The Role

Our client is looking to hire a HR Manager for their fast-growing international consultancy firm. Based in central London, offering flexible and hybrid working this is a great opportunity to be their first in house HR professional.

As the HR Manager, you will work independently and be responsible for a wide range of HR tasks. You will be the first point of contact for both employees and management on HR topics, and will actively contribute to strengthening HR policy, both for the UK office and within an international context. You will be supported by the Group HRD who is based in Europe.

Key Duties/Responsibilities

HR Leadership & Business Partnering

• Act as the sole HR lead for the UK business, providing a full generalist HR service.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to UK leadership on people strategy, organisational design, workforce planning and employee engagement.
• Align UK HR practices with global HR policies and frameworks set by the central HR team in France.
• Act as the UK point of contact between the business and the international HR team

Employee Relations & Employment Law

• Manage all UK employee relations matters including disciplinary, grievance, absence management, performance management and investigations.
• Ensure full compliance with UK employment legislation and best practice.
• Advise managers on complex ER issues, mitigating risk and escalating to the central HR team when appropriate.
• Manage redundancy processes, restructures and TUPE (if applicable).

Payroll & Benefits Administration

• Own the end-to-end UK payroll process in partnership with the outsourced payroll provider.
• Ensure accurate and timely submission of payroll data (starters, leavers, changes, bonuses, salary reviews, benefits).
• Validate monthly payroll reports prior to approval and submission.
• Act as the main point of contact for payroll queries.
• Manage UK employee benefits (pensions, private medical, life assurance, etc.) and liaise with providers.
• Ensure compliance with HMRC, pension auto-enrolment and statutory reporting requirements.

Recruitment & Talent Management

• Support workforce planning and headcount tracking in coordination with the France HR team.
• Lead onboarding and induction processes for UK hires.
• Support performance review cycles and talent development initiatives aligned with global frameworks.

Policy & Compliance

• Maintain and update UK HR policies and employee handbook in line with UK legislation and company standards.
• Ensure GDPR compliance and secure handling of employee data.
• Support audits and reporting requirements.
• Provide UK HR metrics and reporting to the international HR team.

HR Operations & Administration

• Oversee all UK HR administration including contracts, offer letters, right-to-work checks and probation reviews.
• Maintain accurate HRIS records and ensure data integrity.
• Manage absence tracking, family leave, flexible working requests and statutory leave administration.
• Coordinate salary review and bonus processes for the UK.

Employee Engagement & Culture

• Drive employee engagement initiatives in the UK aligned with global programmes.
• Support internal communications in collaboration with leadership and the international HR team.
• Promote company values and foster a positive working culture.
• Act as a confidential point of contact for employee concerns.

International Collaboration

• Work closely with the wider HR team to ensure alignment of processes, policies and reporting.
• Participate in global HR projects and initiatives.
• Support implementation of global HR systems or change programmes within the UK

Experience Required

• You have several years of relevant experience in a broad HR role, such as HR Business Partner or HR Manager, across either a start-up or corporate environments.
• You're someone who easily connects with others and enjoys collaborating with people at all levels within the organization.
• Entrepreneurial and autonomous attitude. This is really key (fastgrowing business without formal structures for all topics).
• You're structured, well-organised and efficient, open-minded incl. happy to experiment / use AI to drive efficiencies
• Promote best practice in regards to employment legislation, regulatory review and policy
• Understanding of European HR policies and UK employment law
• Experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and ESG initiatives is desirable
• Plenty of room in role to work across more basic tasks to more complex, ad hoc topics so looking for someone who is adaptable on this