Head of People & Operations

Responsibilities

• Own the recruitment strategy across permanent and freelance hiring.
• Partner with department leaders to forecast hiring and resource requirements.
• Oversee the full recruitment lifecycle from role definition through onboarding.
• Build strong relationships with recruiters, freelance networks and industry talent.
• Continuously improve the onboarding experience to ensure new hires are set up for success from day one.
• Develop talent pipelines to support future business growth.

Talent Acquisition & Planning

• Own the recruitment strategy across permanent and freelance hiring.
• Partner with department leaders to forecast hiring and resource requirements.
• Oversee the full recruitment lifecycle from role definition through onboarding.
• Build strong relationships with recruiters, freelance networks and industry talent.
• Continuously improve the onboarding experience to ensure new hires are set up for success from day one.
• Develop talent pipelines to support future business growth.

Learning & Development

• Create clear career pathways and progression frameworks across all disciplines.
• Partner with department leaders to identify capability gaps and development opportunities.
• Design and coordinate internal and external training programs, workshops, mentoring and coaching initiatives.
• Support managers in creating meaningful development plans for their teams.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and cross-disciplinary knowledge sharing.
• Measure the effectiveness of development initiatives and continually evolve the learning offering.

Operations

• Develop scalable operational processes that improve efficiency across the studio.
• Ensure all full-time and freelance team members have a seamless onboarding and offboarding experience.
• Continually identify opportunities to simplify workflows and remove friction.
• Partner with the Managing Director and operations team on operational planning and resource forecasting.
• Support implementation of new systems, tools, and internal processes.
• Lead internal operational initiatives and change management.

Performance & Career Development

• Lead the studio's performance review and feedback processes via Cultureamp.
• Support managers in setting meaningful objectives and delivering effective performance conversations.
• Ensure career development plans are embedded across the organization.
• Identify and nurture high-potential talent.
• Partner with leadership on promotion, succession, and retention planning.
• Use people insights and data to continually improve employee performance and engagement.

Operations & Business Excellence

• Develop scalable operational processes that improve efficiency across the studio.
• Identify opportunities to simplify workflows, reduce friction and improve collaboration.
• Partner with department leaders and talent and operations team on planning and resource forecasting.
• Support the implementation of new systems, tools and internal processes.
• Lead internal operational improvement initiatives and change management.
• Ensure operational processes evolve alongside business growth.

Leadership & Business Partnership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and Managing Director and senior leadership team.
• Translate business priorities into people and operational initiatives.
• Use people data and operational metrics to support decision-making.
• Drive cross-functional initiatives that improve how the studio operates.
• Help shape the long-term organizational strategy and future growth of the business.

Compliance & People Operations

• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, company policies and HR best practice.
• Oversee HR systems, documentation and employee records via Justworks.
• Manage employee benefits administration via Justworks.
• Review and update policies as the business evolves ensuring the studio is competitive.

Qualifications

• 10+ years' experience in People Operations, HR, Business Operations or a similar leadership role.
• Experience supporting a growing creative, agency, technology or professional services business.
• Strong understanding of employment law and HR best practices.
• Experience developing people strategies, career frameworks and learning initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience improving operational processes and implementing scalable systems.
• Experience partnering with senior leadership on organizational planning and change management.
• Comfortable balancing strategic planning with day-to-day execution.

Benefits

Salary Range: $150,000 - $170,000 annually.

Salary for the prospective employee is determined by a combination of factors that include qualifications, applicable skills, relevant experience and other budgetary considerations such as location/geography.