People Manager

At AKQA we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create beautiful ideas, products and services. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design adaptive digital services and applications that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients. As People Manager for our studios in Italy, you will be based in either Venice or Milan and work alongside the wider regional and global People team. You will help to advance a world class employee experience for all AKQA employees – current and future. You will have an excellent knowledge of industry best practices and push boundaries to bring to life the AKQA employee experience vision. ROLE REQUIREMENTS Partner with leadership to proactively design and deliver on the people initiatives that support the business objectives. Utilize tools such as engagement surveys and client satisfaction surveys to ensure leadership remains focused on retention and growth of our teams. Partner with the global People team to identify, develop, and implement standardized processes, policies, and procedures across all of our studios to help drive a premium employee experience in all of our locations. Partner with the business to create a culture of strong managers and leaders who prioritize performance and career management discussions. Oversee the bi- annual performance management process and collaborate with managers to ensure a thorough and effective review process. Build solid relationships with employees and managers to create an employee-oriented culture that emphasizes quality, continuous improvement, and employee engagement. Analyze trends and metrics to recommend and implement gold-standard tools, practices and systems that attract, develop, and retain top talent. Manage the Talent acquisition process for full-time and contract workers and execute the full onboarding process to create a thorough candidate experience. Support the People team to address employee relations matters, organize and implement learning and development programs, and execute other special projects. Support the Payroll Specialist with the monthly payroll process. Ensure all processes and policies are compliant with local legislation; partner with legal team where appropriate. Share knowledge and best practices within the People team, as well as broadly within the organization to ensure that AKQA’s people practices are highly effective and valued. Responsible for ad hoc Finance matters including acting as audit/ bank contact, coordinating annual audit, and creating annual core services budget. Manage office responsibilities including leading security & safety measures, organizing events, maintaining studio design and partnering with suppliers and landlord. Participate in the annual audit as requested. Ensure security & safety measures and requirements are met, including but limited to mandatory training & medical check-ups. Perform other job-related duties as required QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS Professional experience in an People management/business partnership role, supporting a creative and/or professional services business. Strong executive presence and communication skills. Ability to partner with remote teams in different markets. Ability to work independently, multi-task and prioritize workload with strong follow-through. Interest in taking the initiative to continually improve all People programs, policies, and processes. Ability to adapt to frequently changing schedules and priorities and experience in operating in a dynamic, fast-paced environment where change is constant and demanding, and clear structure/process may not be apparent. Pragmatic and outcome-oriented, leveraging data to tell a story and make recommendations. Explore our extensive range of benefits here . AKQA is an Equal Opportunities Employer, we believe that diversity is vital to AKQA’s ability to provide our clients with the best recommendations and are committed to fostering a varied and inclusive work environment. Your race, color, ancestry, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or veteran status have no bearing on our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know. J-18808-Ljbffr