People Business Partner - UK (12-Month FTC / Maternity Cover)

Who we are? Silverfin is a cutting-edge cloud software solution built by accountants, for accountants. Founded in 2013, Silverfin was created to solve the frustrations of manual, error-prone processes in analysing financial data and compliance. From day one, we’ve been a cloud-first platform with an open API architecture, leveraging structured data to transform how accountants work. Our mission is simple: to enhance and support the accountancy profession through AI and automation, ensuring accountants remain relevant and respected in the future of finance. In 2023, Silverfin became part of the Visma Group, joining one of Europe’s leading providers of cloud software. This partnership strengthens our ability to innovate and expand our impact within the accountancy industry. Today, Silverfin is trusted by over +1000 firms across 18 countries. Our clients include all of the Big 4 accounting firms, as well as leading global networks like BDO, PKF, Baker Tilly, Grant Thornton, and Moore. Headquartered in Ghent, with offices in London, Luxembourg, Gouda (NL), and Mont-Saint-Guibert (BE), we’re a team of over 200 people - including a diverse remote engineering team working across multiple time zones - all working together to drive innovation in accounting. How would you support our success? Ellen, our People Business Partner for the UK, will be on maternity leave for around a year, and we’re looking for an experienced People Business Partner to step into her role for the duration of her leave, starting early January 2027 and running until end of January 2028, with a short handover overlap with Ellen at both ends of the assignment. This role can be offered either as a 12-month fixed-term employee contract or as a freelance/interim engagement, depending on what suits you best. You’ll be the People Business Partner for BU UK, and for our Technology (Engineering, DevOps and Business Solutions) and Product departments, partnering closely with their leaders and managers on people topics and workforce planning. As the only HR representative based in the UK, you’ll also be the go-to point of contact for HR-related questions from across the UK business more broadly – in practice the role carries a somewhat more generalist flavour than the title suggests, even though that’s not the intention behind it. You’ll also pick up the HR programmes Ellen runs: Peakon (our engagement survey) will be your responsibility to manage end-to-end. DEI, Health & Wellbeing and Culture Champs will mainly be managed by Isaline, our Workplace & Culture Manager, over this period, though you’ll stay aligned to these topics as they intersect with your day-to-day partnering. Alongside your day-to-day partnering, you’ll partner on a number of projects: Helping organise our Leadership Days. Organising AI impact workshops with departments across the business, to help support our AI transformation . Supporting the broader transformation underway in Technology and Product, as new ways of working reshape roles and skills needs – helping teams through those changes with attentiveness and clarity. Helping us make better use of HR data , so we can have more meaningful, informed conversations with our business stakeholders. You’ll be part of an international People team, working closely with the People Business Partner in Belgium, and will report directly to the Head of People. As you’ll be the only HR presence in the UK day-to-day, you’ll need to be comfortable working with a high degree of autonomy, and willing to travel to Belgium roughly once a quarter to stay in touch with the wider People team. Your responsibilities Cross-functional Partnership: Serve as a trusted advisor to managers, offering expert guidance on people strategy, organisational design, and workforce planning. Build solid, cooperative relationships to improve morale, boost productivity, and enhance employee retention, while identifying opportunities in advance and addressing issues. Change & Transformation Support: Support Technology and Product managers through a period of change, contributing to conversations on team structures, role changes and reskilling needs, and helping communicate change clearly and constructively to teams. Employee Lifecycle Management: Guide and support managers throughout the employee journey, from onboarding to offboarding. Promote performance management and talent development practices while coaching managers to strengthen their people management capabilities. At Silverfin, we believe that empowering people managers to become the best versions of themselves is integral to our strategy for building the company’s success. Talent & Performance Management: Build a culture of feedback and professional growth. Oversee biannual performance review cycles to ensure a structured, effective approach to employee development. Deliver tailored training for people managers to enhance their ability to provide constructive feedback and hold meaningful career conversations. Promote the use of tools available to prompt employees to actively plan and advance their career paths. Engagement (Peakon): Manage the Peakon engagement survey programme end-to-end – running survey cycles, analysing results, and partnering with senior stakeholders on follow-up actions and deep-dive reviews. DEI, Health & Wellbeing and Culture Champs: Stay aligned to these programmes, which will mainly be managed by our Workplace & Culture Manager during this period, ensuring alignment with your client groups where relevant. HR Generalist & Employee Relations Support : As the primary HR point of contact in the UK, respond to day-to-day HR questions across the business. Across stakeholder groups, coach and support managers through employee relations casework - performance issues, disciplinary processes, workplace adjustments, and other sensitive situations. You’ll also be the go-to source of UK employment law expertise for the wider People team on any case that needs it. HR Data & Reporting: Help improve how we use HR data, turning it into insights that support more meaningful conversations with business stakeholders. Key Projects: Help organise our Leadership Days, run AI impact workshops with departments across the business, and support the ongoing transformation in Technology and Product. Compensation & Benefits: Advise managers on compensation matters, including salary reviews, bonuses, and benefits. Partner with the C&B manager to refine frameworks that balance employee satisfaction with business goals. Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner with People, Finance, and other teams to streamline processes and enhance the employee experience. Work closely with managers to align people solutions with current and future business priorities, ensuring a cohesive and effective approach. What would success look like? Success in this role means keeping the People Business Partner function for the UK running smoothly during Ellen’s maternity leave, while helping Technology and Product navigate a period of change with clarity and attentiveness, and moving the Leadership Days, AI impact workshops and HR data projects forward. We’ll measure impact through indicators like employee engagement and how well-resourced people managers and employees feel – not just to meet benchmarks, but to keep the UK a genuinely great place to work throughout the year. What will support our success? Experience and Qualifications Over 5 years of experience as an HR professional, including solid experience as a People Business Partner, ideally gained in a scale-up or fast-paced Tech/SaaS environment. Demonstrated success across key HR functions, including performance management, employee engagement, learning and development, and offboarding. Some experience supporting organisational change (e.g. team restructuring, role changes, reskilling) is a solid plus, ideally in a technology or product environment. Comfortable using HR data to inform decisions and support conversations with stakeholders. Experienced in working in an international context, with a working knowledge of UK employment practices. Comfortable working as the sole HR presence in a location, acting as a generalist point of contact beyond your core client groups when needed. Able to work with a high degree of autonomy and take responsibility, with willingness to travel to Belgium roughly once a quarter. Available for a 12-month assignment starting early January 2027 through end of January 2028. Skills and knowledge Solid coaching and advisory skills to support and develop people managers. Good grasp of change management, and comfortable partnering with stakeholders on this. Comfortable working with HR data and turning it into useful insights. Exceptional communication and influencing skills. Ability to run and deliver cross-functional HR projects effectively, autonomously and with limited local support. Good stakeholder management skills to balance diverse needs, build credibility, and align people topics with business priorities. High interpersonal awareness (EQ) and the ability to navigate sensitive conversations, including around role change. Solid problem-solving skills to work through people issues with capability and attentiveness. Comfortable using AI tools day-to-day, and open to experimenting with new ways of applying AI in your workflows. Attitude and personality-related traits Hands-on and pragmatic, comfortable rolling up your sleeves. Brings new ideas and can work with a high degree of autonomy, with minimal onboarding time. Communicative, and quick to build trust and credibility with managers and teams. Excellent judgement, discretion, and ability to handle sensitive matters with attentiveness. Adaptability and steadiness – comfortable stepping into an ongoing role and juggling multiple priorities from day one. Acts as an ambassador for Silverfin, embodying our culture and living our values throughout the assignment. We care for you Be part of something bigger