HR Partner - M&A Specialist (6 month FTC)

About Us

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading news organisations, globally recognised for its authority, integrity and accuracy, with a mission to deliver quality information and services worldwide.

At the FT, curiosity thrives and ambitious thinking is rewarded. Here, you’re given the chance to reach millions, create work that matters and deliver impartial journalism in a polarised world.

In our warm, collaborative culture, you’ll connect with a diverse community of experts who support your growth, career aspirations and wellbeing.

Your future at the FT will be filled with opportunities that challenge and inspire you. With no fixed path, you’ll discover new skills and forge a career that can take you anywhere.

Build a newsworthy career at the FT.

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion 

We believe in the power of unique perspectives and want all voices in our organisation to be heard, respected and valued. A supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves and operate to their full potential. We are committed to removing barriers for everyone, with a focus on addressing those faced by underrepresented groups.

The role:

Part of the FT’s growth strategy is to diversify its business into new sectors to bolster growth through M&A, strategic investments and partnerships. The FT is now looking for an HR M&A partner to provide leadership and guidance on the people aspects of M&A across its global regions.  The HR M&A partner is an integral role working closely with collaborators across the business including the FT’s corporate finance team, HR centres of expertise, and business collaborators to deliver seamless acquisition and integration and a positive employee experience.

As a member of the FT’s HR leadership team, the M&A partner will also be proactive in co-creating and implementing the FT’s broader people strategy including: talent attraction and retention planning, organisational development and design, talent engagement strategies, compensation and benefits, diversity and inclusion and other people related matters as required.

Main responsibilities:

• Due diligence: responsible for leading HR due diligence across the UK, Europe, Asia Pacific and/or US as required. Assess the opportunities and risks associated with the target company’s existing workforce including HR practices, policies, employment contracts, retirement & benefit plans, remuneration & incentives structures, including any existing or historical employment severance agreements and/or ongoing employment liabilities.

• Benchmarking & Insight:  using the above insight compare the target company alignment with FT arrangements (eg benefit plans) and identify the cost implications of alignment post acquisition / investment. 

• Compliance & Legal:  provide guidance on the relevant legal people aspects of the deal and explain issues simply, maintaining compliance with relevant global employment laws & regulations for example, TUPE, organisational design, restructuring and/or redundancies, unions, employment contracts, benefits plans and regulatory requirements. 

• Stakeholder management:  work with relevant business leaders & HR stakeholders to scope & deliver the critical success factors, working within the project teams, and ensuring that the business plan contains the appropriate considerations.

• Integration & Organisational Change Planning:  collaborate with leadership to develop & deliver an effective people integration strategy, including organisational change strategies, workforce planning, HR operational integrations, system implementation, compensation and benefits structures, organisational design, culture & values alignment, communication & onboarding strategies.

• Talent Management: identifying key talent within both organisations and develop retention strategies to ensure the retention of critical employees. This may include offering incentives such as retention bonuses, long term incentives, and/or highlighting career development opportunities.

• Employee Communication & Engagement: develop clear and consistent communication plans to keep employees informed throughout the M&A process, minimising disruption for employees eg through regular town halls, employee forums and/or Q&A sessions.

• Benefits and Compensation Integration: where appropriate harmonise benefits and compensation structures to create equitable and competitive programmes for all employees. This may involve benchmarking compensation levels, aligning benefits offerings, and addressing any disparities between the two organisations.

• HRBP:  act as a proactive HRBP for the acquired business post integration to assess the effectiveness of the integration, manage risk & compliance matters, build relationships, provide talent insight and opportunities for future skills deployment.  Assist the new business in navigating the FT, and make improvements where relevant.    

• M&A Playbook:  produce an M&A playbook for future potential acquisitions including due diligence reviews, templates, documentation, etc, with the flexibility to adapt and customise our approach depending on the agreed strategy.  

• HR team:  support in upskilling FT HR business partners and services team to deliver M&A activities from due diligence through to transaction completion and full employment integration. 

Key Requirements:

• 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in Human Resources, with a specialised focus on global Mergers & Acquisitions.

• Proven experience of developing strong and trusted partnerships with business leaders providing clear HR guidance, appropriate challenge, as well as commercially-minded and solutions-focused advice.

• Resilience in an uncertain, challenging and deadline driven environment.

• Sound understanding of applicable international employment laws, regulations, and compliance requirements.

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to navigate challenging conversations and build rapport.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.

• Demonstrated ability to handle confidential information with discretion.

• Bias for action - a track record of delivering results.

• Experience of working within an international environment.

What’s in it for you? Our benefits

Our benefits vary by location but we are committed to providing best-in-class perks across all our offices. These include generous annual leave, medical cover, inclusive parental leave packages, subsidised gym memberships and opportunities to give back to the community. Full details of our benefits are available here.

We’ve embraced a hybrid working model that promotes flexibility, including remote work options. We will support specific flexibility requests for all roles where feasible.

Accessibility

We are a disability confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory.

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments/personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you wish to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email [email protected] and a member of our team will be happy to help.

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