Partner Relations Lead

Summary of Role Purpose:

The Partner Relations (“PR”) Lead role reports to the Head of Partnership office with a secondary reporting line to the Head of Employee Relations.  The PR Lead is accountable for the day-to-day leadership of Partner Relations. The role provides pastoral support and access to confidential support to our partners including wellbeing matters together with oversight of complex and senior case management, ensuring consistent, timely and compliant outcomes.  The PR Lead provides deep expertise on partner related ER matters, bringing external market knowledge around competitor activity and industry trends, and acting as an ambassador for KPMG through effective networking.

The PR Lead works collaboratively with the Partnership Office, Employee Relations team, senior business leaders, the Employment Law Advisory Team (“ELAT”), and HR Directors to set Employee Relations (“ER”) standards within the partnership and drive a robust and high-performance culture. The role provides high touch support for Equity Partners, and plays a key role in shaping wider ER strategy, policy and service evolution within the partnership.

Description of the role:

The successful candidate will:

• Act as the key touch-point for equity partner cases, providing pastoral support on a range of matters including wellbeing matters, providing clear direction, challenge and support. 


• Identify ways of supporting and resolving matters, in order to avoid unnecessary escalation into formal routes


• Lead the operational delivery of the ER service for partners, ensuring high-quality, timely and compliant outcomes across ER processes


• Line manage the ER Manager-Partnership, ensuring objectives are clear and stretching developmental support is provided.


• Act as the senior escalation point for complex, sensitive and high-risk salaried partner cases, providing clear direction, challenge and support


• Set and oversee ER standards for the partnership, embedding consistent practice and accountability


• Lead the delivery and completion of the involuntary retirement process by ensuring compliance with legal and LLPA requirements. 


• Managing clear and compassionate communication and supporting Partners through transition out of the partnership.


• Drive consistent risk and values-based decision making, aligning legal compliance, partner experience and commercial outcomes


• Provide senior technical leadership on ER matters, operating with a high degree of autonomy and professional judgement


• Lead the development of ER capability within the partnership


• Take a proactive, consultative and pragmatic approach to managing quality and risk in collaboration with senior stakeholders


• Build strong and credible stakeholder partnerships across the business and HR, acting as a trusted advisor and SME


• Ensure accurate and timely case recording and data quality to satisfy our internal governance and regulatory reporting requirements


• Maintain strong external stakeholder relationships (e.g. Occupational Health and other specialist advisors) to bring insight, knowledge and best practice into the firm


• Undertake proactive and regular review of key ER themes and trends across the partnership, producing data and analytics that drive recommendations and solutions

Role dimensions:

Leadership & Management:

• Trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, influencing and challenging with confidence and professionalism


• Lead and provide oversight for ER activity within the partnership, aligning to the people strategy and values.


• Build ER capability across the partnership, embracing technology to do so.

• Accountable for ER decision making, standards and outcomes

• Create and analyse ER related data, producing MI and presenting commercially based recommendations and solutions

Stakeholder Interaction & challenges:

• Build strong and enduring relationships with senior business leaders and other key stakeholders


• Collaborate with Partnership Office, HR Directors, the ER team and ELAT.

Impact, Risk, Accountability & Governance:

• Demonstrated discretion, integrity, and confidentiality

The Person:

Extensive experience of dealing with and managing senior stakeholders

• Extensive experience in senior-level Employee Relations roles


• Deep knowledge of ER and employment law, with the ability to apply judgement pragmatically


• Ability to interpret Employment Law and apply commercial decision making to drive outcomes


• Strong leadership capability, with a track record of upskilling, coaching and mentoring senior ER professionals


• Strategic and analytical thinker, with the ability to translate data, insight and trends into clear recommendations and actions


• Experience within regulated and matrixed organisations is desirable


• Experience of informal dispute resolution and mediation is desirable