Partner Talent Acquisition Assistant

The opportunity

We are looking for a Partner Talent Acquisition Assistant to join our HR team. This role will provide support to our existing Partner Talent Acquisition team, getting involved with partner and counsel recruitment. There will also be opportunities to assist the wider Partner HR team.

The firm

Bird & Bird opens up a world of possible for lawyers and professionals everywhere. Here you can advise major enterprises and high-growth businesses on matters that are often transformative in nature, and alongside people who are truly collegiate in the way they work with everyone at Bird & Bird. We are one international firm, where over 70% of our work involves teams from across our firm. And that is only going to increase. It is this common purpose and shared approach that makes for a more productive, and collaborative place to work.

The team

Bird & Bird's Human Resource (HR) team's mission is to empower and support all employees to achieve their potential at the firm. We do this by encouraging and building strong relationships across all departments to cultivate a friendly, collaborative environment.

In London, the team comprises of HR professionals across all areas from graduate and lateral recruitment, learning & development to teams specialising in generalist HR, our HR system, Partner HR, corporate social responsibility and diversity; all working alongside our international colleagues in supporting our 32 global offices. From your first to your last day at the firm, we will act as your supportive advisors to ensure that you can perform to the best of your ability in your role. Collaborative and committed to creating a valuable service to the firm, we are focused on providing the best service to all Bird & Bird employees and Partners.

What you'll do

In this role, you will support the Partner Talent Acquisition team in ensuring a smooth recruitment process and delivering best in class recruitment service for global lateral partner hires.

The main objectives of the role:

• Ensuring a high-quality candidate experience and being a key contact during the lateral partner recruitment process.
• Putting together interview schedules and arranging candidate meetings (either in person with room bookings or remotely using MicrosoftTeams), across multiple global locations and different time zones.
• Drafting interview preparation emails and gathering interview feedback.
• Working with our Partner Talent Acquisition team to ensure that our recruitment processes are inclusive and accessible.
• Liaising with recruitment agencies on active vacancies, speculative submissions, interview arrangements, agency briefings and terms of business.
• Utilising the firm’s systems and recruitment trackers to manage key data, track progress on candidates and searches. Updates will also need to be provided to internal stakeholders and external partners, as well as the Partner Talent Acquisition team.
• Coordinating internal meetings and attending (when requested) to take notes.
• Responsibility for sending out key documentation at the appropriate time.
• Assisting the Partner Talent Acquisition Managers with sending non-disclosure agreements, business case templates to candidates and agencies and any other relevant information, as requested by the relevant Manager.
• Processing and recording invoices for new Partners.
• Working on the document management system (iManage) to set up and maintain files in an efficient manner.
• Effectively liaising with other teams, such as Partner HR, Risk & Compliance, Partnership Accounts and Tax, etc. to ensure the smooth running of the recruitment process, and efficient collaboration.
• Ensuring conflict checks are administered.
• Supporting the preparation of financial analysis spreadsheets and Executive Committee (ExCom) checklists.
• Implementing research tasks and market mapping.
• Handling marketing materials and assisting with ad hoc projects or tasks, as requested.
• Working closely with the other Partner Talent Acqusition Assistant and the Partner HR Assistant, and providing cover when needed.

About you

This role would particularly suit someone with an interest in Recruitment/HR (preferably in the legal industry) or an Administrator who is excited by the opportunity to establish their career in a leading global firm. If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you.

Your competencies and experience

• Previous administration experience in a professional environment is required. A background of working in recruitment would be beneficial but is not essential.
• Outstanding attention to detail, excellent organisation skills, the ability to work under pressure and manage conflicting priorities.
• Ability to liaise effectively with external suppliers (e.g. recruitment agencies) and senior internal stakeholders.
• Strong relationship-building skills and a team player attitude.
• Enthusiasm and a genuine interest in learning more about recruitment and building your skillset.
• Ability to adapt quickly and overcome setbacks.
• Professionalism and reliability.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to handle confidential/sensitive information appropriately.
• Ability to use social media platforms (e.g. LinkedIn) to broadcast or amplify messages and to connect with external contacts/networks.

The main responsibilities of this role are outlined above; however, this description is not exhaustive, and the job holder may be required to undertake additional duties from time to time to ensure the smooth running of the department. The role may require some working outside our normal working hours of 8:00am- 4:00pm