Temporary People Business Partner

UMT•Brooklyn, NY

About The Position

Translation is seeking a Temporary People Business Partner to provide senior, embedded people support to agency leadership while the current PBP is on leave. The role serves as the day-to-day people advisor to agency leaders, contributes to leadership decisions, and owns a live performance review cycle from calibration through delivery. The person will begin in early January with three weeks of full-time onboarding alongside the current PBP, assume full ownership before the leave begins in February, and maintain a weekly update log to support a seamless transition back. The role partners with agency leadership, Finance, Operations, People Operations, Talent Acquisition, external search partners, and the UnitedMasters PBP. Responsibilities span employee relations, talent and workforce planning, organizational design, hiring, onboarding, performance and compensation processes, engagement survey planning, and continuity documentation. UnitedMasters, Inc. represents Translation, a creative solutions company, and UnitedMasters, a software and services platform for independent creators. The company describes its mission as connecting independent artists and brands and is backed by Alphabet, Andreessen Horowitz, and Apple. The stated hiring range is approximately $3,000 per week for New York and California; pay may vary by location and individual qualifications.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience as an HR or People Business Partner supporting senior leaders.
Experience working across multiple business functions with first-line and senior leadership.
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 coaching and consulting capabilities.
Demonstrated business acumen, organizational savvy, sound judgment, and decision-making ability.
Collaborative style, positive can-do attitude, and 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 analyzing data, understanding trends, and developing recommendations.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to frame a message.
Demonstrated change management capability.
Strong judgment, discretion, and written communication.

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 the agency leadership team 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 where people, headcount, and financial goals are linked.
Proactively manage and resolve employee relations issues, including coaching conversations, 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 workforce needs with Operations and Finance.
Advise on organizational design, workforce planning, and headcount; surface internal mobility and succession opportunities in critical roles.
Partner with Talent Acquisition and external search partners to maintain pipelines and fill priority roles; keep leaders informed about pipeline and hiring progress.
Lead onboarding for incoming agency leadership hires.
Help lead the Q1 performance review cycle, advising leaders on ratings, talent decisions, and feedback delivery.
Facilitate leader calibration sessions with the VP of People Operations, challenge ratings, and uphold performance standards.
Support compensation decisions connected to the review cycle, ensuring internal equity and clear rationale.
Support planning for the annual engagement survey, including question review and rollout timing.
Maintain a weekly update log covering decisions, open issues, and next steps.
Partner with People Operations on processing people changes and with the UnitedMasters PBP on cross-company matters.