People & Performance Manager (Maternity Cover) in Manchester

We’re Tangerine – a team of 100+ content creators, digital planners, strategists, designers, creatives and consultants who help brands solve problems, think differently and truly connect with people.

Our vision is simple:

To be the specialist communications agency top brands want to work with — and the place the most talented people want to work for.

Culture sits at the heart of how we do that. We’re passionate about delivering meaningful, standout work and we empower our people to think freely, push creativity and continually test, learn and grow. That means clients get the results they want — and our people get to show just how talented they are.

And as the first majority employee‑owned agency in the UK, everyone at Tangerine has a real say in how our business is run. We invest in wellbeing, learning and internal initiatives that help people thrive - and it’s one of the reasons people choose to stay and build their careers with us.

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced People & Performance Manager to join us on a 12-month maternity cover, and we welcome applications from candidates seeking either full-time or part-time opportunities.

This is a hands‑on, high‑impact role for someone who can keep the People function moving with clarity, pace and care. You’ll take ownership of the employee experience, supporting the ongoing learning, development and engagement of our teams, while providing operational leadership across core People activities.

Working closely with managers and employees across the business, you'll help maintain momentum on our People roadmap, ensuring continuity, consistency and a great experience for our people throughout the maternity cover period.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide operational leadership for the People & Performance function, ensuring continuity, accountability and effective decision‑making throughout the maternity cover period.
• Lead the delivery of the People & Performance roadmap, translating strategic priorities into practical, measurable outcomes across the business.
• Act as a trusted partner to leaders and managers, providing expert guidance on employee relations, organisational challenges and people‑related decision making.
• Oversee complex employee relations matters, ensuring risks are managed appropriately and outcomes align with both employment law and company values.
• Maintain People governance, policies and compliance activities, ensuring frameworks remain effective, legally compliant and reflective of Tangerine's culture.
• Ensure the effective operation of People systems, reporting and data management, using insight and metrics to support informed business decisions and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Oversee recruitment operations and workforce planning activity, ensuring an efficient, high‑quality candidate and hiring manager experience.
• Drive the delivery of learning, development and capability‑building initiatives that strengthen manager effectiveness and support business performance.
• Oversee Tangerine's reward, recognition and benefits framework, ensuring a consistent, engaging and commercially effective approach that supports employee wellbeing, retention and employer brand.
• Champion continuous improvement across People processes, systems and ways of working, identifying opportunities to enhance efficiency, scalability and employee experience.
• Maintain momentum on key People initiatives, ensuring agreed objectives and priorities are delivered effectively during the maternity leave period.

How you will work:

• Be visible, approachable and responsive for managers and employees across the business.
• Work closely with the P&P Partner so that operational activity, business partnering, engagement, performance and talent priorities stay connected.
• Collaborate with senior leaders to maintain a people‑focused culture and support the ongoing employee experience.
• Bring structure and pace to day‑to‑day delivery while remaining flexible to changing business needs.

Experience:

• A degree or equivalent qualification in Human Resources Management
• Solid generalist experience in HR
• Experience of managing and leading a HR function
• Sound employment law knowledge
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise own workload
• Line management experience is beneficial

Schedule:

• We are open to full‑time and part‑time applicants

What we offer:

• A healthy annual training budget
• 25 days annual leave + your birthday off
• Wellbeing day off once a quarter
• Late start/early finish once a quarter
• Health Insurance
• Contributory pension scheme

Open to all

We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace were everyone can thrive and help enhance the way we work through their unique perspectives and experiences.