Minor in advertising. Major in mattering.
Academy is a full-service, social-first agency that makes brands matter to the people who matter most to them.
We’re on a mission to connect what brands have to say with what people actually care about - through best-in-class strategy, creativity, and cultural insight.
We’re growing, and with that comes the need to be more intentional about how we hire, support, and develop our team.
Academy is looking for a People & Culture Manager to help us do exactly that.
This job is not easy. But it’s meaningful. It’s hands-on. It’s a constant pursuit of betterment - for the agency and for the people in it. And it’s a chance to build an environment where smart, capable people can do the best work of their careers.
About the Role This is a high-impact, hands-on role reporting to the President.
You’ll own the full employee lifecycle - from hiring great people, to helping managers lead better, to building the systems and structure that make the agency run more effectively.
You’ll operate as the sole HR / People lead, which means being proactive, resourceful, and comfortable figuring things out without a playbook. You won’t just run processes - you’ll build and improve them.
You’ll work alongside our Ops function (focused on process and resourcing), while owning everything related to people, performance, and culture.
Success in this role looks like a healthy, high-performing, and engaged team, with clear expectations, strong management, and a culture that supports great work.
On a day-to-day basis, the People & Culture Manager will be responsible for:Hiring & Talent
Own end-to-end hiring across creative, strategy, and client-facing teams (account management, production, partnerships)
Partner with leadership to define roles, scorecards, and interview processes
Improve the speed and quality of hiring while maintaining a strong candidate experience
Build consistent, scalable hiring practices and workflows
Employee Experience & Culture
Maintain a strong pulse on team morale, engagement, and overall experience
Act as a connector between leadership and the broader team
Help define and reinforce what makes Academy, Academy
Support team rituals, offsites, and cultural initiatives
Identify friction points across the employee journey - and fix them
Performance & High Standards
Build and run performance review cycles and feedback processes
Support managers in goal setting, professional development, and performance conversations
Coach team leads through real-world people challenges
Help establish and maintain a high bar for performance across the agency (including addressing underperformance when needed)
People Operations & Compensation
Support salary benchmarking, compensation planning, offer letter creation, development, and promotions
Manage and evolve core HR processes and policies to ensure compliance, consistency and scalability as we grow
Oversee benefits administration while continuously evaluating and enhancing offerings to support employee wellbeing and retention
Develop and refine onboarding and offboarding processes that enhance the employee lifecycle experience
Maintain and improve employee documentation (contracts, handbook, policies)
Compliance & Employee Relations
Ensure compliance with Ontario employment standards and regulations
Handle employee relations matters with sound judgment and discretion
Support sensitive situations (leaves, terminations, conflicts) appropriately and professionally
Systems, Structure & Growth
Act as a strategic partner to leadership, providing guidance on people strategy, organizational design, and team effectiveness to support business goals
Implement and manage HR tools (HRIS, ATS), including HiBob
Build scalable processes and automate HR workflows as we grow beyond 50+ people
Support leadership with organizational clarity (roles, responsibilities, team structure)
Help source and coordinate external resources (e.g., training, development, coaching) to support team growth
Successful candidates will have:5–8+ years in HR, People Ops, or Talent, ideally in a small or growing company
Comfortable operating as a solo HR function with a high degree of ownership
Strong generalist experience across hiring, performance, and employee experience
Experience building or improving processes from the ground up
Experience working in an agency, creative, or professional services environment
Experience partnering closely with founders or senior leadership
Strong understanding of compensation practices, including offers, promotions, and benchmarking
Experience implementing or managing HR systems (e.g., HiBob or similar), with a strong interest in becoming an expert and maximizing system capabilities
Resourceful and proactive - you know what good looks like and can figure out how to get there
Strong judgment and ability to navigate ambiguity
Ability to balance empathy with accountability and business needs
Solid understanding of Canadian (Ontario) employment practices
Why This Role Matters
You’ll shape how we build our team - and how we show up for each other day-to-day.
Done well, this role creates the conditions for better work, stronger teams, and a more resilient, scalable agency.
