Human Resources Manager

Company description

We’re a creative consultancy. That means we put creativity at the center of all our thinking—be it strategic consulting, design and advertising or product and service design. If you believe in the power of creativity to transform how people think and behave, you’re in the right place.

Overview

As the HR Manager, you are the anchor of the human experience within our fast-moving creative agency. You ensure our people practices, programs, and operations are effective, compliant, and scalable while helping leaders navigate complex people matters with confidence.

Partnering closely with the HR Director, you act as a trusted advisor to leaders and employees, providing guidance across employee relations, talent development, workforce planning, employee engagement, and organizational effectiveness.

As our industry continues to evolve, you will also help identify opportunities to leverage HR technology, data, and emerging AI tools to improve efficiency, enhance decision-making, and create better experiences for employees and leaders.

Responsibilities

How You Create Impact

• You help leaders navigate the complexities of people management with confidence, consistency, and sound judgement.
• You foster a positive employee experience while balancing creative dynamics, business priorities, and operational needs.
• You proactively identify people risks, opportunities, and trends, helping leaders make informed decisions that strengthen teams and culture.
• You bring structure to ambiguity, ensuring policies, processes, and decisions align with both compliance requirements and agency values.
• You leverage data and technology to support smarter decision-making and more effective people programs.
• You enable teams and leaders to perform at their best through thoughtful people practices, trusted partnership, and practical support.

How You Deliver Results

Employee Relations & Leadership Support

• Serve as a trusted advisor to managers and employees on employee relations matters, workplace concerns, performance management, attendance issues, accommodations, leaves, and HR best practices.
• Lead and support workplace investigations, including fact-finding, documentation, recommendations, and follow-up actions.
• Coach managers through difficult conversations, performance concerns, conflict resolution, organizational change, and employee development.
• Exercise sound judgement while managing complex employee situations and balancing employee, business, and legal considerations.
• Proactively identify and address workplace concerns to support a healthy, inclusive, and high-performing culture.

Business Partnership & Talent Support

• Build strong relationships across the agency and act as a strategic HR partner to assigned business leaders.
• Partner with managers to drive team effectiveness, employee engagement, retention, and organizational health.
• Support the full employee lifecycle including onboarding, development, engagement, performance management, succession planning, and offboarding.
• Facilitate talent review, performance management, and career development processes.
• Support workforce planning initiatives and organizational change while ensuring a positive employee experience throughout transitions.
• Analyze engagement survey results, turnover data, retention metrics, and workforce trends to identify opportunities and recommend actions that strengthen employee engagement and business performance.

Compliance & HR Operations

• Drive and refine key HR programs including performance management, employee engagement, compensation reviews, benefits administration, onboarding, and HRIS utilization.
• Ensure HR operations, documentation, reporting, and processes are accurate, efficient, compliant, and aligned with business needs.
• Partner with Publicis Groupe Centers of Excellence, including Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, Operations, and D&I teams to deliver integrated people solutions.
• Ensure compliance with Ontario employment legislation, company policies, and HR best practices.
• Provide guidance on policy interpretation and application while minimizing organizational risk.
• Support the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of HR policies, programs, and processes.
• Identify, elevate, and help mitigate people-related, legal, and compliance risks.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve HR processes, syste