Who we are looking for:

Wunderman Thompson is seeking a People Manager. The ideal candidate will be a strong HR partner to our People Director, craft and operational leaders, and external stakeholders, and will be able to manage volume and complexity while also supporting our people so that they can always do their best work.

The ideal candidate is no stranger to balancing multiple demands and has experience leading through change with high attention to detail and deep organizational skills. You are a fast learner, a strong communicator, and a spirited collaborator who enjoys the process of “digging into” the task at hand to excavate just in time solutions to help people and their teams.

What you’ll do:

• Understand and be able to connect with the employee community to understand the local market, talent landscape, and business resources.
• Assist the organizational leadership team in solving complex business challenges utilizing various data inputs (i.e., people reports, surveys, local market trends).
• Assist in facilitating the overall performance review cycle including feedback, goal setting, and development planning, while assisting managers and their teams through the compensation review process.
  • Assist People Director in driving employee engagement and retention efforts through supporting and leading people-focused events.
  • Conduct new hire orientations and exit interviews.  Identify feedback trends and make recommendations that drive improvements.
  • Provide guidance for sensitive workplace issues in compliance with applicable federal, state and local employment related regulations while escalating to People Director when necessary.
  • Provide hands-on support and advice on employee relations. This includes performance management, disciplinary, grievance, leave of absence, flexible working requests, etc.
  • Partner with Talent Acquisition to ensure that our candidates reflect the surrounding community and meet the business needs of the office.
  • Support People Director in the creation of agency communications including emails, social events invitations, presentations and people town halls.
  • Gain familiarity with and champion employee survey results to deepen understanding of the needs of staff.
• Provide HR and people consultation to optimize people practices and culture with the goal of achieving business results in conjunction with NA People team.
  • Maintain accurate employee data at all times. Liaise with local Finance and regional payroll teams to respond to requested information.
  • Manage all one-time payments (e.g. PTO payout, severance agreement) requests to payroll/finance.
  • Assist with audits in gathering required documents, running reports and completing requested questionnaires.
  • Reinforce the rollout of new initiatives and be a point of contact for staff inquiries related to policies, procedures, and systems.

 Who you are:

• A learner | A desire to investigate and be curious to understand the needs and desires of the people you serve. You must be willing to apply that knowledge to strengthen the team.
• An explorer | Be willing to get creative and find resources to work through issues. Don’t be afraid to take calculated risks with the premise of making improvements.
• Open and collaborative | Our team is close-knit and supportive and we’re working with a lot of unknowns – you must be a champion of team environments that are comfortable and encouraging, but focused on a high-level of performance.
• Optimistic and resilient | Dig in and figure out how to work around problems. Innate ability to inspire and marshal people to clear solutions quickly. “Yes”, and “why not” posture. Takes care of self and team. Balance needed to maintain stamina and positivity.
• Partnership | Partner with your People Director, local leadership, and regional & national People teams to help drive positive change. Become an expert on support systems that facilitate employee engagement and performance optimization.

What you’ll need:

• 3-5 years of experience in a Talent/Human Resources role is required.  Experience in recruiting and/or resourcing is desired.
• Must work out of NY office 2-3 days of the week
• Experience working in a digital or advertising agency a plus.
• Must be fluent in MS Office Suite, and be familiar with HRMS and Payroll platforms and be able to navigate multiple workstreams.
• Must have strong working knowledge of state and federal employment laws and regulations.
• Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.  Well-developed presentation skills.
• Thrives in a fast-paced and changing environment.  Requires minimal supervision.
• Experience navigating efficiently through a matrixed
• Informal and people-centric approach to work and getting things done.
• Able to quickly establish credibility with organizational stakeholders.
• Able to influence, inspire, and lead others through demonstrating the utmost professionalism.

What we offer: 

• Passionate, driven people | We champion a culture of people that do extraordinary work.
• Consciously cultivated culture | We aim to embody the behaviors to build an inclusive community that is in it together, bringing both positivity and active listening into the workplace as we simultaneously strive to empower creative bravery.
• Competitive benefits | What we offer full time hires ranges from the full spectrum of group health coverage options (medical, dental, vision) to a generous 401k match (100% dollar-for-dollar match, up to 5% of salary contribution), and a variety of paid time off offerings that reflect our investment in all aspects of your overall life balance and wellness.
• Growth-minded opportunities | We aim to nurture a culture of real-time feedback, growth-oriented mindset, and plenty of training opportunities through Wunderman Thompson and WPP, so you can continue to grow personally and professionally.

Wunderman Thompson is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion or belief, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, military/veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability, or other protected group status. We believe in creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion and strives to recruit a diverse slate of candidates to help us achieve that goal.