HR Manager

Job Description: Senior People Partner (Maternity Cover)

Role Overview

Job Title: Senior People Partner

Location: London

Reporting Line: COO

Contract Type: Fixed-term, 12–14 months (Maternity Cover)

Referral Policy Level: Mid

Company Size: 60+ employees

About the Organisation

The firm is an established and successful investment management organisation. Operating as a shared operating system and integrated architecture, the business supports independent hedge fund managers at every stage of their lifecycle—from launch and early operational resilience to performance development, capital formation, and long-term scale.

Position Summary

This multi-faceted role requires an accomplished, well-rounded HR generalist to lead the People support function across all group entities on a fixed-term basis. The successful candidate will advise the Senior Management Team across key pillars including Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, Employee Experience, Performance Management, and Remuneration. This position demands a blend of hands-on operational execution, commercial acumen, financial market knowledge, and the ability to manage relationships across multiple senior stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

General People Function & Operations

Lead HR Function: Oversee all aspects of People operations, policies, and workplace practices.

Strategic Advisory: Act as a trusted advisor and confidant to senior stakeholders and business leaders.

Payroll & Benefits: Partner with the Head of Finance to ensure accurate monthly payroll, benefits, and pension processing (using Iris).

HRIS & Admin: Support employee lifecycle administrative tasks and maintain the integrity of the HRIS (using BambooHR).

Strategic Projects: Drive ongoing firm-wide initiatives regarding regulatory changes, corporate culture, and business philosophy.

Continuous Improvement: Analyse People processes, data, and trends to deliver actionable recommendations to management.

Business Partnering

Strategic Input: Provide HR insight into broader business planning and commercial decision-making.

People Analytics: Utilise HR metrics and data analytics to inform strategy and team choices.

Org Design: Partner with leaders to design organisational structures that support growth and efficiency.

Recruitment & Talent Management

Talent Acquisition: Drive a robust, consistent recruitment process and maintain strong agency partner relationships.

Contract Management: Advise on contract content, structure, and language for complex or senior hires alongside the General Counsel & CCO.

Training & Development: Coordinate internal staff training and professional development initiatives.

Performance Reviews: Oversee the delivery of the annual performance review process via BambooHR to promote effective feedback.

Manager Support: Guide partners and managers on team management, good work practices, and handling sensitive situations.

Employee Relations (ER)

Case Management: Advise on and manage complex ER cases, including litigations, managed exits, and conflict management.

Capability Building: Coach and train managers to elevate internal ER best practices and risk mitigation.

Employee Experience & EDI

Initiative Calendars: Plan and deliver the annual employee experience and EDI (Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) activity calendar.

Engagement & Retention: Lead initiatives to improve retention, tracking engagement data to foster an inclusive culture.

Wellbeing: Drive mental health, wellbeing, and inclusion programs across the firm.

Compensation & Reward

Year-End Review: Support the annual compensation review process in line with business performance and market benchmarks.

Regulatory Compliance: Ensure reward structures remain competitive and fully compliant within FCA frameworks.

Policy Design: Prepare and advise senior leadership on Remuneration Policies and best practices.

Market Benchmarking: Liaise with external compensation consultants and data providers as required.

Expected Annual Activities

Monthly: Payroll and pension submissions

Quarterly: Employee experience calendar delivery

April: Year-end benefit-in-kind process

March – May: Benefits renewals

June: Mid-year review process

October: PoSH training

November: Year-end review process

December – January: Annual business audit support

December – February: Annual Compensation Review process

Candidate Requirements

Experience: 5+ years of HR experience within a Financial Services or Asset Management background.

HR Profile: A true HR generalist with a comprehensive understanding of end-to-end HR processes.

Legal Knowledge: Strong working knowledge of UK employment law and FCA regulatory frameworks.

Mindset: Commercially minded, proactive, and able to formulate creative solutions that mitigate operational risk.

Execution Style: A "roll up your sleeves" attitude with a strong team-player mentality.

Organisational Skills: Highly organised and completely comfortable managing the administrative components of the role.

Communication: Excellent and adaptive communication skills across senior leadership, peers, and partners.

Interpersonal Attributes: High emotional intelligence, active listening skills, and absolute discretion.