# Head of Performance

**Company**: Freshfields
**Work arrangement**: hybrid
**Experience**: senior
**Job type**: full-time
**Category**: Human Resources
**Industry**: Legal

**Apply**: https://freshfields.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/FBD_101/job/London/Head-of-Performance_R-08729?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply
**Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_2ea97f7c-325

## Description

Freshfields is seeking a visionary and hands-on Head of Performance to lead its performance practice and redefine how the firm assesses, develops, and recognises talent globally.

The successful candidate will report within Performance and Reward, leading a dedicated Performance team across London and Manchester. The primary mandate will be to pioneer an AI-first performance capability, shifting the firm from retrospective annual evaluations to continuous, insight-driven performance enablement embedded into everyday ways of working.

Key responsibilities include:

- Defining and owning the firm’s multi-year performance strategy and roadmap

- Pioneering an AI-first approach across the performance cycle

- Partnering closely with Reward, Talent, Learning & Development, HRIS, and HRBPs to ensure fair, transparent, and cohesive links between performance outcomes and compensation, promotion, succession, and career development

- Leading, mentoring, and inspiring a team of three direct reports across London and Manchester

- Establishing and upholding robust responsible AI guardrails, data privacy safeguards, and fairness standards

- Acting as the senior business owner for performance technology, including Workday talent modules

- Building trusted relationships with senior leadership across practices and functions

The ideal candidate will have:

- Substantial experience leading performance management, talent development, or broader people practices within a complex, global organisation

- Practical AI expertise, including direct, hands-on familiarity with generative AI/LLM tools and platforms

- The ability to articulate an ambitious, modern vision and translate it into clear, measurable roadmaps and operational change

- Experience leading, coaching, and developing collaborative, high-performing teams across multiple offices

- Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills

- Strong analytical acumen, with a sound understanding of fairness, equity, responsible AI principles, and data privacy legislation

- Technical proficiency with modern HRIS platforms and enterprise collaboration tools

This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of performance in a world-class professional services firm. The successful candidate will have the mandate and sponsorship to experiment responsibly, build cutting-edge capabilities, and create a genuine benchmark for how global professional firms enable and celebrate their people.

## Skills

### Required
- AI
- performance management
- talent development
- HRIS
- data privacy
- GDPR
- Workday

### Nice to have
- agentic AI workflows
- agile product ownership
- human-centred design thinking methodologies
- legal
- professional services
- partnership environment

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Source: [Apply at freshfields.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com](https://freshfields.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/FBD_101/job/London/Head-of-Performance_R-08729?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)