Temporary People Business Partner

UnitedMasters | Translation • New York, NY

8d

About The Position

Translation is seeking a Temporary People Business Partner to serve as the senior, embedded day-to-day people advisor to its agency leadership team while the current PBP is on leave. The role participates in leadership decisions, provides guidance on talent, performance, and organizational matters, handles difficult conversations, and owns a live performance review cycle from calibration through delivery.

The position begins in early January with three weeks of full-time onboarding alongside the current PBP. The incoming PBP takes full ownership before the leave begins in February and maintains a weekly update log to support a seamless transition back. The role partners closely with agency leaders, the VP of Agency Operations, the VP of People Operations, People Operations, Finance, Talent Acquisition, external search partners, and the UnitedMasters PBP.

UnitedMasters, Inc. comprises Translation, a creative solutions company helping brands use culture to achieve growth, and UnitedMasters, a software and services platform for independent creators. The company says it is backed by Alphabet, Andreessen Horowitz, and Apple. The listed hiring range is approximately $3,000 per week for New York and California; compensation may vary by location and individual qualifications. The company also mentions bonus, stock options, and a 401(k) match as examples of compensation and rewards.

Requirements

• At least 5 years as an HR or People Business Partner supporting senior leaders.
• Experience working across multiple business functions with first-line and senior leadership.
• Proven ability to handle employee relations matters across the spectrum, including performance plans and exits.
• Confidence leading difficult conversations with managers, employees, and executives.
• Ability to ramp quickly, work from existing plans, and make sound decisions with limited history.
• Strong judgment, discretion, and written communication.
• Strong coaching and consulting capabilities.
• Demonstrated business acumen, organizational savvy, judgment, and decision-making.
• Collaborative style, positive can-do attitude, and a strong drive to create a positive work environment.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, including the ability to engage, influence, and keep stakeholders informed.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to analyze data, understand trends, and develop recommendations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to frame a message.
• Demonstrated change management capability.

Nice To Haves

• Advertising agency experience, strongly preferred, ideally partnering with agency leadership.
• Experience supporting creative talent and creative leadership.
• Prior interim, leave coverage, or consulting engagements.
• Familiarity with compensation planning, career ladders, and talent differentiation tools such as a 9-box.
• Experience supporting executive onboarding or leadership transitions.
• Experience executing strategic initiatives and operational plans.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the day-to-day people advisor to agency leadership and their departments.
• Contribute to the Senior Leadership Team agenda, which meets twice a week, in partnership with the VP of Agency Operations.
• Drive progress on agency leadership OKRs, owning people priorities and partnering with Finance and Operations on people, headcount, and financial goals.
• Proactively manage and resolve employee relations matters, from coaching conversations through performance plans and exits.
• Guide managers through difficult conversations and deliver difficult messages directly when needed.
• Ensure compliance with company policies and escalate matters to leadership and counsel appropriately.
• Identify talent and skills gaps and plan full-time, temporary, and freelance staffing needs with Operations and Finance.
• Advise on organizational design, workforce planning, and headcount, and surface internal mobility and succession opportunities for critical roles.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition and external search partners to maintain a pipeline and fill priority roles promptly with appropriate talent.
• Keep leaders informed about candidate pipelines and hiring progress.
• Lead onboarding for incoming agency leadership hires, helping them build relationships and get up to speed.
• Help lead the Q1 agency performance review cycle, advising leaders on ratings, talent decisions, and feedback delivery.
• Facilitate leadership calibration sessions in partnership with the VP of People Operations, challenging ratings and maintaining standards.
• Support compensation decisions tied to the review cycle, with attention to internal equity and clear rationale.
• Support planning for the annual engagement survey, including question review and rollout timing.
• Maintain a weekly update log of decisions, open issues, and next steps.
• Partner with People Operations on processing people changes and with the UnitedMasters PBP on cross-company matters.

Benefits

• Bonus (listed as an example of compensation and rewards; availability and terms are not specified).
• Stock options (listed as an example of compensation and rewards; availability and terms are not specified).
• 401(k) match (listed as an example of compensation and rewards; availability and terms are not specified).

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed