Company Purpose
Our company purpose is to contribute to a responsible and sustainable economy by financing and advising clients according to the highest ethical standards.
Our Employer Promise Is Built Around Three Pillars
- Being a great place to work
- Committed to sustainability and having a positive impact
- Being dedicated to the development of our people
Business area
The UK CIB HR Department supports CIB staff and managers in London, providing them with a full range of strategic advisory and transactional services (in terms of payroll, reward, pension and benefits, recruitment, career management, learning & development and employee relations). In regular contact with the Group HR Department of BNP Paribas S.A. (headquartered in Paris), CIB HR is the entry point for all CIB employees on any HR issue. The team comprises of circa 70 HR professionals.
The Employee Relations team is responsible for providing specialist advice on employee relations issues and HR projects.
Job Purpose
Providing legal, practical and strategic advice on the full range of employment law and ER matters. Supporting the delivery of a broad ER agenda for CIB in the UK.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide high-quality management of ER cases including disciplinary, grievance and whistleblowing investigations
- Provide high-quality legal support and advice to the HR business partners, ensuring the effective management of ER-related risks (legal, financial and reputational), including advising on potential disputes and negotiating exit arrangements with employees’ professional representatives
- Provide high-quality advice on the interplay between legal and regulatory requirements and risks arising from BNPP’s status as a bank regulated by the FCA and PRA
- Support the design, maintenance and implementation of ER strategy, policies and activities, aligned with commercial and HR functional requirements
- Preparation and review of key HR documents, including employment agreements and offer letters, consultancy agreements and settlement agreements
- Working closely with Resourcing, Reward and Benefits colleagues in relation to hiring as required (including contract issues, employment and regulatory policy considerations), existing employees and BNP Paribas London Branch’s remuneration structure generally
- Provide advice and support to individuals and business managers to interpret ER policy
- Project management including key legal advisory and ER work-stream management for any restructuring/ acquisitions/disposals/outsourcing/insourcing/off-shoring
- Delivery of specialist training to HR/management when required
- Visible role in promoting appropriate workplace behaviour, equality and diversity agenda and initiatives
- Manage and get involved with HR projects on an ad-hoc basis
Requirements
- Solicitor/Barrister of England and Wales (with/without current practising certificate)
- Extensive experience practicing within Employment Law specialism preferably with material exposure to working in or advising in the international banking environment, with associated regulatory expertise
- Extensive experience and knowledge of day-to-day employment law advisory work, risk management, employment litigation, TUPE and transactional support, training on employment law risk and best practice
- Experience or, or strong interest in, management of ER processes including grievance, disciplinary and whistleblowing investigations
- Drafting and negotiating skills and experience
- Strong communication and presentation skills
- Ability to manage competing and conflicting demands and prioritise tasks
- Solutions focused with a strong service/client orientation, including strong influencing skills with the ability to explain to, and convince, stakeholders including senior management
- Ability to show good judgment to balance commerciality with risk management
- Ability to gain credibility and trust with all levels of employees including senior stakeholders with the Bank
- Strong organisational and time management skills
- Flexibility in style and approach to assist the business to achieve their strategy
- Sensitivity and diplomacy, highest level of integrity and confidentiality
- Ability to deal with deadlines and time pressure, and maintain attention to detail
And of course, we expect all our colleagues to embody and practice the Group values (alignment with the Bank’s strategy, commitment, work ethic, integrity and Code of Conduct).
A Bit More About Why You Should Join Us
- We’re a great place to work
We aim for optimal work/life balance (depending on role, this includes hybrid working, flexible working and agile)
We are proud of our award-winning flexible benefits and health & wellbeing strategy. Our flexible benefits include:
- Generous holiday allowance of at least 26 days (plus bank holidays) – with option to buy and sell holidays.
- Valuable financial plans – a 12% non-contributory pension which has been moved to sustainable investments*, life assurance*, income protection and personal accident insurance.
- Extensive wellbeing and mental health offering – one of the most advanced private medical schemes in the UK, dental cover, wellbeing app, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy support, subsidised gym memberships, bespoke health assessments including genetic testing, Private GP (including digital GP services to parents of employees), Employee Assistance Programme, menopause & fertility support (we are an accredited Menopause Friendly Employer), neurodiversity assessment and support.
- Key onsite services and facilities in London – include physiotherapy, nutrition, massage therapy, physiology, mental health first aiders, seasonal flu vaccinations and free onsite fitness centre.
- Plus, emergency back-up care for dependants, green car leasing, season ticket loan, and a range of other benefits.
- Subject to relevant caps
- As the eurozone’s largest bank, we are committed to having a positive impact in the world.
For example, we are committed to Net Zero in all of our financing and investment portfolios by 2050. By 2030, 80% of our energy production financing will be low carbon.
But impact for us means more than climate. It means empowering our people every day. Everyone gets four volunteering days each year - in 2023, we achieved over 18,000 hours of volunteering across the UK and reaching over 4,500 young people.
We support our people to develop skills to adapt to the ever-evolving world of work and to prepare for the jobs of today and tomorrow. We do this through a comprehensive training offering, talent programmes, mentoring, career days and inhouse career tools.
We are proud of the number of our people who progress and secure new roles internally. In fact, in 2023, nearly half of our positions in UK CIB were filled internally.
Investing in our people also means we have a collaborative and inclusive culture:
- Direct feedback from our people shows that our internal culture sets us apart from our industry peers.
- Each year, nearly 30,000 employees globally are involved in professional networks that play an active role in promoting Diversity and Inclusion within the Group. These include our:
Pride Network, Ability Network (which supports disabled employees), MixCity (gender equality network), Women in Global Markets, Women in Global Banking, Women in IT, Diversity Equity & Inclusion in Technology, Early Careers Network, Multicultural Network and Parents & Carers Network.
Equal opportunities
BNP Paribas is committed to providing a work environment that fosters diversity, inclusion, and equal employment opportunity without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.
Adjustments
We don’t want anyone to be disadvantaged in our recruitment processes, so if you have a disability or health condition which may mean that you’d benefit from some adjustments or additional support, please let us know as early in the process as possible.
