Senior Manager, People Business Partner

Senior Manager, People Business Partner

At Highwire, we don't just talk about culturewe build it. As the premier mid size B2B communications and marketing agency, we recognize that our people are our greatest asset. Our People Team is at the heart of everything we do, ensuring we attract, develop, and retain top talent while fostering an environment where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to do their best work.

As we continue to evolve, we're looking for a People Business Partner to help strengthen our employee experience, support leaders and teams, and drive thoughtful, scalable people practices across the agency. Reporting to the Head of People, this role will serve as a key People partner supporting our San Francisco office and remote employee population, while managing 12 direct reports.

This role will help shape how Highwire scales its people practices, develops leaders, and operationalizes a high-performing employee experience across a growing organization. The ideal candidate understands that strong People practices are critical drivers of employee engagement, retention, operational effectiveness, and business performance.

This is a role for someone who can assess situations thoughtfully, ask the right questions, identify root causes, and move work forward with a high level of ownership and accountability. The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced environments, balances strategic thinking with hands-on execution, and knows how to navigate complex employee matters with professionalism, empathy, and sound judgment.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted People partner to employees and leaders across the San Francisco office and remote workforce.
• Lead Highwire's performance management strategy, ensuring it fosters growth, accountability, and clear career pathways.
• Partner with leadership to create a structured yet flexible feedback culture that drives engagement and performance.
• Manage employee relations matters with professionalism and sound judgment, offering proactive support to managers and employees.
• Champion manager enablement programs that help leaders coach, support, and retain top talent.
• Conduct exit interviews, identify trends, and help drive actionable improvements across the employee experience.
• Support strategic talent and employee engagement initiatives across the agency.

• Bring strong operational expertise across payroll, benefits, leave of absence administration, and HR compliance.
• Own compliance efforts across multiple states, ensuring policies and practices remain current, compliant, and consistently applied.
• Partner closely with the broader People Team to ensure employees and managers receive timely, accurate, and thoughtful support.
• Support policy interpretation, documentation, investigations, and employee communications as needed.
• Navigate sensitive employee matters with professionalism, discretion, and strong follow-through.

• Lead office attendance tracking and compliance efforts, ensuring alignment with Highwire's hybrid work strategy and expectations.
• Collaborate with leadership to refine and operationalize hybrid workplace practices that support both employee experience and business priorities.
• Use workforce insights and data to identify trends, improve engagement, and support organizational decision-making.

• Partner cross-functionally to support DIBs programming, employee engagement initiatives, and culture-building efforts.
• Support the agency's intern program through candidate interviews, manager partnership, program coordination, and performance support.
• Help strengthen talent programs and people processes that improve scalability, consistency, and employee development.

• Manage and support 12 direct reports, providing coaching, development, prioritization support, and ongoing feedback.
• Identify and implement People process improvements focused on efficiency, scalability, and employee experience.
• Partner with Finance, IT, and Operations to improve workflows, reporting, and workforce planning processes.
• Support change management efforts related to People programs, systems, policies, and operational initiatives.
• Bring a solutions-oriented mindset to operational and people-related challenges, proactively identifying opportunities for improvement.

Who You Are

• You're highly accountable and consistently follow through.
• You're comfortable navigating ambiguity and solving problems without waiting for direction.
• You combine empathy with sound judgment and professionalism.
• You know how to build trust while also holding teams accountable.
• You're operationally strong but people-centered in how you approach decisions.
• You can zoom out strategically while still driving execution.
• You thrive in fast-paced environments where priorities evolve and adaptability matters.

Success Factors

• 6+ years of HR Business Partner, People Partner, or related HR experience, ideally in an agency, professional services, or fast-paced environment.
• Experience leading or mentoring team members, with strong coaching and people development skills.
• Strong expertise in employee relations, performance management, payroll, benefits, leave of absence administration, and HR compliance.
• Proven critical thinking, problem-solving, organizational, and follow-through skills.
• Ability to assess situations thoughtfully, navigate ambiguity, balance competing priorities, and make sound decisions in a fast-moving environment.
• Strong coaching and communication skills, with the ability to influence and build trust across all levels of the organization.
• Experience supporting both in-office and remote employee populations.
• Strong operational acumen with the ability to balance strategy and execution.
• Experience with HR and people systems such as Rippling, Greenhouse, and Trainual strongly preferred.
• Experience conducting interviews and supporting intern or early career programs preferred.
• Experience supporting DIBs, employee engagement, or culture initiatives preferred.
• M&A or integration experience is a plus.
• Private equity-backed company experience and a strong understanding of value creation initiatives is a plus.
• Agency experience is strongly preferred.

The salary range for this position is $100,000 to $130,000, with the final offer based on a combination of factors, including education, relevant experience, skills, prior training, internal equity, and local geographic market data. This role also includes a competitive benefits package with medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) matching, generous paid time off, and additional perks designed to support your overall well-being and growth.

About Highwire

Highwire is a strategic marketing communications agency at the intersection of innovation and industry. We partner with ambitious companies and established brands to navigate complexity, lead markets, and grow with purpose. With integrated expertise in strategic marketing and communications, corporate reputation, creative, and insights, we cut through the noise to deliver bold ideas and measurable impact across B2B technology, healthcare, cybersecurity, energy, professional and financial services, and more.

At Highwire, we believe that storytelling fuels transformation. We know that the most impactful stories represent all voices and perspectives. As a values-driven agency, we foster an inclusive environment where everyoneregardless of age, race/ethnicity, size, shape, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion and different abilitiescan feel safe, celebrated and worthy.

We ensure that every Highwire Walker has the requisite support to soar in their careers. Our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging is foundational and embedded in our business and culture. We aspire to change our industry and build a better future for all.

Our people-first culture is driven by four core values:

• Team Empowerment
• Growth Mindset
• Inclusion Always
• Fierce Distinction

We're looking for individuals with big ideas, strong opinions, and the energy to bring them to life. If you thrive in an environment that values personal accountability, high standards, and boundless motivation, this is the opportunity for you. Be part of our award-winning culture and contribute to an exciting and growing business where you can make a real impact.

Highwire. Above all.

Our people-first culture is reflected in the meaningful benefits, flexibility, and support we offer:

• Competitive salary with merit-based opportunities for growth
• Flexible hybrid work model tailored to your schedule and lifestyle
• Generous vacation policy, including extended summer and winter breaks
• Early log-off on Fridays through our Empower Hours program
• 401(k) plan with employer matching
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and