People & Culture Partner

VML South Africa; Fatih; Hybrid; USD 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

VML South Africa is seeking a People and Culture Partner in Istanbul to lead HR management. This role demands a strategic HR expert to enhance employee engagement, implement people strategies, and navigate complex HR issues. Your experience in high-velocity environments and expertise in HR policies will be vital for driving culture transformation and supporting our leadership team effectively.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of relevant HR experience.
• Strong interpersonal and data-driven decision-making skills.
• Excellent command of Turkish & English.

Responsibilities

• Partner with leaders to implement HR strategies.
• Drive culture transformation and manage employee engagement initiatives.
• Act as an employment law expert handling employee relations cases.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Collaboration

Communication

Data-driven decision-making

Problem solving

Education

Masters in HR or related field

Job description

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse.

Our global family now encompasses over 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences. Our expertise spans the entire customer journey, offering deep insights in communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, CX, data, production, and technology. We deliver end-to-end solutions that result in revolutionary work.

The People and Culture Partner is responsible for providing critical partnership to our leaders and managers and executing people strategies that accelerate business objectives and enable our growth. In this role, you'll be acting as a culture gatekeeper and taking full ownership of the HR management.

What you’ll be doing:

• Partner and build relationships with key stakeholders, acting as the point of contact for people managers
• Analyse, plan and align with the Finance department on compensation and benefit offerings
• Provide the necessary talent acquisition solutions to ensure a consistent workflow
• Develop, drive and implement local initiatives to sustain employee engagement and satisfaction
• Understand business objectives and provide an HR perspective on employment-related matters
• Empower employees & modernise HR policies and practices
• Drive culture transformation
• Build and execute talent-related processes that drive a high-performance and growth culture focused on development (e.g. goal setting, feedback culture, career paths)
• Work closely with the leadership team on organisational design, change management, people strategy and employee engagement
• Collaborate across various internal stakeholder groups within and outside the People team (e.g. Talent Acquisition, Finance) to drive a seamless people strategy around the employee lifecycle
• Use people metrics to drive key insights and decisions for talent growth and retention
• Coach and mentor managers across the organisation on best practices in building a people-first organisation and improving leadership capabilities
• Act as an employment law expert, take ownership of employee relations cases and ensure current employment law and best practices are embedded into all policies and business processes

What you’ll need:

• Minimum 8 years of relevant HR experience, preferably in a fast-paced, growth environment
• Experience executing (and ideally designing) change management, performance management, leadership coaching, total rewards processes
• Strong interpersonal, collaboration and communication skills with the ability to build relationships at all levels of the organisation
• Data-driven decision-maker and pragmatic problem solver who can find the root causes of issues and gain leadership support to address them
• Proven ability to manage priorities among multiple stakeholders and multitask or re-prioritise as needed in a high-velocity environment
• Experience collaborating in a matrixed environment and driving consensus and momentum amongst key stakeholders
• Solid understanding of local HR rules and obligations
• Project management skills, ability to navigate complex agenda, setting right priorities
• Ability to combine a strategic mindset with a hands-on attitude
• Excellent command of Turkish & English
• Values diversity and believes strongly in creating an inclusive environment

#LI-EMEA

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

When you click "Submit Application", this will send any information you add below to VML. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through ourRecruitment Privacy Policy . California residents should read ourCalifornia Recruitment Privacy Notice . This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and, how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it.

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When you click "Submit Application", this will send any information you add below to VML. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through our Recruitment Privacy Policy . California residents should read our California Recruitment Privacy Notice . This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and, how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it.