on applications submitted to the Law Society and/or Legal Services Regulatory Authority

• Manage all the regulatory processes to ensure the lawyers and employees have the right to practise and work in the office, including but not limited to assistance in obtaining and renewing practising certificates for lawyers.

• Keeping abreast of the latest changes in Employment Law or any change in local regulations

Early Career/ Resourcing

• Provide on the ground support and maintain the Early Careers programme and work closely with the regional Early Careers team to ensure effective programme delivery

• Manage the application pipeline and the recruitment process for the yearly vacation scheme programme, including but not limited to job posting, CV screening, interview arrangement and offer extension, and managing communications with the candidates

• Work with supervisors and partners to provide feedback on candidates at interview stage as well as during the vacation scheme to assist with decision making process

• Coordinate onboarding and induction for vacation scheme students and trainees

• Be the go-to person for trainees during their 2-year training contract

• Lead on the operational planning of seat rotations and qualification process

• Familiar with local requirements for trainees, i. e. SILE Moratorium, Part A, Part B and RLT processes

• Support the admission process to ensure compliance to local regulatory requirements

• Plan and assist with the design strategy to promote the Early Careers programme

• Build relationship and liaise with local/international universities and student groups for arranging recruitment events

• Review early careers budget and assist in the budgeting process

• Work with Rewards & Benefits team to review trainees’ salaries and benefits on a regular basis

• Support social media, marketing, and employer branding initiatives to enhance awareness of the firm’s Early Careers opportunities

• Contribute to other ad hoc Early Careers projects and initiatives as required

Rewards and Benefits

• Partner with the People team on key talent processes, including annual compensation reviews, performance assessment cycles, secondments, parental leave, and other employee lifecycle initiatives.

• Coordinate the annual compensation review and performance moderation processes, ensuring effective planning, stakeholder engagement, and timely execution.

• Support the preparation and issuance of annual salary review and bonus communication letters.

• Facilitate annual and mid-year performance review cycles, providing administrative and operational support to managers and employees.

• Collaborate with business leaders and the People team to ensure a consistent and positive employee experience throughout performance and reward processes.

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Bachelor’s degree, with at least 3 years human resources experience ideally in a legal or professional services firm

• Well-versed in People operations with strong attention to detail and organisational skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills and confident in interacting with people at all levels

• Experience in stakeholder management – dealing with multiple stakeholders

• Able to work collaboratively in a team and independently when needed

• Effective planning, scheduling, prioritisation and time management skills

• Ability to understand new concepts quickly and put learning into action

• High level of customer focus and ‘can do’ attitude.

• Demonstrate diplomacy, discretion and confidentiality.

• Proven ability to communicate effectively and work cohesively within a high performing team.

• Flexible approach to resourcing and allocation of work.

• Develop understanding of clients’ needs through the checking of requirements and requests.

• Show initiative and demonstrate ability to prioritise conflicting tasks.

• Able to problem solve under pressure.

• Respond to requests in an efficient and timely manner.

• Checks with clients to ascertain whether requests have been carried out to their satisfaction.

• Punctual, reliable and able to demonstrate flexibility when required.

• Assists colleagues and/or other departments to complete tasks where practical.

Team

People

Working Pattern

Full time

Location

Singapore (Prolegis)

Contract type

Permanent Contract

Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives. We see this as essential to our success, including our ability to innovate and achieve sustained high performance. This is a key part of our Values—Human, Bold, and Outstanding.