HR Manager (12-month contract

About Withers

A law firm focused on people, performance, and collaboration.

A law firm focused on people, performance, and collaboration.

For the past 130 years, we have supported some of the world’s most remarkable people and organizations at defining moments in their lives. 40% of our business comes from Europe, 40% from the US and 20% from Asia and we are one profit sharing partnership globally.

We are united in our commitment to integrity, quality and collaboration. We have a culture of high performance and deliver excellent service consistently across the firm. We provide tailored solutions built on trust and partner with our clients to achieve their goals.

Many of our clients are shaping the future and creating solutions to tackle some of the world’s most difficult problems. It makes for a fascinating and challenging practice.

Our role is to get to know each individual client, find out where they want to be, and help them to get there – whether they are building a business, buying a home or protecting and defending their interests.

To meet their unique needs we are exceptionally collaborative, working together across teams and time zones. And we are agile – focusing on strategy rather than rigid ideas and traditional hierarchy.

Join us to be part of a team that is always looking to the future. Where initiative, big ideas and bold moves are always encouraged. Where you can truly be yourself.

We are looking for an experienced, detail-oriented and driven HR Manager to provide support, expert advice and guidance across a broad range of HR activities. The role will be responsible for managing key HR processes and compliance requirements, supporting partner lifecycle matters, maintaining HR policies and documentation, and leading projects such as the employee engagement platform. Working closely with stakeholders across the business, the HR Manager will play a key role in ensuring the firm's people practices remain compliant, efficient and aligned with business objectives.

• Coordinate the preparation of partner-related documentation, including offer letters, changes in status agreements, partnership agreements, and leaving arrangements.
• Oversee onboarding and offboarding processes for partners, ensuring compliance with all regulatory and professional obligations, including SRA requirements.
• Maintain the HR precedent bank, ensuring documentation remains accurate, compliant, and aligned with current legislation and business needs.
• Lead the annual review and update of the employee handbooks globally, coordinating input from key stakeholders across jurisdictions and managing the production of new handbooks where required.
• Develop, review and update HR policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with employment legislation and best practice.
• Manage the firm's annual anti-money laundering (AML) screening process, including conducting DBS checks, adverse media searches, and other regulatory background screening requirements.
• Support the firm's employee engagement initiatives, including the management of engagement surveys, analysis of feedback, and support the implementation of action plans.
• Develop, maintain and publish the HR guidance pages, resources and tools on the firm's intranet.
• Coordinate HR training sessions to enhance capability and consistency across the generalist HR team.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments, recommending and implementing changes to HR policies, processes and documentation as required.
• Lead and contribute to HR projects, process improvements and strategic people initiatives in support of the firm's objectives.
• Undertake additional duties and projects as required to support the wider HR function and business priorities.

This list of duties and responsibilities is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for the performance of this job, and as such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.

• Relevant degree-level qualification (desirable)
• CIPD certification (desirable)
• Evidence of relevant HR experience in an HR…