Senior Director, Operations + People (New York)

CATAMARAN

Senior Director, Operations + People

Full-time NYC metro Hybrid, 2x/week $135k-$155k + bonus

THE OPPORTUNITY

A newly created position at Catamaran, the Senior Director of Operations + People is a dual-function role responsible for overseeing all human resources functions and day-to-day business operations at the agency. This person will serve as a strategic partner to agency leadership, ensuring the organization runs efficiently while building a strong, supportive employee experience. The ideal candidate has spent 8-10 years working within a PR or advertising agency environment, in a role that supports operational or business-management duties — and understands firsthand the unique rhythms, staffing models, and client-service pressures of agency life.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

HR & Internal Comms

• Lead full-cycle talent acquisition, including job postings, interviewing, and negotiation for all agency roles; attend industry networking events to cultivate new talent.
• Develop proactive talent pipelines for current and anticipated hiring needs.
• Manage all internal communications, draft contracts for independent contractors.
• Own onboarding and offboarding processes, including orientation, paperwork, and exit interviews.
• Manage employee relations, conflict resolution, and performance management processes, including monthly check-ins, annual performance reviews, and PIPs.
• Administer compensation and benefits programs, including annual reviews, open enrollment, PTO, parental leave, and payroll coordination.
• Develop and enforce HR policies and the employee handbook, ensuring compliance with NY, NYC, California, and federal employment law.
• Champion agency culture and employee engagement programming, including overseeing monthly Lunch+Learns and After Hours initiatives.
• Oversee logistics for the agency’s scholarship and internship program.
• Oversee professional development, training, and mentorship programs.
• Manage HRIS system (Justworks) and maintain accurate employee records.
• Lead planning for company offsites and special events (i.e. Take Your Children to Work Day).

Operations

• Oversee day-to-day agency operations, including office management, facilities, relationship with building management, industry memberships, Catamaran website updates, and vendor relationships, building scalable processes as the agency grows.
• Manage agency systems and tools (project management, time-tracking, expenses, HRIS, media databases, and all vendor/platform contracts).
• Manage IT, including computer hardware setup, onboarding, etc, and managing team access to various agency tools.
• Support staffing and resource allocation planning across account teams in partnership with account leads.
• Identify and implement process improvements to increase organizational efficiency
• Ensure compliance with insurance, licensing, lease, and other administrative/legal requirements.
• Support new business and client onboarding logistics as needed.
• Serve as a key member of the leadership team, contributing to overall agency strategy and growth planning.
• Spearhead industry awards submissions and industry surveys.

WHAT YOU BRING

• 8-10 years of professional experience, with meaningful time spent working at a public relations or advertising agency in an operations role that combined HR and operational responsibilities — required.
• Must be based in, or willing to work from, the New York metro area.
• The ideal candidate is both strategic and highly execution-oriented, comfortable moving between organizational planning, recruiting, employee relations, performance management, and day-to-day people operations.
• Experience with staffing plans, utilization rates, or account team structuring is a strong plus.
• Demonstrated experience managing agency operations, budgets, and vendor relationships.
• Excellent judgment, discretion, and interpersonal skills; ability to build trust across all levels of the organization; track record of sound judgment and confidentiality.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills, with the ability to juggle competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with HRIS platforms and standard office/project-management software.
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• PHR/SHRM-CP certification is a plus, but not required.
• Comfortable using AI-driven tools and platforms to support initiatives; curiosity to continuously test and adopt new technologies.
• Collaborative, solutions-oriented mindset, consistently monitoring effective initiatives by other communications agencies for potential implementation at Catamaran.
• Exceptional written, verbal and presentation skills.
• Highly organized, self-starter, proactive and adaptable in a fast-paced, high-energy environment; able to work independently while thriving as part of a team.
• Direct experience managing compliance in NYC, New York state (and California a plus). 

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Salary: $135k-$155k, commensurate with experience, plus performance bonus.

• Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage
• Paid parental leave
• 401k with company match
• Generous PTO, paid holidays and volunteer time off
• Professional growth and development programs
• Charitable giving benefit
• Flexible hybrid schedule (2 days/week in NYC office for NY metro area-based employees)

ABOUT CATAMARAN

Formerly the PR practice at Confidant, Catamaran launched as a stand-alone earned-first agency in January 2026. Based in NYC, clients include Amazon, Shake Shack, Chobani, La Colombe, Aura, BARK/BarkBox, Patreon, Nature’s Garden, Michaels, Edible Arrangements, and others. 

As we continue to grow, we're looking for a Senior Director of Operations + People to help scale our people practices and operational infrastructure while preserving the culture that makes our agency a great place to work.

Catamaran is an independent agency in the Nostos Network, and has been recognized with industry awards and shortlists for our work and workplace by PRWeek, PRovoke, PR News, PR Net, and Inc. Learn more at catamarancomms.com

Sound like you? We’d love to hear from you.

catamarancomms.com

Equal Opportunity Employer

At Catamaran, delivering our best work begins with being accepting of each other. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.