HR Assistant (Maternity cover until January 2027)

The role

We are recruiting for an HR Assistant to join our collaborative and supportive HR team on a maternity cover contract until January 2027. You will take responsibility for supporting the delivery of all aspects of HR services to partners and employees across the Firm.

Working with the HR team, you will be involved with the full employee lifecycle incorporating generalist administration, payroll, benefits, and operations.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with experience in HR to develop their skills and knowledge in a supportive and developmental environment

Role responsibility

HR Systems 

• Administer and maintain up-to-date and accurate HR records across all employee lifecycle activities, including onboarding, leavers, absence, holidays, probation and contractual changes within the HRIS, Sage Salesforce.
• Administer all changes on our benefits system such as joiners, leavers, title changes, benefit enrolments and promotions.
• Conduct regular system and data audits to ensure best practice is adhered to and ensure a high level of accuracy of data entry.
• Configure, test and improve aspects of the HRIS in line with HR Operational requirements and best practice, to streamline operations and create efficiencies.
• Maintain the HRIS, Zest benefits and Performance Leader systems in line with cyclical activities, such as performance reviews, benefits renewal, pay review, role changes, onboarding and offboarding.
• Regularly document and review HR Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in relation to the HRIS.
• Produce accurate monthly, weekly, and ad hoc reports on a range of topics for various stakeholders, including headcount, diversity, and turnover.
• Support in the testing of the configuration of benefits' system, Zest, for the annual benefits renewal.
• Provide first line support to all colleagues in respect of any queries within the HRIS, Zest and Performance Leader.

HR Operations

• Conduct the end-to-end onboarding and offboarding process, ensuring all systems and teams are kept updated with all new joiner and leaver activity.
• Manage onboarding screening process for all new joiners using Vero background screening and BUPA health screening.
• Lead the new joiner induction process and conducting the HR induction, as well as organising all other inductions for the relevant departments.
• Conduct new joiner training on Sage, Zest and Performance Leader.
• Produce accurate calculations and documentation for all employee lifecycle activities, including but not limited to probations, family leave, contractual changes, pay review and references. 
• Manage the end-to-end family leave processes, consulting with the HR Business Partners where required.
• Accurately maintain and update the payroll tracker, capturing all changes occurring in the month and consulting with the team where required.
• Prepare the payroll and benefits schedules and verifying the schedules against the payroll tracker.
• Conduct exit interviews and preparing summary reports.
• Document and review HR Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and recommending process streamlining where applicable.
• Respond to queries in the HR inbox, escalating where required to the team and providing insights into FAQs to improve communications or signposting across the Firm.
• Manage the Firm's SRA data, including instructing new joiners on how to update their profiles and opting employees into the bulk renewal.
• Proactively maintain accurate org charts in line with the changes across the firm.
• Administer long-service awards.
• Process HR related invoices.
• Share the weekly People Movements with the Firm.
• Lead the weekly Operations Meetings, sharing updates on employee lifecycle activities.
• Support the HR Systems and Reward Manager in the pay review process, as required.
• Update the intranet site or internal communications with any communications or changes, as required by the team.

About you

We’re looking for someone who combines technical skills with a collaborative mindset and a passion for delivering excellent HR support. 

You will be able to demonstrate;

• Experience managing employee lifecycle events in an HR system (ideally Sage Salesforce).
• An understanding of HR processes and compliance requirements.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (including pivot tables, lookups, and data analysis).
• Excellent communication skill with the ability to explain processes clearly to colleagues.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to prioritise multiple tasks.
• Attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy.
•  A proactive and solutions-focused approach—always looking for ways to improve processes.
• Comfort adapting to change.
• A collaborative and approachable way of working with the ability to build positive relationships across teams.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of HR.

At Howard Kennedy we believe that everyone deserves the space to thrive. We’re committed to creating an inclusive recruitment experience that reflects the diversity of both our people and our clients.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and identities, and we’re committed to ensuring that our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and accessible to all.

We understand that every candidate’s needs are different If there’s anything we can do to make your application journey more comfortable— whether for interviews, assessments, or onboarding—please let us know. We’ll work with you to remove any barriers and ensure our recruitment process is comfortable for you. 

Contact our recruitment team at recruitment@howardkennedy.com to discuss any support you might need.

Agency Introductions

Please note that we are not accepting applications via agencies for this role at this time. Before sharing any named candidate CVs, please contact your recruitment representative. If any named CVs are sent from agencies without approval from our recruitment team, they will not be deemed valid introductions, and no agency fee will be paid.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 25 days annual holiday
• Permanent Health Insurance
• Life Assurance
• Interest free Season Ticket Loan
• Private Healthcare
• Pension Scheme
• Staff Introductory Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme

About us

With almost 200 lawyers in one location, we ensure our clients have the right team to help them get from where they are to where they want to be. We advise major corporates and institutions as well as entrepreneurial, ambitious enterprises which are often privately or family owned, or private equity backed. As well as our significant business law capability, we are one of only a few London-based law firms with a large private wealth offering. Our clients find our straightforward approach a compelling alternative to larger, less personal firms.

Whether you are an ambitious and talented individual wanting to hit the ground running from day one, or an established professional looking for a new opportunity, Howard Kennedy is the firm where you can really make it happen.

We have earned a strong reputation for our exceptional and uniquely talented people who between them deliver outstanding results for clients. In a firm of our size, our strong team dynamic creates a thriving culture of creativity and entrepreneurialism. Howard Kennedy is a pragmatic and non-hierarchical environment where success is shared, and you are proactively encouraged to thrive at your own pace.

Our distinctive culture is built on fairness and respect. Guided by the firm’s values of talk straight, think smart and be yourself, everyone in the firm holds equal value, and everyone plays their role in supporting, encouraging and inspiring colleagues to do their best work.

At the same time, we recognise and reward individualism, celebrating the diversity of our people and supporting them to grow their practice and drive their own career advancement.

As well as client work, there is opportunity to broaden your horizons at the firm with fulfilling pro bono and charity projects. We have a regular social calendar full of wellbeing activities, charitable and social events too.