Senior HR Manager in London

Location: London NW1 (Minimum 4 days per week in office)

DDA is a leading Agency in Creative Communications, specialising in entertainment. With offices in London, Los Angeles, New York and Dubai, we have experienced significant growth over the past few years with expansion across countries, teams and divisions.

We are now looking for a Senior HR manager who can help to embed process and procedure in our rapidly changing Company without losing the people focussed culture that has been fostered over the last 50 years. The post-holder will act as a central point of contact for people matters across the UK and US teams, balancing day-to-day HR delivery with Operational HR planning. This position requires a confident, experienced HR leader who fits with the DDA culture and is able to deliver to the needs of the business.

• Operational HR:
  • Develop, implement and maintain HR policies, procedures and systems to ensure compliance with UK and US employment legislation.
  • Provide day-to-day HR guidance to managers and employees across both UK and US operations where required.
  • Manage employee relations matters including grievances, disciplinaries, performance and absence.
  • Oversee HR administration and maintain accurate records via the Breathe HRIS.
  • Develop and manage inclusive and compliant recruitment processes, coordinating with external recruitment partners as needed.
  • Review and oversee onboarding and offboarding processes to ensure consistency and best practice.
  • Lead reviews of HR policy and documentation, ensuring they reflect the latest legal and cultural standards.
  • Introduce new policies as required and ensure standardisation (as much as possible) across Countries.
  • Roll out any recent and new policies to the team as required ensuring full understanding and compliance.
  • Develop and monitor key HR data, ensuring accurate and timely information is provided to the leadership team.
  • Support pay review processes, maintaining and enhancing salary frameworks and development plans to ensure fairness and consistency with business growth.
  • Ensure clear job descriptions are in place for each role within the Company allowing for greater clarity around career progression.
• Culture and Employee Experience:
  • Maintain and grow the culture that reflects DDA’s creative and collaborative spirit.
  • Help to deliver employee engagement surveys across the business, implementing action plans once the results are delivered.
  • Deliver initiatives that support employee growth, recognition and satisfaction.
  • Work with the Heads of Department to align objectives which support the Company vision.
  • Help to set and maintain a clear set of standards across the business.
  • Identify skill sets for each job level allowing for greater clarity in promotions.
  • Help to benchmark and identify key talent across the business allowing for merit based pay rises and promotions.
  • Identify succession planning for key roles across the business.
  • Work with Manager and others to create a strong training plan for all levels.

• Essential knowledge and experience:
  • Proven experience in a senior HR leadership role.
  • Demonstrable knowledge and experience of UK and US employment law, either in house or through close partnerships with legal counsel, with the ability to manage complex ER matters.
  • Experience designing and implementing Operational HR initiatives.
  • Demonstrable success in organisational development, policy development and implementation and culture management.
  • Experience overseeing and improving recruitment processes, with a focus on inclusivity and compliance.
  • Strong proficiency in HR systems and technologies, including HRIS (preferably Breathe).
  • Experience working across UK and US teams.
  • Empathetic and approachable, with strong emotional intelligence.
  • Able to build strong relationships that can support and influence the development of the business.
  • Proactive and solution-orientated mindset.
  • Adaptable and resilient in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
  • Commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.
• Technical skills:
  • Strategic thinking with the ability to align HR initiatives with business objectives.
  • Analytical skills to interpret HR metrics and inform decision-making.
  • Project management skills to lead HR projects from conception to completion.
  • Up-to-date knowledge of HR technologies and digital tools.
  • Strong working knowledge of key HR policies and their application in managing workplace issues.

• CIPD Level 7 qualification or equivalent.
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field is desirable.

• Establish and embed an effective in-house HR function.
• Build trusted, credible relationships with senior leaders and managers across the business.
• Stabilise and professionalise core people processes, policies and governance.
• Create consistency across UK and US HR practices while respecting local legal requirements.
• Put in place clear role structures, progression pathways and pay frameworks.
• Lay the foundations for sustainable talent development, succession planning and leadership capability.