WHO WE ARE

Founded in 1996, we are experts in communication, specialising in corporate reporting, brand, employee engagement and sustainability across a range of channels. From two men and an Apple Mac, we are now one of the UK’s leading strategic and creative communications agencies with over 325 colleagues. We have achieved this through continuously developing and evolving our proposition, delivering great work, expanding our geographic presence in key locations, making smart acquisitions, recruiting quality people and building long term client relationships.

In 2020, we became an employee-owned business. This decision not only fulfilled a long-standing ambition of the founders, but is driving growth, providing long-term clarity, and helping to attract and retain the best talent. It reinforces our desire to remain an agile and people-focused business that fosters transparency and innovation for clients.

We are one of the largest employee-owned creative agencies in the UK, unrivalled in scale with a unique national presence, where employees are considered Partners of Emperor. We are the only corporate communications agency with a network of creative hubs in strategic locations across the UK in London (HQ), Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, and in Dubai.

In September 2022 we became a Certified B Corporation. B Corp is a movement committed to using business as a force for good and transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet.

There is no better foundation on which to build.

THE ROLE

Our partners are our most valuable talent and at Emperor, the Senior People Business Partner is the go-to person for all People Managers regarding Partner/People related queries/issues. This role partners with the business to pro-actively identify challenges and present commercial solutions.

Our ideal candidate will have practical, hands-on experience in HR with a thorough understanding of HR policy, procedures and employment regulations. In this role, you will oversee the partner lifecycle involving employee-related issues, performance management, support recruitment and retention efforts, benefits administration, compensation, rewards, and conflict resolution. This individual will be self-sufficient, comfortable with coming up with commercial solutions and have a strong generalist knowledge of all elements of a people function. This will include talent acquisition, ER, L&D and people ops/systems. They will also be comfortable operating at and managing senior level stakeholders.

To succeed, you will be someone who easily connects with people and has a detail-oriented and analytical mindset to handle the changing nature of the workforce. Above all else, your focus is on ensuring a happy and productive workplace where everyone works to realise our established vision and mission. Promoting our values and shaping a positive culture will be an ultimate measure of success.

A knowledge of working in an international /multi-site company would also be advantageous.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Reporting directly into the Leadership team, your role will incorporate a full range of HR responsibilities:

• Meeting key stakeholders to discuss people challenges
• Providing guidance on people practices such as restructures and succession planning
• Bringing people expertise and developing solutions to help the business area to deliver its strategy
• Influencing and building relationships with people around the business
• Acting as a local point of people expertise for specialist teams that are implementing new people approaches
• Questioning and challenging others to get to the root of people and business issues
• Coaching and providing feedback to key stakeholders to help improve business efficiency

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Team Management

• Team management supporting their professional development as a mentor and coach
• Leads a collaborative and value-added People service, providing both operational and strategic advice to the wider team as a trusted advisor and business partner

Business Partnering

• Provide professional counsel as appropriate to partners, line managers, and the senior leadership teams, providing creative solutions to business challenges
• Cultivate and maintain influential relationships with leaders and managers across all Emperor offices, collaborating with leadership to offer guidance on business priorities, employee matters, HR policies, and processes
• Partner with senior leaders to develop and execute HR strategies that align with our business strategy and wider People Plan
• Act as a trusted advisor to managers and employees, providing expert guidance on HR matters and ensuring a positive partner experience
• Stay up to date on the latest HR trends, employment laws, and regulations to ensure compliance and make proactive recommendations for improvement
• Leveraging data-driven approaches, providing trends/metrics/dashboards and meaningful insight and recommendations to inform decision-making and enhance organisational effectiveness
• Stay up to date and educate key stakeholders on the latest HR trends, employment laws, and regulations to ensure compliance and make proactive recommendations for improvement

Employee Relations

• Manage escalated and complex ER casework including disciplinaries (capability and conduct)/grievances, PIPs, redundancies, TUPE, mediation and early conciliation.
• Advises and provides recommendations on legal, reputational, and financial risk
• Leads change management initiatives through supporting organisational design, restructures and redundancies

Partner Experience

• Coach managers and leadership teams on talent management, performance management, organisation effectiveness, and reward and recognition
• Collaborate with managers and senior leaders to design and implement performance management programs, including Talent Mapping and Succession Planning that foster a high-performance culture, and drive employee growth, and development
• Design and deliver impactful training and development initiatives through manager guides and learning initiatives to support managers across all levels

Operations

• Streamline and optimise HR/People processes, policies, and systems to support scalability and change management.
• Project Management of HR/People initiatives with a focus on automation and empowerment through self-service
• Visa management and sponsorship process
• Drive the delivery of employee lifecycle activities (e.g. compensation cycle, performance management cycle, talent reviews, succession planning) and partner with middle management to develop a people agenda, aligned to their strategic objectives and transformation milestones
• Champion the onboarding process to ensure the process is up to date and of high quality, providing clarity and connection for all partners
• Set and review pay structures, perks and benefits in collaboration with Chief People and Talent Officer
• Work with the Talent Attraction Team on recruitment, selection, and the onboarding process
• Work with the Head of Partner Experience and Learning to assess the need for training and design and implement training programs accordingly

The roles and responsibilities above are non-exhaustive and may change or adapt from time to time.

YOU'RE GOOD AT / YOU HAVE

• Proven experience as a Business Partner with experience managing a small team
• A solid and practical understanding of the key principles of employment law
• Strong knowledge using HRIS systems and technology which support self-service and automation, reducing administrative work where possible
• Intermediate to Advanced Excel skills, with the ability to create and utilise data effectively
• Experience working as an HR practitioner for international offices, as well as the UK
• Strong leadership skills to guide the People Team and support and motivate our managers and partners
• Exceptional communication skills; listening, writing, interpersonal skills
• Adept to problem-solving and conflict resolution
• Extensive knowledge of HR policies, software and systems
• Competence to build and effectively manage interpersonal relationships at all levels of the company
• Bachelors degree in Human Resource Management, or appropriate CIPD qualification is desirable.
• Embodies and demonstrates Emperor’s Values – Aim High, Creativity Everywhere, Infectious Enthusiasm, Always Learning and Razor Sharp

As an employer, we are committed to ensuring the representation of people from all backgrounds regardless of their gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, or any other aspect which makes them unique. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds to apply and would encourage you to let us know if there are steps we can take to ensure that your recruitment process enables you to present yourself in a way that makes you comfortable.

Please let us know, as part of the application process, if you require any adjustments, including those relating to a disability.