HR Business Partner - Assistant Vice President

Profile Summary

The HR Business Partner provides proactive and professional HR advice and support to designated business areas, working in partnership with senior HR Business Partners, managers and colleagues to deliver an effective, high-quality HR service.

The role combines day-to-day HR business partnering with responsibility for a range of people processes, employee relations matters and HR projects. The role holder will develop a strong understanding of their client groups and use HR knowledge, judgement and data to identify people priorities, resolve issues and support effective business and people outcomes.

Working within established HR policies and governance frameworks, the role holder will manage defined areas of HR service delivery with an appropriate degree of autonomy, escalating more complex or higher-risk matters where required. They will also be required to regularly identify opportunities to improve HR processes and service delivery and contribute to wider HR and business initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities

HR Business Partnering and Relationship Management

• Build trusted and credible relationships with managers, colleagues and key stakeholders, providing responsive and professional HR advice and support.
• Develop a good understanding of the business areas supported, their priorities and people requirements, and use this knowledge to support effective HR solutions.
• Provide advice and guidance to managers and colleagues on HR policies, processes and employment matters, using sound judgement and escalating more complex or higher-risk matters to senior HR colleagues where appropriate.
• Coach and support managers in applying HR policies and processes fairly, consistently and effectively.
• Work collaboratively across HR and with other relevant stakeholders to deliver an efficient and joined-up service.
• Identify opportunities to improve HR service delivery, policies and processes, contributing ideas and recommendations to the wider HR team.
• Use judgement and initiative to resolve day-to-day and emerging HR issues, taking account of business requirements, employee experience, risk and policy.

Core HR Processes and Advisory

• Manage designated HR processes and employee lifecycle activities, ensuring they are delivered accurately, consistently and in accordance with relevant policy, legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Provide advice and support in relation to family and other types of leave, including maternity, paternity, shared parental leave, career breaks and sickness absence.
• Advise on and manage flexible working requests, including the appropriate recording and administration of agreed arrangements in SuccessFactors.
• Support managers and colleagues with absence management, Occupational Health referrals and other employee wellbeing matters, escalating complex cases where appropriate.
• Support redundancy, restructuring and organisational change activity, working with senior HR colleagues and other relevant functions as required.
• Proactively support managers and colleagues in meeting key HR deadlines and requirements, including performance management, probation and mandatory learning.
• Provide guidance on SuccessFactors and other HR processes, escalating technical matters to the appropriate specialist team where required.
• Provide guidance on the interpretation and application of HR policies and procedures, ensuring a consistent and inclusive approach.
• Maintain accurate HR data and contribute to regular and ad-hoc management information, using data and insights to identify trends and support HR and business decision-making.
• Support relevant data protection requirements and processes, including GDPR requests, in conjunction with the appropriate HR data specialist.
• Support the effective administration of SMCR certification and recertification requirements.
• Support the delivery of mid-year and year-end performance processes, providing guidance to managers as required.
• Contribute to annual reward processes, including salary and bonus reviews, associated analysis and employee communications.
• Contribute to HR and business projects, change initiatives and continuous improvement activity.

Employee Relations

• Manage a range of employee relations matters professionally, fairly and consistently, applying relevant HR policies and employment legislation.
• Provide practical advice and coaching to managers on employee relations matters, escalating complex, sensitive or higher-risk cases to senior HR colleagues where appropriate.
• Support disciplinary, grievance, performance, absence and other formal employee relations processes.
• Conduct investigations and formal meetings as appropriate, ensuring appropriate documentation, governance and follow-up.
• Work closely with senior HR colleagues and other relevant stakeholders on complex employee relations matters.
• Conduct exit interviews where appropriate, identify themes and trends, and contribute relevant insights to management information and wider people initiatives.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality and exercise sound judgement when handling sensitive employee information.

Talent, Recruitment and Onboarding

• Partner with the Talent Acquisition team and hiring managers to support recruitment activity in accordance with the Mizuho Recruitment Policy and agreed recruitment processes.
• Provide HR advice to hiring managers on people and organisational considerations relating to recruitment.
• Review job descriptions and provide guidance to managers to help ensure requirements are clear, appropriate and aligned to the relevant role level.
• Participate in competency-based interviews where appropriate.
• Support effective onboarding and induction in partnership with Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development and other HR colleagues.
• Support managers with probation processes, including the timely completion of reviews and the appropriate management of issues.
• Conduct new joiner review meetings where required and identify relevant themes or actions.
• Contribute to talent, succession and development activity for designated business areas, working with senior HR Business Partners and specialist HR teams.

Compliance Responsibilities

• Understand and comply with Compliance procedures and policies.
• Understand and comply with applicable UK and EMEA and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Essential

• Relevant HR Business Partnering, HR advisory or generalist HR experience, ideally gained within financial services, professional services or another complex, regulated environment.
• Good working knowledge of employee relations and experience supporting or managing a range of employee relations matters.
• Sound knowledge of HR policies, employment practices and relevant employment legislation.
• Ability to build credible, collaborative relationships with managers, colleagues and stakeholders at different levels.
• Demonstrable ability to provide practical, balanced and commercially aware HR advice.
• Strong consultation, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to analyse information, identify issues and develop practical solutions.
• Experience of supporting organisational change, people initiatives or HR projects.
• Experience of using HR data and management information to support decision-making.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt communication to the audience.
• Excellent Microsoft Excel and data-analysis capability.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work within required timescales.
• Demonstrable discretion, sound judgement and integrity when handling sensitive and confidential information.
• A proactive and collaborative approach, with a commitment to continuous improvement and high-quality service delivery.
• Commitment to creating an inclusive working environment and considering different perspectives when supporting colleagues and managers.

Desirable

• Experience within banking, financial services or another regulated environment.
• Knowledge or experience of the SMCR framework.
• Experience supporting annual performance, salary and bonus review processes.
• Knowledge of talent management, succession planning and leadership development principles.
• Experience using SuccessFactors or a comparable HR information system.
• A relevant HR professional qualification, or equivalent professional knowledge gained through experience.
• Experience supporting employees or stakeholders across different jurisdictions and cultures.

What Mizuho can offer you

In addition to the great opportunity outlined above we are also currently able to offer:

• Competitive starting salary, plus discretionary bonus
• Non-contributory pension
• 27 days’ annual leave
• Core working hours*
• Hybrid working - office and home based*
• Virtual GP
• Wellbeing benefits, including Mental Health Allies and First Aiders

*For applicable roles only

At Mizuho, we embrace flexible ways of working when the role permits. We offer different working arrangements like part-time, job-sharing and hybrid (office and home) working. Our purpose-led culture and global infrastructure help us connect, collaborate, and work together in agile ways to meet all our business needs.

At Mizuho we are committed to supporting equality, diversity and equality, and seek to create a workplace that is fully inclusive. We welcome applications from all sections of the community that we operate in and from all ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, beliefs, gender identities and disabilities.

If you require more information about our equal opportunities policy or wish to discuss any accessibility requirements or reasonable adjustments, please contact the recruitment team – recruitment@mizuhoemea.com and we will be happy to help.