People Advisor - Maternity Cover

Company description Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) is a world-famous creative agency that makes jaw-dropping, thumb-stopping, eye-opening work for brands across the globe. Founded in London in 1982, we now have offices in New York, Los Angeles, Stockholm, Mumbai, Singapore, and Shanghai. Our first ad for Levi’s showed a black sheep travelling in the opposite direction to a flock of white ones. That’s where we got our logo and our guiding philosophy: when the world zigs, zag. Why? Because it’s easy to zig, to go with the grain. It feels safe. It feels like the sensible thing to do. But the greater risk is failing to stand out. We believe in the power of difference to make a difference. Our goal is a simple one: make the best work in the world. That’s where you come in. We need rebels, dreamers, thinkers, mathematicians, makers, artists, visionaries, doers, observers, the different and the unreasonable. We need Black Sheep. People who want to make the hearts flutter and minds do flips, who can change businesses and culture. People who want to make a difference, come here for something different.

Overview Here at BBH we believe in the power difference - zagging, going against the grain, not accepting the status quo. It’s how we change brands and businesses. We’ve been doing it since 1981. We’ve made the public laugh, cry and their hearts flutter; we’ve made endlines, headlines, history, celebs and number ones in the charts - all to help our clients win at what they do. The secret to all of that is one thing: BBHers. The People Advisor plays a vital role in ensuring our People team runs smoothly, is visible across the agency, and remains approachable, proactive and trusted. You will provide high-quality HR support across BBH, acting as a go-to advisor for employees and managers while ensuring our processes are consistent, efficient and aligned with employment legislation. This is a maternity-cover position, offering the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in a creative, fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Employee Relations HR Advisory
  • Provide timely, high-quality HR advice to managers, supporting early and effective resolution of complex or sensitive employee relations issues.
  • Advise and coach managers on the application and interpretation of HR policies, ensuring consistency, accuracy and alignment with employment law.
  • Act as a trusted partner to employees and managers, addressing day-to-day HR queries covering performance, probation, sickness, pay and general staff matters.
  • Support the People Business partner and Senior Talent Partner in complex meetings, including formal note-taking.
  • Manage sickness absence processes, ensuring appropriate action, documentation and support for staff returning to work.
  • Support performance improvement, disciplinary, grievance, and capability processes where required.
  • Facilitate the probation process, including successful completions, extensions and exits.
• Operational HR & People Processes
  • Deliver reliable, compliant handling of HR matters in line with policy, legal requirements and best practice.
  • Partner with managers to support employee relations, performance management, resourcing and overall staff management.
  • Work closely with Re:Sources, our outsourced provider, maintaining smooth operational delivery.
  • Support monthly payroll processes and provide guidance on pay and benefit queries.
  • Manage maternity, paternity and Shared Parental Leave (SPL) processes.
  • Support organisational change activity, including restructures, redundancy and redeployment processes.
• Data, Systems & Reporting
  • Maintain accurate employee data across HR systems (Career Settings and others), ensuring all changes are recorded promptly.
  • Proactively monitor and report on sickness, holiday usage and other people data to the People Business Partner and Senior Talent Partner.
  • Support Gender Pay Gap reporting.
  • Ensure all HR documentation and casework complies with GDPR.
• Projects, Culture & Continuous Improvement
  • Support the wider People team in rolling out new initiatives and embedding people strategies across the organisation.
  • Build strong, collaborative relationships with managers to understand departmental needs and deliver effective support.
  • Lead or contribute to operational projects aimed at improving service delivery, including supporting development of team objectives and KPIs.
  • Support Global Mobility, including visa applications and employee relocations.
  • Stay current with employment legislation, assessing its impact on BBH.
  • Participate in professional development, performance reviews and training as required.
  • Help uphold a strong, positive perception of the People team within BBH and bring energy, curiosity and fun to your work.

Qualifications

• CIPD Level 5 qualification or above.
• 3 - 4+ years of proven HR experience, ideally within a creative, fast‑paced environment.
• Experience as an HR Advisor, HR Consultant or similar role.
• Strong case‑management capability with the ability to manage timelines, processes and stakeholder updates.
• Excellent knowledge of UK employment legislation and HR best practice.
• Strong communication and relationship‑building skills across all levels of the business.
• High standards of professionalism, discretion and confidentiality.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills, with hands‑on HR systems experience.
• A resilient, solutions‑focused approach with the confidence to work independently.
• Experience advising managers on a range of employee relations matters, including sensitive or confidential issues.
• Working knowledge of TUPE and redundancy processes is desirable.

Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

At BBH, when the world zigs, we zag. That belief in difference guides how we change brands, build teams and shape our culture. Equality, diversity and inclusion sit at the heart of how we operate. We proactively challenge prejudice and discrimination within our business, with our clients, in how we choose our partners, and in the work we create. Our people are our greatest strength. We welcome diverse talent at every level and empower everyone to bring their full selves to work, helping us grow, adapt and get better every day.