About Ashurst

Ashurst is a leading global law firm with a history spanning 200 years and a vision to be the most progressive global law firm. Our in-depth understanding of our clients and commitment to providing exceptional standards of service have seen us become a trusted adviser to local and global corporates, financial institutions and governments in all areas of commercial law.

With offices across the globe, we offer the reach, insight and career opportunities of a truly integrated global network that is built on our values of being passionate about quality, delivering through collaboration and thinking differently.

Our values are critical to the culture of our firm and sum up what we stand for, what makes Ashurst an exceptional place to work and what we aspire to be. For us, "progressive" is a mind-set, an approach to how we do things. We instinctively take a fresh perspective on situations, exploring whether there are better ways of achieving our clients' goals as well as our own.

We also aim to be at the forefront of the evolution of our industry and have led the market by establishing our New Law Division (Ashurst Advance) and our Consulting Division to provide holistic legal and operational advice to our clients.

To find out more please visit our website.

About the Role

Ashurst's People & Culture ('P&C') team comprises approximately 150 people spread across our global offices. We deliver purpose led transformation programs and people and culture practices that support the attraction and enablement of leading talent, with a strong focus on focused on shaping our culture and enabling high performance.

The global P&C team has a blend of roles and expertise within our regionally focused Business Partnering teams and our global Centres of Excellence - Learning and OD (L&OD), Reward & People Data, Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning, Inclusion, Diversity & Belonging ('IDB') and Performance Innovation. We are a diverse team who prioritise collaboration to draw on our full spectrum of perspectives, networks and strengths.

Reporting to the People & Culture Director - APAC, the Senior Manager, People & Culture forms part of the APAC business partnering team. You will work closely with and act as a trusted advisor to the respective Office Managing Partners, partners and Business Services leaders across Southeast Asia (Singapore and Jakarta offices), contributing to the firm's success through the provision of commercially focused advice, coaching and support with a focus on developing and retaining talent, employee engagement and wellbeing.

Supported by a small team and leveraging resources from our global COE and support service teams, you will also lead the delivery of P&C operational activities across the full spectrum of the employee lifecycle and support the implementation of the global P&C strategy and projects across Southeast Asia.

In this role you will build collaborative relationships across the region and within the P&C function, and bring an awareness of strategic and operational people matters and opportunities - both internal and external.

Main Responsibilities

People & Culture Operations

• Manage delivery of core P&C programs of work and cyclical activity, including talent review, year-in-review process, promotions, remuneration review and employee listening initiatives.
• Oversee and manage the recruitment, selection and onboarding of talent across the Southeast Asia offices (exclusive of Partners) - including the management of internal and client secondments as required.
• Oversee the application and renewal of work visas, practicing certificates and certificate of registrations - primarily Singapore.
• Oversee the annual summer internship programme and practice trainee programme.
• Work with the L&OD team to ensure programs implemented are in line with firm needs.
• Review and check monthly payroll (prepared by the P&C Assistant), including monitoring compliance requirements.
• Continuously improve P&C service delivery; proactively seek out and action stakeholder feedback.

People Strategy & Planning

• Contribute to the development of P&C programs and initiatives, bringing a local office/regional perspective to inform planning and execution.
• Guide and support partners/leaders in the introduction of firm-wide P&C initiatives, e.g. people experience, talent, IDB, employee listening. Support activity to embed new ways of working, build people leadership capability and drive behaviour change.
• Support implementation of divisional people strategies and initiatives within local teams.
• Leverage people data to support conversations, drive decision making and measure impact of P&C interventions.
• Partner with Finance in annual planning processes and periodic business reviews, co-creating strategic workforce plans and people budgets.
• Support and champion IDB and L&OD initiatives across the region.

Business Partnering - Partners and senior stakeholders

• Be involved and play the trusted advisor role on matters relating to the Formal Law Alliance.
• Develop trusted relationships across a diverse client group including but not limited to Office Managing Partners, Asia Practice Heads, and Business Services leaders.
• Provide strategic consulting, advice and governance on people practices with a focus on talent, capability, leadership and structure.
• Provide advice and coaching to partners/leaders across a range of people matters, including policy, legislation and complex people/employee relations matters, e.g. performance management, redundancy.
• Support leaders to be the best they can be - focus on improving individual leadership effectiveness and building change management capability.
• Own the development and implementation of regional specific programs, projects and processes.
• Work closely with P&C divisional leads and local partners/leaders to understand business priorities.
• Support at a local level via effective people plans and practices.
• Identify local trends/opportunities and provide insights to P&C divisional leads/COE's as required.
• Contribute to the review, identification and mitigation of local practice/divisional issues, e.g. retention, turnover, morale, market insights, etc.

Team

• Manage and supervise a small team based in Singapore, providing coaching, mentoring and direction as necessary.
• Be a strong contributor to the global Business Partnering team, role modelling Ashurst's values.
• Network with other P&C BPs/teams to identify opportunities for leverage and continuous improvement.
• Provide support and share expertise and knowledge with P&C BP team members.
• Lead on, or contribute to, projects to develop and enhance P&C practices and processes.
• Take accountability for own personal and professional development.

Risk and Control: Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with our regulatory requires and internal policies.

About You

Professional Skills and Competencies

• Knowledge of current employment legislation and application across client jurisdictions.
• Proven ability to lead strategic discussions and balance 'hands on' operational delivery, ensuring the development and execution of people interventions supports business objectives.
• Strong commercial and risk acumen.
• Approachable and collaborative style with well-developed communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to act as a trusted advisor to partners/senior leaders, demonstrating the confidence and maturity to challenge and push back as required.
• Superior stakeholder management - able to build relationships, co-create and influence with senior stakeholders; resilient.
• Strong influencing skills and ability to manage difficult conversations.
• Ability to work independently and deliver to agreed deadlines, demonstrating good judgment in delivery of people interventions.
• Strong client focus with high levels of energy and enthusiasm.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Previous legal industry/professional services experience highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience in team leadership with a focus on mentoring and development of team members.
• Qualifications in Human Resources/related discipline desirable.
• Experience working in a large matrix organisation across multiple offices/geographies highly desirable.

Background Checks

To comply with regulatory and client requirements, Ashurst will undertake appropriate vetting of staff. When applicants accept a job offer, Ashurst, alongside a specialist provider, will undertake professional verification and background checks. These checks are only undertaken with consent, and in accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations.

Notice for Recruitment Agencies

Ashurst aims to fill vacancies directly whenever possible. However, if we do need to engage with agencies, we only work with those on our preferred supplier list and will not consider unsolicited applications from agencies not on this list for this role.

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