The Chicago Studio Talent Manager acts as a strategic partner and trusted advisor to studio leadership—championing the full employee lifecycle, aligning HR strategy with business goals, and fostering a culture of growth and development throughout the organization.
In this dual strategic and hands-on role, the Talent Manager ensures that people programs and processes enhance the studio’s performance and culture. This includes translating firmwide HR and L&D strategies into local action, guiding leaders on organizational priorities, and supporting an inclusive, equitable, and high-performing environment.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic HR Partnership & Lifecycle Ownership
- Serve as the primary HR business partner for the studio—owning all aspects of the employee lifecycle, from attraction and onboarding through development, retention, and offboarding.
- Partner with studio and practice leadership to translate business objectives into actionable people strategies and workforce plans.
- Advise on organization design, talent deployment, and succession planning to strengthen leadership pipelines and long-term capability.
- Partner closely with the firmwide team to ensure local implementation aligns with firmwide strategy and standards.
Learning & Development Execution (Firmwide Programs)
- Act as the local executor of firmwide Learning & Development strategy—ensuring consistent delivery of training, professional development, and leadership programs created by the firmwide L&D team.
- Coordinate the rollout of manager training, leadership pathways, mentorship programs, and onboarding experiences.
- Promote participation and track outcomes to reinforce a culture of growth and development, linking learning efforts to performance and retention goals.
Talent Operations & Employee Experience
- Lead daily HR operations, including recruitment, onboarding, compensation guidance, benefits support, career pathing, performance management, recognition, and recordkeeping.
- Serve as a trusted resource to employees and leaders—coaching on feedback, communication, and navigating complex or sensitive issues.
- Champion fairness, consistency, and inclusivity across all people processes; actively support firmwide J.E.D.I. (Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) goals.
- Ensure compliance with employment legislation and company policy; escalate issues to Corporate HR as appropriate.
Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding
- Manage the full recruitment cycle: define needs with leaders, source and interview candidates, negotiate offers, and onboard new hires effectively.
- Partner with Communications and leadership to strengthen the studio’s employer brand, highlighting our people and culture to attract top talent.
- Build diverse candidate pipelines and promote equitable hiring practices across disciplines and studios.
Data, Systems & Policy
- Maintain data accuracy within HRIS systems; generate and analyze reports on turnover, hiring, learning participation, and engagement.
- Use insights to identify trends, opportunities, and solutions for leadership action.
- Partner with firmwide HR to operationalize firmwide policies and ensure compliance across regions and offices.
Core Competencies
- Strategic mindset and business acumen
- Full lifecycle ownership and integrated HR thinking
- Growth mindset and commitment to continuous learning
- Strong interpersonal, facilitation, and coaching skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Comfort navigating ambiguity and complex issues
- High emotional intelligence, discretion, and integrity
Technical Skills & Tools
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (including Teams)
- Experience with UKG Pro or equivalent HRIS platforms
- Familiarity with Deltek Vision and Cognos BI preferred
- Experience using LMS platforms and analytics dashboards
Education & Credentials
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Psychology, or related field
- SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR credential strongly preferred
- 10+ years of progressive HR or HRBP experience within professional services, architecture, design, or related creative industries
We foster a culture that is diverse and inclusive and strive for pay practices that are fair, and competitive and reflect our commitment to pay equity. Our compensation decisions include but are not limited to a candidate’s qualifications including skill sets, education, experience and training, licensure and certifications credentials if applicable, and business-related factors. This practice extends to all employees, including performance considerations for merit increases, job promotions, and transfer opportunities. We additionally review our pay practices; conduct pay equity audits and ensure our managers are trained in our pay practices on an annual basis. At the time of posting this job advertisement, the annual pay range for this position is between $110,000 - $145,000 commensurate with qualifications
*Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Perkins&Will has established and adopted an Equal Employment Opportunity Employment policy (“EEO”), which is part of the Company’s Human Resources Policy. The purpose of this EEO policy is to ensure that all employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis, and without regard to sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, gender reassignment, citizenship, pregnancy or maternity, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state, or local law. In some cases, local laws and regulations may provide greater protections than those outlined here and employees will be covered by the laws of their local jurisdiction.
Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision
Perkins&Will will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.
#LI-KR1
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
Perkins&Will Chicago, Illinois, USA Office
410 North Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, United States, 60611
Similar Jobs
What you need to know about the Chicago Tech Scene
Key Facts About Chicago Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 245,800; 5.2% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: McDonald’s, John Deere, Boeing, Morningstar
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, fintech, software, logistics technology
- Funding Landscape: $2.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Arch Venture Partners, MATH Venture Partners, Jump Capital, Hyde Park Venture Partners
- Research Centers and Universities: Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Institute of Technology, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
