We are recruiting an Adviser to join our Learning team within the Human Resources department on a 12-month fixed term contract.

About Macfarlanes

Macfarlanes is a pre-eminent law firm that serves a global client base in private capital, private wealth, M&A and disputes. Personal connection, an entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to excellence are at the heart of our firm. These values drive our ability to deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients.

We are big enough to undertake the most complex and demanding mandates yet small enough to know each other well and to be agile, adapting to the needs of our clients. We seek to strengthen the firm by recruiting talented people from all backgrounds who want to build long-lasting and impactful careers with us. Our culture is challenging and supportive, creating an environment where individuals can thrive.

What this means for you

Joining Macfarlanes means being part of a collaborative, approachable team who want you to succeed. You’ll be encouraged to get involved and recognised for your contribution.

We take your development seriously. Our learning and development programmes are second to none and are designed to help you strengthen your skills.

Above all, you’ll be part of a firm where we all work together as part of a cohesive and supportive team, value your efforts and help you to thrive.

The team

Macfarlanes’ HR department consists of 40 employees which fall into several different teams; Operations, Advisory, Recruitment, Early Careers, Learning and Inclusion.

Macfarlanes has an established and highly regarded Learning team that supports the ongoing development of all members of staff. The team is responsible for six role-specific development programmes as well as regular firm-wide initiatives and creating individualised learning opportunities. The Learning team provides professional development advice to their respective client groups on development approaches and initiatives to achieve business objectives and support each other in the delivery of large programmes and other projects.

The team is led by our Head of Learning and currently consists of one Administrator, one Coordinator, one Adviser, one Senior Adviser and two Senior Managers.

The role

This is an exciting opportunity to work with a team who embrace innovation in their approach to learning. It is ideally suited to someone looking to build on their experience of design and delivery in a fast-paced, agile team, and to play an active part in reshaping the current skills curriculum. The role will help the team to support client groups with bespoke initiatives and exciting, forward-thinking projects, using their knowledge, skills and experience to provide advice and propose solutions for complex learning requests.

Key duties will include:

responsibility for junior and mid-level fee-earner programmes, including programme review and development;
responsibility for junior Business Team programmes, including programme review and development;
project managing key Learning programmes and curriculums, working with the Coordinator and/or Administrator to ensure smooth delivery;
designing, reviewing and delivering a range of content, such as workshops, webinars, e-learning and video scripts to aid learning at the firm;
supporting the team’s objective to embrace innovation and creativity, actively experimenting with new ideas, technology and AI to enhance our learning offering;
supporting one-to-one learning opportunities for individuals at the firm, where appropriate;
acting as a business partner for key Practice Areas and Business Teams functions, developing a communication channel for discussing learning needs;
raising the profile of the Learning team through delivery, advice and relationships to encourage a learning culture within the firm;
building and developing purposeful working relationships and collaborating with wider colleagues;
building relationships with external suppliers to ensure effective design and delivery of all training solutions;
supporting team planning by sharing knowledge of skills needs for their key practice groups and business services functions;
supporting Learning budget processes, providing regular budget updates, reviews and forecasting conversations with key contacts in the business;
acting as a point of contact, escalating queries to team members when required;
providing ad-hoc support for wider HR projects and initiatives as required;
collaborating with experts in the business to create, co-create and curate content to meet learning needs;
providing straightforward advice on the learning opportunities available to individuals in a range of different roles;
striving for continuous improvement of learning design, delivery, team processes, procedures, and systems; and
keeping up to date with the latest approaches to learning and development.

This job description encompasses the main duties of the role and is by no means exhaustive. It is anticipated that duties may vary from time to time according to the needs of the team.

During the first six months of employment, you may be required to attend the office four days per week to support onboarding, training and collaboration. Your line manager may adjust this requirement based on your progress and business needs.

Core hours are 9.30am to 5.30pm, but flexibility is regularly required, including early morning and evening attendance when setting up and clearing down training sessions.

The candidate

This is a great role for a motivated individual, keen for a career in Learning. There will be ample opportunities for development and plenty of support from a dedicated, development focused team.

The successful candidate will be central to the success of the team. They will have experience of design and delivery of learning in a professional services firm, with the ability to demonstrate initiative and work accurately in a fast-paced environment. Clear and confident communication skills are a must as this role involves dealing with internal clients at all levels and external contacts on a daily basis.

In addition, they will meet the following requirements:

excellent attention to detail;
excellent written and verbal communication skills;
educated to degree level or equivalent experience;
proactive manner with strong client service focus;
ability to prioritise and meet tight deadlines;
curiosity and motivation to learn on-the-job;
experience overseeing programmes and managing projects;
experience of training delivery;
experience working with individuals 1:1 on development areas is desirable;
experience in a busy office environment is desirable; and
experience using systems/databases.

Application screening

Any offer of employment with us is subject to our pre-employment checks which are conducted by a third-party screening provider. These checks will be initiated with your consent, and your CV will be sent to the provider by us. The screening will include but is not limited to your employment references, professional and academic qualifications including grades and any criminal records. Your offer will be subject to the successful completion of these checks.

Our commitment to inclusion

Inclusion is one of our key priorities and it is a goal we are actively working towards. We believe that an inclusive, forward-thinking culture is intrinsically important and enables us to provide innovative solutions to our clients.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, bringing different perspectives and experiences, making Macfarlanes an exciting and stimulating place to work. We seek to recruit the best candidates, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, social or economic background, religion, disability, sexual orientation or any other characteristic.

As part of this commitment, we will ask you certain diversity data questions. We would really appreciate you and/or your recruiter completing these questions when submitting an application to Macfarlanes as this data enables us to measure our progress and identify any actions needed to continue to support an inclusive culture. This data is anonymised to maintain the privacy of applicants. If you have any questions relating to how this data is used, please contact a member of the recruitment team.

Should you require any adjustments during the application and/or interview process, please do not hesitate to inform your recruiter or a member of the recruitment team. Please note, the job description is available in other accessible formats (for example, large print).

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who best meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme, please email the recruitment team at recruitment@macfarlanes.com.

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