People Operations Partner - 1 year FTC

About WPP

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com.

Are you passionate about delivering exceptional employee experiences and ensuring seamless HR operations? Do you thrive in a dynamic environment where you can both shape people processes and contribute to a vibrant office culture? Would you like to be a critical operational hub within a leading global agency? Then you might be just the People Operations Partner we’re looking for!

* please note this is a fixed term contract for 1 year* 

What will your day look like?

A People Operations Partner at VML MAP Toronto serves as a critical operational hub within the People Experience team, delivering end-to-end HR operational excellence while overseeing the day-to-day running of the office. This role is responsible for ensuring the seamless, compliant, and efficient delivery of people operations; spanning the full employee lifecycle, alongside overseeing office operations and culture in Toronto as the local POC.

More specifically, your tasks include:

People Operations:

• Manage end-to-end employee lifecycle operations, including joiner, mover, and leaver processes; ensuring all documentation, system workflows, and internal handovers are accurate, compliant, and consistently executed.
• Own and execute employment documentation; draft, distribute, and securely store offer letters, contracts, addendums, and freelance agreements, ensuring all templates are current and processes are clearly mapped.
• Act as a subject matter expert for HiBob our HR platform, ensuring its effective use and integration with People Operations tools and processes, and that data accuracy is maintained across all platforms.
• Generate and proactively share actionable insights using HiBob reports and dashboards, presenting findings clearly to People Partners and stakeholders to support informed decision-making.
• Lead specific workstreams within People Operations projects, contributing to execution planning, identifying process improvement opportunities, and supporting the rollout of strategic people initiatives.
• Ensure alignment with local country processes, VML, and WPP standards, staying current on regulatory requirements and proactively adapting MAP's ways of working to remain compliant and effective.

Office Management:

• Lead onboarding and re-onboarding experiences for Toronto-based new joiners and employees returning from extended leave, ensuring a warm, organized, and culturally consistent welcome.
• Support the Senior Office Administrator in planning and hosting of office events and People & Culture initiatives, contributing to a positive, inclusive, and engaging in-office experience.
• Maintain internal Canada-specific resources, ensuring employees have access to accurate, current guidance on benefits, IT, and HR processes.
• Serve as the point of escalation for inquiries and communications related to facilities and office operations, and WPP facilities management.

People Management & Team Contribution:

• Lead and develop the Senior Office Administrator through regular one-to-ones, clear goal-setting, day-to-day coaching, and structured performance support, ensuring both operational excellence and the individual's professional growth.
• Foster a positive, accountable, and high-performing working relationship with your direct report, modeling VML MAP's values and People Experience standards in every interaction.
• Informally mentor and support junior People Operations colleagues, sharing knowledge, best practices, and guidance on both routine tasks and more complex cases.
• Champion continuous improvement by proactively identifying and implementing enhancements to processes, documentation, and service delivery within People Operations.
• Model organizational values and advocate for People Experience team initiatives, fostering a culture of inclusion, transparency, and high performance.

Who are you going to work with?

You will be a critical member of our People Experience team, reporting directly to our VP of people. You will also lead and develop one direct report, our Senior Office Administrator, fostering a collaborative and high-performing dynamic. You will regularly interact with People Partners, stakeholders across our Copenhagen office, and employees at all levels, serving as a trusted point of contact for people operations and office management.

What do you bring to the table?

As a person, you are highly organized with exceptional attention to detail and a consistent track record of accountability. You demonstrate strong judgment in problem-solving by analyzing data and evaluating identifiable factors. You communicate clearly and persuasively — both verbally and in writing — with the ability to present insights and recommendations confidently to internal stakeholders at all levels. Empathetic, pragmatic, and collaborative, you build trusted relationships across all levels of the organization and navigate sensitive conversations with diplomacy. You are comfortable working across time zones and global teams, with strong cultural awareness and the ability to flex between strategic thinking and hands-on execution. Above all, you are trustworthy and treat sensitive information with the utmost respect.

In addition, you have:

• 4 - 5 years of related experience in People Operations, Human Resources lead or a similar HR function; ideally in an agency or matrix organization.
• Proficiency with HRIS systems (HiBob experience strongly preferred).
• Expert proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• A Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field (considered an asset and preferred).
• Professional HR certification (e.g., CIPD, SHRM-CP, PHR) is a plus.
• Experience working in a global, fast-paced agency or consultancy environment is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience leading a specific process improvement initiative or project workstream is an asset.
• Prior experience managing or formally mentoring a direct report is preferred.

A leader in personalized customer experiences

VML MAP is a world-leading Centre of Excellence that helps businesses humanize the relationship between the brand and the customer through hyper personalization at scale, marketing automation and CRM. With the brain of a consultancy, the heart of an agency and the power of technology and data, we work with some of the world's most admired brands to help them on their transformation journey to becoming truly customer-centric. Together, we are 1000 + technology specialists, data scientists, strategic thinkers, consultants, operations experts, and creative minds from 55+ nationalities.

A global network

We are part of the global VML network that encompasses more than 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 60+ markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences.

WPP (VML MAP) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. 

For more information, please visit our website, and follow VML MAP on our social channels via Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

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