The Chicago Studio Talent Manager acts as a strategic partner and trusted advisor to studio leadership-championing the full employee lifecycle, aligning HR strategy with business goals, and fostering a culture of growth and development throughout the organization.

In this dual strategic and hands-on role, the Talent Manager ensures that people programs and processes enhance the studio's performance and culture. This includes translating firmwide HR and L&D strategies into local action, guiding leaders on organizational priorities, and supporting an inclusive, equitable, and high-performing environment.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic HR Partnership & Lifecycle Ownership

• Serve as the primary HR business partner for the studio-owning all aspects of the employee lifecycle, from attraction and onboarding through development, retention, and offboarding.

• Partner with studio and practice leadership to translate business objectives into actionable people strategies and workforce plans.

• Advise on organization design, talent deployment, and succession planning to strengthen leadership pipelines and long-term capability.

• Partner closely with the firmwide team to ensure local implementation aligns with firmwide strategy and standards.

Learning & Development Execution (Firmwide Programs)

• Act as the local executor of firmwide Learning & Development strategy-ensuring consistent delivery of training, professional development, and leadership programs created by the firmwide L&D team.

• Coordinate the rollout of manager training, leadership pathways, mentorship programs, and onboarding experiences.

• Promote participation and track outcomes to reinforce a culture of growth and development, linking learning efforts to performance and retention goals.

Talent Operations & Employee Experience

• Lead daily HR operations, including recruitment, onboarding, compensation guidance, benefits support, career pathing, performance management, recognition, and recordkeeping.

• Serve as a trusted resource to employees and leaders-coaching on feedback, communication, and navigating complex or sensitive issues.

• Champion fairness, consistency, and inclusivity across all people processes; actively support firmwide J.E.D.I. (Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) goals.

• Ensure compliance with employment legislation and company policy; escalate issues to Corporate HR as appropriate.

Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding

• Manage the full recruitment cycle: define needs with leaders, source and interview candidates, negotiate offers, and onboard new hires effectively.

• Partner with Communications and leadership to strengthen the studio's employer brand, highlighting our people and culture to attract top talent.

• Build diverse candidate pipelines and promote equitable hiring practices across disciplines and studios.

Data, Systems & Policy

• Maintain data accuracy within HRIS systems; generate and analyze reports on turnover, hiring, learning participation, and engagement.

• Use insights to identify trends, opportunities, and solutions for leadership action.

• Partner with firmwide HR to operationalize firmwide policies and ensure compliance across regions and offices.

Core Competencies

• Strategic mindset and business acumen

• Full lifecycle ownership and integrated HR thinking

• Growth mindset and commitment to continuous learning

• Strong interpersonal, facilitation, and coaching skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication

• Comfort navigating ambiguity and complex issues

• High emotional intelligence, discretion, and integrity

Technical Skills & Tools

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (including Teams)

• Experience with UKG Pro or equivalent HRIS platforms

• Familiarity with Deltek Vision and Cognos BI preferred

• Experience using LMS platforms and analytics dashboards

Education & Credentials

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Psychology, or related field

• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR credential strongly preferred

• 10+ years of progressive HR or HRBP experience within professional services, architecture, design, or related creative industries

We foster a culture that is diverse and inclusive and strive for pay practices that are fair, and competitive and reflect our commitment to pay equity. Our compensation decisions include but are not limited to a candidate's qualifications including skill sets, education, experience and training, licensure and certifications credentials if applicable, and business-related factors. This practice extends to all employees, including performance considerations for merit increases, job promotions, and transfer opportunities. We additionally review our pay practices; conduct pay equity audits and ensure our managers are trained in our pay practices on an annual basis. At the time of posting this job advertisement, the annual pay range for this position is between $110,000 - $145,000 commensurate with qualifications

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