HR Manager – EMEA

I’m recruiting for a senior HR professional to take ownership of the EMEA HR function for an international professional services business.

Before I go into the opportunity, I want to be really clear about the type of person we’re looking for.

This isn’t a role where you’ll be joining an established HR team in London with multiple people supporting you. You’ll be the primary HR contact across EMEA, working closely with a global HR team based in the US.

We need someone who is comfortable operating independently, confident advising senior stakeholders and, importantly, happy to roll their sleeves up and get involved in the operational side of HR.

I anticipate a high level of interest in this opportunity, so I’d really encourage you to consider the requirements carefully before applying. I’ll be prioritising candidates who can demonstrate experience operating independently in a lean HR function, within a consulting, legal or professional services environment. Due to the expected volume of applications, unfortunately I won’t be able to respond to everyone individually.

The backgrounds my client is interested in:

• Boutique management consulting, advisory or specialist professional services firms.
• Law firms, ideally where you’ve supported senior fee earners, partners or leadership teams.
• Smaller or growing professional services businesses where you’ve had broad responsibility for HR.
• Financial services backgrounds will also be considered, particularly where you’ve worked in a lean HR function rather than a large, heavily resourced team.

What does the role involve?

• You’ll be responsible for providing HR support across EMEA, covering everything from employee relations, UK employment law and performance management through to onboarding, employee lifecycle management, benefits and payroll coordination.
• You’ll be the person senior stakeholders turn to for HR advice, so you’ll need to be comfortable challenging decisions, managing difficult conversations and taking ownership of issues from start to finish.
• There’s also an opportunity to contribute to wider global HR initiatives, including improving processes, standardising policies and taking ownership of a specialist area of HR.

What are we looking for?

• Strong knowledge of UK employment law and hands-on employee relations experience.
• Experience working in a professional services environment, ideally consulting or legal.
• Someone who has operated as a standalone HR professional or within a small HR team.
• Confidence working directly with senior stakeholders and challenging where necessary.
• Experience managing the full employee lifecycle.
• Someone who is comfortable with both strategic conversations and operational HR responsibilities.
• A proactive, personable individual who enjoys building relationships and improving how things work.

The important part: We need someone who genuinely enjoys being hands-on. If you’re looking for a position where you can focus exclusively on HR strategy and delegate the operational work to a team underneath you, this probably won’t be the right opportunity.

However, if you enjoy having real ownership, being trusted to make decisions and working closely with senior leadership in an international business, this could be an excellent next step.

Package and location:

• Salary: Circa £70,000-£80,000 base
• Discretionary bonus
• 26 days’ annual leave
• Private medical insurance
• Pension
• Hybrid working: 3 days per week in the London office, 2 days from home

If your background matches what I’ve described, please get in touch.