Senior People Operations Manager

Reporting into the Global Director, the Senior People Operations Manager is responsible for the day-to-day people operations experience across Chase studios (LA, NY, and Bristol, UK).  Working with the Chase Leadership Team, this role is the primary operational partner for employees and leaders on HR-related questions, processes, and programs collaborating closely with the Talent Director. The role owns core people operations execution, including employee relations, benefits administration, performance processes, HR policies and procedures, PEO partnerships, and onboarding support. This role will be critical in unifying and streamlining processes across studios while continuing to foster a culture of psychological safety and belonging.

Responsibilities:

Employee relations: 

• Act as main point of contact for employee HR concerns, questions, and day-to-day people needs 
• Maintain employee records and documentation
• Handle employee relations matters thoughtfully, consistently, and confidentially, engaging support of legal counsel if needed
• Manage employee extended leaves of absence and other employee lifecycle needs in partnership with the appropriate internal and/or external resources 
• Communicate employee issues and concerns to studio leads & work together to align on resolution or path forward 
• Foster a workplace where employees can seek support with confidence

The Senior People Operations Manager is practical, thoughtful, highly organized, and comfortable in a small creative organization where relationships matter and the work can change quickly.

• Bachelor's degree in HR, business admin, or related field; SHRM-CP or PHR preferred
• 5+ years of progressive HR experience, ideally in a small or mid-sized creative agency, design studio, ad agency, or similarly relationship-driven environment 
• 2+ years of HR experience supporting employees and leaders across multiple offices or locations 
• Strong working knowledge of California and New York employment laws, regulations, and compliance requirements, with experience applying state-specific requirements across HR policies, employee relations, leave, benefits, onboarding, and other people processes required. Experience with a UK workforce strongly preferred 
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills
• Passion and commitment to equitable processes through the employee lifecycle
• Must be proficient with Mac OS as we are a Mac/Apple environment
• Role is based in our LA studio with the expectation to be in office 2-3 days week
  and travel quarterly

• Support department leads across all offices with the performance evaluation process
• Manage review process, including timelines, communications, documentation,
  and follow up 

• Contribute to the development, evolution and implementation of US & UK HR policies
  and procedures
• Update and maintain employee handbooks (US & UK) 
• Track employee vacation, sick time, and other applicable leave or time off processes 

• Collaborate across studios to shape, change and/or reinforce company culture
• Foster a culture of inclusion and belonging to help translate Chase’s values into practical people processes and everyday employee experiences

• Partner with the Talent Director, Global Director, Managing Directors, and hiring managers on hiring needs across LA, NY, and Bristol as appropriate 
• Provide context on organizational needs, team dynamics, role requirements, and internal considerations that may affect hiring decisions 
• Maintain accurate people and candidate information in relevant systems and support a clear handoff from recruiting to onboarding
  

• Together with the Talent Director, continuously improve the onboarding process for employees and freelancers across all studios 
• Partner with the Talent Director and hiring managers on a consistent transition from candidate experience to employee experience
• Help ensure new hires have the information, access, relationships, and support they need to be successful