Resource Manager

dentsu•Chicago, IL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Dentsu is seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Resource Manager to support capacity planning by balancing supply and demand, aligning professionals with suitable opportunities, and partnering with recruitment and leadership teams to optimize the workforce. The role independently manages a portfolio of capacity-planning clients and projects, providing accurate reporting and analysis to leadership and project teams, identifying staffing gaps, helping resolve issues, and recommending thoughtful staffing solutions. It also leads a team of Resource Advisors and Resource Managers, aligning employee skills and experience with project requirements so that staffing needs are filled with the right person at the right time and cost. The Resource Manager is expected to participate in initiatives that improve Resource Management and Operations and contribute to operational excellence, employee experience, and client delivery outcomes. This is a permanent, full-time position with a hybrid way of working. Employees within a 90-minute commute of a headquarters or hub office in New York, Chicago, Detroit, or Los Angeles are generally required to work in the office two to three days per week, including one Team Day; requirements may vary by office and role. Employees who do not live near an office may be designated remote depending on the role and business needs. Employees are expected to be flexible to attend an office as needed for company or client requirements. The position is located in Detroit, and the annual salary range is $78,000–$110,000. Placement in the range depends on relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Human Resources, Operations, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
At least 6 years of experience in resource management, workforce planning, project management, or a related function.
Strong analytical skills and ability to interpret data and translate insights into action.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
Strong organization and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.

Nice To Haves

Experience using Workday or similar HRIS platforms.
Background in a large agency, consulting, or professional services organization.
Strong skills with Microsoft applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Power BI.
Familiarity with capacity-planning tools or utilization-tracking systems, particularly Adobe Workfront.

Responsibilities

Lead capacity-planning meetings to understand resource needs for new projects, timeline changes, and added scope, and facilitate risk and issue mitigation.
Coordinate with growth teams, account leads, service-line leadership, recruiting, human resources, and operations to fill applicable supply and demand needs.
Work with growth teams on early-stage opportunities to align anticipated close dates with resource availability across a portfolio of clients.
Document action items and meeting notes from capacity-planning meetings with business capability leaders.
Lead a team of Resource Advisors and Resource Managers, overseeing the accuracy and completeness of their day-to-day work.
Escalate sensitive or high-risk staffing situations to leadership as needed.
Review the opportunity pipeline proactively to understand upcoming demand.
Maintain accurate resource-capacity data in the workforce management tool.
Track utilization against targets, analyze anomalies, and support remediation strategies to improve performance.
Validate external hire requests from business capability leaders and track approvals and open job requisitions in Workday once approved.
Work with line-of-business managers and employees to understand skills, experience, and aspirations and identify suitable opportunities.
Propose available or soon-to-be-available resources for projects based on their skills, professional goals, and staffing preferences.
Influence leaders and employees to consider alternative staffing outcomes by explaining their value and long-term or broader benefits.
Understand and communicate the financial, client-relationship, and skills impacts of assigning one resource rather than another.
Serve as a point of contact for resolving conflicts involving resource needs, placements, allocations, and shifts.
Resolve staffing conflicts to the satisfaction of the parties involved, including by identifying creative staffing alternatives and negotiating with projects and resources.
Identify current and potential future over- or under-utilization and work with leadership to address issues and mitigate risk.
Participate in initiatives to improve Resource Management and Operations.