People Operations Manager

Building a Brand Starts with a Story

FIRST is a leading global brand experience agency serving clients in various industries, including financial services, technology, new & traditional media, aerospace, healthcare, and professional services. FIRST has received numerous accolades, including being listed among the 2025 Most Innovative Marketing Agencies of the Year by Chief Marketer, named Top Agency of the Year 2024 by Event Marketer, highlighted as a Global Agency of the Year, over 100 Employees by C&IT, and listed among the "200 Top Marketing Agencies" in 2024, 2023, & 2022 by Chief Marketer.

Learn more at www.firstagency.com

What You Would Get To Do:

The People Operations Manager is responsible for overseeing, improving, and executing people operations activities across the Americas region while ensuring alignment with global standards. This role focuses on driving operational excellence through compliance, process improvement and automation.

The role will hold responsibility for all people operations activities within America’s region and provides critical oversight for all global locations and employees for the full employee lifecycle. This includes onboarding, background checks, employment changes, payroll and benefits administration, leave management, and offboarding. This position requires both strategic oversight and hands-on execution, balancing long-term improvements with day-to-day administration. 

This role will also serve as a key escalation point for the People & Culture Coordinators, providing guidance and support to resolve complex issues and the position will contribute to global projects and provide support to EMEA and APAC regions as needed.

Your Contributions 

• Oversee onboarding, background checks, employment changes, offboarding, and other employee lifecycle processes across the Americas region, ensuring all documentation stays compliant and up to date. 
• Serve as an escalation point for employee queries 
• Collaborate with global People Operations teams to deliver a consistent employee experience across all regions
• Responsibility for thorough checks/audits on payroll 
• Oversight of accurate documentation for all changes to occur in a timely manner 
• Continuously review and enhance procedures relating to the employee lifecycle with a global focus, ensuring full compliance within the Americas region.
• Re-engineer and improve people policies, with a primary focus on the Americas region, to increase efficiency and enhance the employee experience.
• Lead the successful implementation, rollout, and communication of all policy changes within region to ensure clear understanding and adoption across the organization
• Oversee administration of US benefits and leave programs in collaboration with the external partners , ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local employment requirements
• Ensure accurate processing of employee benefits changes and leave requests
• Proactively evaluate and enhance people processes to improve accuracy, reliability, and efficiency.
• Measure impact using system data and employee feedback to ensure initiatives deliver positive results.
• Act as a trusted partner to stakeholders across the business, balancing operational excellence with employee-centric outcomes.
• Monitor benefits and leave trends, identifying areas for process improvements to share with Senior Manager - Benefits Administration to help drive improvements. 

What We Are Looking For 

Please be aware that we know experience does not always look like we describe it. If you believe you would be an excellent fit for this role, please apply - we would love to see how you could fit at First. 

• 5 – 7 years preffered experience 
• Bachelor’s Degree preferred
• Proficiency in using MS Office, Google Workspace, 
• Experience working with various HRIS systems (BambooHR preferred)
• Strong generalist knowledge of Human Resources
• Experience with benefits administration and leave management.
• SHRM-CP or PHR certification preferred
• Awareness of employment legislation impacting terms and conditions across AMRS, APAC and EMEA 
• Ability to think globally and acknowledge regional and cultural differences with due consideration to reach appropriate outcomes
• Ability to demonstrate influencing skills
• Application of sound judgment and professionalism

At FIRST, we believe that our success is driven by the passion, creativity, and commitment of our teams. That's why we offer a range of benefits and perks to support your personal and professional growth

• Medical, Dental & Vision which includes the option of a high deductible health plan (HDHP) with a health savings account (HSA)
• 401 (k) 
• Five Flexible Spending Accounts Options
• Generous Paid Time Off Allowance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Life, Disability & Pet Coverages
• Wellness Stipend
• Mobile Phone Allowance
• Complimentary access to Headspace, Teladoc, Maven, Rocket Lawyer, Mobilo & more
• Aura Identity Theft Protection
• Discretionary Bonus Structure
• Global Opportunities: With a presence in 7 countries worldwide, including headquarters in London, New York, and Singapore, you may have the opportunity to work on exciting projects across different locations.

United States Residents: The base pay for this position ranges from $90,000.00 - $115,000.00. This role is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus.

Please note the national salary range listed in the job posting reflects the new hire salary range across various U.S. locations that would be applicable to the position. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

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