Career Coach

Job description

At Freshfields, our people are our greatest asset. We are a global law firm with an uncompromising commitment to excellence — and that commitment extends to how we invest in the careers of our people. This is a rare opportunity to play a genuinely influential role in the professional lives of talented lawyers, serving as a trusted, independent voice in a firm that takes career development seriously. The Career Advisor role sits at the heart of our UK People function, providing personalised, confidential career coaching and advisory support to Associates across our London offices. If you are passionate about unlocking potential, skilled at building trusted relationships, and energised by the complexity of a world-class professional services environment, this role offers real breadth, purpose, and impact. About the Role Reporting to the Head of HR - UK&I, the Career Advisor acts as a dedicated and confidential resource for Associates navigating every stage of their careers at Freshfields. You will work collaboratively across the firm — partnering with Practice Group Leaders, HR Business Partners, the Diversity & Inclusion team, and Marketing and Business Development colleagues — to deliver against the firm's broader Talent Development strategy. You will also engage closely with Freshfields' global career development and coaching community, ensuring UK&I initiatives are aligned with and contribute to firmwide frameworks. This is a role with genuine scope: from one-to-one coaching relationships to programme design, from data-driven insight to strategic stakeholder influence. What You'll Do Coaching and individual career support You will provide high-quality, confidential career coaching to Associates on a wide range of topics — from practice integration and relationship building to performance improvement, promotion readiness, and long-term career planning. Engagements may range from targeted, short-term interventions to sustained advisory relationships, and you will support Associates through key transitions including progression to Senior Associate or Counsel, lateral moves, secondments, and return-to-work following parental or other leave. Programme design and facilitation You will design and deliver career development programmes and workshops that complement individual coaching and align with the firm's global learning and development offering. You will also oversee the UK mentoring programme, fostering effective mentor-mentee relationships and helping Associates develop, maintain, and review meaningful individual development plans. Collaboration and stakeholder partnership Working closely with HR Business Partners and Resource Managers, you will translate performance feedback into clear, actionable development plans and help Associates track progress against firmwide career frameworks. You will maintain strong relationships with partners, Marketing and Business Development, and the alumni network to surface external development opportunities, strategic secondments, and client-facing experiences. You will also partner with external coaching providers — in areas such as neurodiversity support, early careers coaching, and outplacement — ensuring quality and value. Diversity, inclusion, and integration You will work alongside the Diversity & Inclusion team to support the development and retention of a diverse Associate population and leadership pipeline, and will play an active role in embedding lateral hires quickly and effectively into the firm. Insight and continuous improvement You will use analytics and reporting to monitor the impact of coaching interventions, identify demographic and retention trends, and translate insight into engaging dashboards that demonstrate return on investment. Your observations will also feed into the broader Learning and Development agenda, helping to strengthen talent initiatives across the UK. What We're Looking For You will bring significant experience in professional development, coaching, or a career advisory capacity — ideally within a law firm or professional services environment — along with a genuine understanding of the legal profession and the career landscape within it. Specifically, we are looking for: A bachelor's degree, and a coaching certification or equivalent (strongly preferred) Demonstrable experience in a professional development, coaching, or career advisory role within a law firm, professional services firm, or academic institution; law firm practice experience is a strong advantage Familiarity with legal career frameworks and the broader legal market Exceptional judgement and discretion when handling sensitive and confidential information The interpersonal skills and credibility to build trusted relationships across practice groups, seniority levels, and geographies — both in person and remotely Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt your style for diverse stakeholders Strong analytical and organisational capability, with the confidence to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, matrixed environment Proficiency in MS Office and HR systems, with the aptitude to learn new platforms quickly Inclusion Freshfields is an equal opportunities employer and all applications received by the firm will be considered on the basis of merit alone. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of background. All offers of employment will be conditional on the candidate having or securing the right to work in the UK and providing the firm with evidence of that right (as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) prior to employment commencing. Freshfields is a Ban the Box employer. We ask applicants to disclose criminal convictions only when a conditional job offer is made. A conviction does not automatically lead to withdrawal of the offer: we make decisions on a case-by-case basis and take a number of factors into account (for example, the role being applied for and the circumstances of the offence). You would have the opportunity to discuss the matter with us before we make a decision.