Regional Director of HR

Team

Kennedys HR team supports the firm with all people related matters.

The team is based in London, Manchester and Chelmsford for the UK, Dublin for EMEA, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia for APAC, Basking Ridge for US, and Miami and Mexico for LATAM. The areas of HR that we have responsibility for are Business Partnering, Recruitment, Reward, HR Systems and Analytics, Learning and Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The Head of HR – US has a dual reporting line to the Regional Managing Partner for the U.S. and the Chief People Officer. The location for this position is Berkeley Heights, NJ, although we would consider candidates in New York, NY and Philadelphia, PA that are able to regularly commute to our NJ office in Berkeley Heights.

Key responsibilities

• Act as a Trusted Advisor to the Regional Managing Partner – US, US partnership, Chief People Officer, and other US Regional Directors in order to provide advice and guidance consistent with the firm's vision, as well as federal, state and local laws and regulations
• Oversee and lead all aspects of the US HR function, including but not limited to: performance management; promotion; learning and development; benefits and compensation; leave management; grievances, employment termination; diversity, equity and inclusion; recruitment, budgeting, and compliance
• Supervise, develop, mentor and coach regional team members to ensure first class service across the region and maintain a strong professional reputation for the department and its members
• Strategically analyze internal processes and systems to enable the HR team to deliver effective and efficient solutions to day-to-day and long term HR issues and challenges
• Manage the HR aspects of global and regional projects, such as office openings, mergers, and acquisitions
• Lead and counsel partners and Business Services supervisors on employment related issues

Additional responsibilities

• Lead and manage the regional HR team
• Lead and deliver the annual key HR processes (salary review, bonus, promotions, appraisals etc), regularly reviewing and evolving processes in conjunction with Regional Managing Partner
• Identify top talent and assist in their development in order to ensure the appropriate succession planning and advancement for the team
• Work closely with the Chief People Officer and other Heads Of on strategic, global HR projects and initiatives
• Lead and oversee the US HR budget in conjunction with Regional Managing Partner, Chief People Officer, Regional Director of Finance – US, other global Heads of HR, with the goal of managing spend and maintaining high standards
• Analyze and act upon financial reporting and trends for the region, such as billable hours targets, workload allocation, and spend
• Liaise with US General Counsel, employment counsel, and when appropriate, employment practices liability carrier, regarding significant employment issues and resolve issues in an efficient and effective manner
• In consultation with Regional Managing Partner and US General Counsel, lead employment related investigations
• In conjunction with regional Learning and Development personnel and the global HR Learning and Development team, shape and inform the Learning and Development annual plans by identifying development priorities for the region and providing feedback into proposed learning initiatives
• Collaborate with other heads of across the business globally to deliver the best solutions for the firm
• Consistent with global approval process, overall responsibility for regional recruitment for all levels of personnel, including strategic monitoring of headcount and recruitment budgets and ensuring the global recruitment approval process is followed correctly
• Embrace diversity and inclusion initiatives in order to widen the access of candidates from a variety of backgrounds into law
• Act as a facilitator for CSR and D&I projects and initiatives for the region
• Oversee the accurate and timely recording of US data into the firm's HRIS, HRPro, and US-based systems
• Develop and lead the US Reward strategy and work with the global HR Reward and Operations team to shape and inform the global Reward strategy by identifying areas for alignment and development priorities for the region; ensure the firms' competitiveness and compliance in the relevant market for policies, compensation, benefits and wellbeing for partners and employees
• Oversee annual insurance renewals and benefit offerings such as health, vision, dental, long and short term disability, life insurance and 401(k).

General Duties

• Maintain the high standard of service offered to the firm's internal clients and maintain the professional reputation of the US HR function
• Understand and live by Kennedys values – approachable, straightforward, supportive and distinctive
• Be subject to varying degrees of supervision on a day-to-day basis
• Create and maintain professional and positive relationships with partners and employees
• Work in line with the firm's Success Map, which is specific to role and level
• Maintain trust and confidentiality at all times
• Act as a Trusted Advisor by building relationships across the partnership and business services teams to ensure a consistent approach and service
• Undertake any specific training as and when required
• Operate safely and considerately in the workplace.