Head Of Employee Relations - Emea

Practice Group / Department:

People and Culture Business Partnering

Job Description

We're Norton Rose Fulbright - a global law firm with over 50 offices and 7,000 employees worldwide. We provide the world’s preeminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. As well as the relevant skills and experience, we're looking for people who are innovative, commercial and value the work that they do. To attract the best people, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work, have a sense of belonging, and realize their full career potential. We value difference and actively promote a culture of respect for each individual, encouraging and creating inclusion. Our new hybrid working model allows our people to have more flexibility in the way they choose to work from both the office and a remote location, while continuing to deliver the highest standards of service. We offer a range of family friendly and inclusive employment policies and provide access to programmes and services aimed at nurturing our people’s health and overall wellbeing.

The Role

Reporting to the Director of People & Culture Business Partnering for Europe Middle East and Asia (EMEA), the Head of Employee Relations (EMEA) will set and drive the Employee Relations vision and strategy across the region. They will provide strategic, proactive and commercial advice on all Employee Relations matters and will support with Partner ER matters. The People Experience team provide administrative/operational support to this role where required.

You will:

• Work closely with the Director of People & Culture Business Partnering (EMEA), General Counsel, Risk & Compliance and our senior leadership team; set the vision, develop, drive and communicate the strategy for the ER function across the EMEA region. There is no formal ER presence outside of the UK therefore the role holder will be responsible advising and establishing the approach on consultation with the Director of People & Culture Business Partnering.
• Drive best practice approaches to ER issues across the firm. Develop a suite of ER templates and tools (e.g., PIPs, redundancies, investigations, terminations, etc.) to support the business partnering and advisor teams across the region.
• Proactively and regularly review employee handbooks, policies and contract documents, update and make changes that ensure our approach supports our strategy and culture and is in line with market and employment law changes.
• Maintain a deep and up-to-date understanding of key industry trends and employment law changes - incorporate them into day-to-day ER operations and proactively brief the Business Partnering teams and business where relevant.
• In collaboration with the Director of People & Culture Business Partnering (EMEA), General Counsel and Risk and Compliance, build clear processes and structures in respect of handling Partner ER matters including investigations and complaints in a sensitive and appropriate way.
• Build strong and sustainable relationships with the People & Culture team, leadership and Partners across the firm; be a trusted advisor.
• Proactively support the Director of People & Culture Business Partnering (EMEA) and wider leadership team with Partner ER matters, coaching and developing our leaders in relation to avoiding/reducing ER risks and issues and being an inclusive leader.
• Monitor and advise on regional ER cases. Enabling and upskilling local people and culture teams through classroom training or 121 coaching. Build regional knowledge base and understanding across teams.
• Build and lead a Centre of Excellence (‘CoE’) for ER across the firm, providing strategic advice on regional HR policies, ER matters, investigations and processes.
• Where appropriate and in conjunction with Learning & Development, General Counsel and Risk and Compliance, design and/ or deliver training programmes or e-learning that support strategy, build awareness and reduce risks and issues.
• Provide strategic and commercial advice to the EMEA wide Business Partnering Team, regional Heads of HR and local offices including policies, ER matters, cases, settlement negotiations, investigations and processes with minimal input from external legal counsel.
• Conduct and review ER processes such as investigations and/or support, coach and advise others in conducting investigations as required. Advise and support with any complex exercises such as re-orgs and TUPE.
• Drive a data led approach; define and monitor core ER metrics and ensure we effectively track ER activity, analyse trends and spot issues – escalating as appropriate. Suggest, design and implement targeted interventions to close gaps and minimise risks.
• Work closely with our General Counsel team to ensure we fulfil our legal / regulatory requirements (i.e. SRA) and appropriately report matters for EPLI purposes.
• Work alongside and build exceptionally strong relations with the firm’s external counsel in all locations; however, drive a commercial approach; aiming to minimise external legal counsel costs - limit to more complex cases.
• Lead, drive and initiate appropriate ER related initiatives and participate in wider P&C projects, providing a people ER/Risk lens.

You are great at:

• Being comfortable in a fast-paced, complex, global firm and having confidence in regular interactions with the senior business leaders, making decisions that require intellectual nimbleness, pragmatism and values-based decision making.
• Building effective and sustainable relationships quickly with senior leadership, partners and across all levels in the firm. A go-to, trusted advisor who is able to challenge appropriately and confidently.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and hardworking team player, with strong influencing skills.
• Must be able to deliver functional capabilities that are in keeping with the firm’s culture and values.
• Effectively balances strategic thinking with the ability to get things done within a rapidly changing work environment.
• Excellent conceptual skills and the ability to package complex materials into a well-organised and succinct work product.
• Able to train, support, guide and coach more junior team members.
• Understanding of cultural differences and open to local nuances across the region; ability to engage and connect with virtual team members and stakeholders.

Experience & Qualifications:

Relevant ER experience, including experience of setting, communicating and driving ER vision and strategy.Evidence of dealing with complex ER matters across a multi-nationa