Role Title: HR Advisor
Reports to: Head of HR
Team: Human Resources
Who we are
The Blair Partnership is a literary and entertainment agency. We offer our clients a broad range of services including rights management, client representation and franchise management. As part of those services, we help to manage several companies on behalf of our client J.K. Rowling. Those companies include Pottermore and Bronte. These businesses benefit from shared resources and expertise provided by The Blair Partnership, but they are run by their own leaders.
There are three core pillars to The Blair Partnership’s business activity:
- Franchise Management – which encompasses brand & franchise vision and strategy, creative strategy & direction, product development, brand management & comms for the Wizarding World franchise
- Client Management - we represent our clients’ literary and entertainment rights portfolios and pursue commercial opportunities for our clients through deal making in the UK, US and internationally, partner management and backlist rights management.
- Governance & support - we provide governance and support to companies owned by J.K. Rowling and Neil Blair. As part of that support, we cultivate close collaboration & strong, cohesive working practices between all the businesses.
Our vision remains to shape, nurture and grow the most imaginative and engaging brands for generations to come, working with our clients. Our mission is to shape and connect stories to their audiences.
We are committed to creating an environment where our staff, clients & partners can tell their stories and achieve their potential whatever that may be. We are committed to representing a diversity of skills, experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. We strive to make this a business that is welcoming, supportive and empowering; where all voices can be heard. It’s a work in progress and we know there is always more we can do.
What our team do
People and culture are incredibly important to our business, and the HR team play a critical role in bringing our values to life. We support the acquisition, development and retention of a talented, engaged, high performing workforce, enabling our people to thrive and perform at their best.
What you’ll be doing
You will be the ‘face’ of HR for your assigned business/es. Acting as a trusted advisor to its employees; fostering a deep understanding of their people, ways of working and culture. As the front-line HR partner, you will be tasked with delivering operational excellence, building strong relationships with the senior team and ensuring there is a best-in-class employee experience, working with the Head of HR to identify areas of opportunity and risk.
There are two HR Advisors, each supporting a designated business or businesses. Both roles will provide a full generalist HR service to their internal clients, as well as leading on specific HR initiatives and projects aligned to overall business priorities.
Responsibilities:
- Being the front-line HR representative for your dedicated business.
- Advising managers on day-to-day people management, including navigating sensitive or challenging performance, HR or ER related conversations.
- General ER: Managing employee relations cases for your business unit e.g.: sickness absence, flexible working requests and performance improvement. Escalating more complex cases to the Head of HR.
- Maintaining a working knowledge of UK employment law including any forthcoming changes, attending legal seminars and keeping on top of the relevant updates.
- Overseeing the administration of the end-to-end employee lifecycle, supported by the HR Coordinator (HRC). Including all associated onboarding/offboarding activity, and everything in-between.
- Payroll & benefits administration, supported by HRC:
- Managing the monthly payroll submissions for your business/es, ensuring all changes are captured and deadlines adhered to.
- Overseeing administration and management of benefits for all eligible employees. Promoting our benefits amongst your employee group.
- Performance management: Overseeing the use of One Advanced (formerly Clear Review), our platform for Employee Check Ins and the giving and receiving of feedback, using the reporting function to support team management and optimal use of the system; delivering onboarding sessions for new users.
- Engagement survey: Using your internal network to ensure high employee participation rates amongst the staff in the businesses you support, sharing feedback and action plans with the relevant leads.
- Collaborating with the wider HR team to support the delivery of our core annual training programmes, liaising with trainers and speakers, approving Purchase Requests (PRS) raised by the HR Coordinator and tracking spend against budget.
- Identify unique learning opportunities for your business unit.
- In addition to the core duties described here, you will be responsible for a project area across the whole house of the business.
What we’re looking for:
Essential
- Experience operating as an HR Advisor in a fast-paced organisation.
- A desire to work across the full generalist HR remit.
- Experience managing a range of employee relations cases, varying in complexity.
- Strong relationship building, stakeholder management and influencing skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Able to prioritise, meet deadlines and multi-task.
- Solutions-focused and practical, with an ability to spot inefficiencies, suggest improvements and follow through to make impactful changes.
- Proactive, self-motivated, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively with key stakeholders and the wider team.
Nice to have
- CIPD qualified (Level 3 or 5).
- Experience working in a creative business.
- An interest in data/AI
What you can expect from us
- Competitive Salary
- Company Bonus Scheme
- 25 days holiday (plus 8 bank holidays) – with an additional day awarded every year after your 2-year anniversary with us, up to a cap of 30 days.
- Progressive and inclusive policies around Carers, IVF, Menopause, Pregnancy Loss, etc.
- Enhanced maternity leave (18 weeks at full pay) and paternity leave (2 weeks immediately after birth, and 10 additional days over the following 12 months, at full pay)
- Group Pension Plan where we contribute 5% and annual pensions workshops
- Life Assurance of 4 times salary
- Health Insurance (currently with Vitality)
- Health Shield Cashback Plan – dental, optical, physio and wellbeing benefits and much more.
- Annual Creative Bursary to spend on the creative activity of your choice.
- 2 paid days off per year to spend volunteering and giving back to your favourite cause or community project.
- Monthly Lunch & Learn events – hearing great stories from colleagues, clients and external speakers
- Regular fundraising events to raise money for our charity of the year. 2024/25’s charity is Unique.
- Seasonal company parties and team lunches
- Subsidised on-site massages
- Learning and Development opportunities, including an in-house Mentoring Programme
