Associate Director, People Partner

New Engen, Inc.•Seattle, WA

2d•$130,000 - $170,000•Hybrid

About The Position

New Engen is a digital marketing agency focused on helping brands grow smarter by blending media, creative, analytics, influencer, and retail strategies into performance-driven campaigns. They offer specialized solutions through entities like Donut Studios and Acorn Creator Suite. The agency fosters a collaborative environment where strategists, creatives, analysts, and makers work together to help brands and each other thrive. They emphasize hard work, humility, and purposeful building.

Requirements

8+ years of progressive HR experience, with significant experience in an HR Business Partner, People Partner, People Strategy, Talent, or organizational effectiveness role.
Experience managing and developing HR Business Partners or other experienced People professionals.
Demonstrated experience partnering with senior and executive leaders on complex organizational and talent decisions.
Strong experience with organizational design, workforce planning, job design, job architecture, or career frameworks.
Experience designing or leading company-wide talent programs such as performance management, talent reviews, succession planning, career development, or leadership development.
Strong business acumen and the ability to connect People strategy to business priorities and outcomes.
Ability to move comfortably between high-level strategy and practical execution.
Strong coaching and influencing skills, including the ability to challenge leaders thoughtfully and navigate competing perspectives.
Comfort operating in ambiguity and creating structure where a clear playbook may not yet exist.
Strong analytical instincts and the ability to use people data and business context to identify trends and inform decisions.
Experience leading organizational change or other complex, cross-functional initiatives.

Nice To Haves

Experience in an agency, professional services, technology, or similarly fast-moving and matrixed organization is a plus.
Talent Acquisition or recruiting leadership experience is a plus, but not required.
Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, Organizational Development, or a related field preferred; advanced degree or HR certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop the HR Business Partner function, ensuring People Partners act as trusted advisors who understand the business and aid leaders in making sound decisions about their teams.
Manage and coach a team of HR Business Partners, establishing strategy and expectations for business partnerships, and elevating the function to identify patterns, anticipate needs, and shape broader organizational strategy.
Partner with senior leaders on organizational design, job design, and workforce strategy, addressing questions about necessary capabilities, team structures, accountability, and career progression.
Own and evolve frameworks for job structure, role clarity, leveling, career paths, and organizational design to ensure consistency in team building.
Lead the approach to workforce and talent planning, collaborating with leaders to align talent, capabilities, and organizational structures with business direction.
Connect workforce planning, performance, succession, development, retention, and hiring into a cohesive talent strategy.
Own and evolve company-wide talent practices, including performance management, talent reviews, succession planning, career development, and manager effectiveness.
Continuously evaluate People practices to ensure they support better talent decisions and adapt them as the organization evolves.
Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on complex organizational and talent decisions, using business context, people data, organizational insights, and judgment.
Navigate change, build effective teams, develop talent, and solve organizational challenges with leaders.
Act as a senior escalation point for complex or high-impact employee matters, collaborating with HR Business Partners and the People team.
Identify and lead strategic People initiatives that support New Engen’s broader business priorities in partnership with the Director of People.
Transform complex or ambiguous organizational challenges into clear, scalable strategies, frameworks, and programs.
Work closely with People Operations to ensure talent strategies align with compensation, benefits, HR systems, policies, and People operations.
Ensure a cohesive employee experience across different areas of the People team.