Head of People, Studio

About BuzzFeed, Inc.

BuzzFeed, Inc. (Nasdaq: BZFD) is home to the best of the internet with a mission to spread joy and truth. Across entertainment, news, food, pop culture, and commerce, our brands drive conversation and inspire what audiences watch, read, and buy now — and into the future. Born on the internet in 2006, BuzzFeed, Inc. is committed to improving it: providing trusted, quality, brand-safe entertainment to hundreds of millions of people; making content on the internet more inclusive, empathetic, and creative; and inspiring our audience to live better lives. 

🐝🎥 BuzzFeed Studios: Where Stories Come to Life

BuzzFeed Studios brings stories to life for hundreds of millions around the world, creating entertainment across screens of all shapes and sizes. From social media to digital video, animation, podcasting, vertical micro-drama, television, and feature film, the studio leverages insights from its global audiences to create culturally relevant, high-quality content built for today's audiences. BuzzFeed Studios boasts an enormous social following and a vast portfolio of brands from BuzzFeed Celeb to Tasty, BuzzFeed Unsolved,  Cocoa Butter, the Animation Lab, and countless more.

Business Area: Content 

Job Category: Studio

Salary: $175,000.00- $200,000.00 USD

Union Status: Non-Union 

BuzzFeed Inc. is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. We reserve the ability to adjust the final compensation for this role based on the final candidate's experience, skillset, certifications, and geography.

The Community You Will Join

We are looking for an experienced and people-first Head of People to serve as the senior HR leader across our studio and production company. This is a broad, high-impact role that spans the full employee lifecycle — from talent acquisition and onboarding to total rewards, compliance, and culture. You will be both a strategic architect and a hands-on operator, equally comfortable advising leadership on org design and headcount strategy as you are ensuring day-to-day people operations run smoothly. This role is ideal for a seasoned HR leader who thrives in a creative, fast-moving environment and understands the unique dynamics of a studio and production business.

A Typical Day

Employee Relations & HR Business Partnering

• Serve as a trusted People Partner to leaders across Editorial, Production, Business Operations, Legal, and Finance — advising on performance management, conflict resolution, org design, and headcount planning.
• Lead HR investigations and propose appropriate resolutions, engaging internal or external legal counsel as needed.
• Oversee employment policy development, ensuring the Company Handbook, Code of Conduct, and all HR policies reflect current law and company values.
• Stay current on federal, state, and local employment law, proactively updating policies and practices to maintain compliance.
• Design and manage the annual performance review cycle, including merit increases, promotions, and off-cycle compensation adjustments.
• Develop and implement an employee leveling framework with clear compensation banding that scales with company growth.

Studio & Production Workforce Management

• Partner with production leadership to manage the contingent workforce, including freelancers, crew, and project-based talent — overseeing engagement, onboarding, and compliance.
• Advise on guild and union relations, ensuring adherence to applicable collective bargaining agreements (SAG-AFTRA, WGA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters) and timely resolution of labor-related matters.
• Draft, review, and manage employment and engagement agreements in collaboration with Legal and Business Affairs, including loan-out agreements, deal memos, and independent contractor arrangements.
• Maintain production workforce records, ensuring proper classification of all workers (employee vs. contractor) in compliance with federal and state regulations.
• Support production HR needs on active projects, including cast and crew onboarding, set HR policies, and workplace conduct standards.

Talent Acquisition

• Own end-to-end recruiting across all departments — staff, production, and executive-level roles — from job description to offer.
• Manage the Applicant Tracking System and careers page to ensure a best-in-class candidate experience.
• Partner with Marketing and social teams to build and amplify the company's employer brand in the creative and entertainment space.
• Provide compensation benchmarking and salary range guidance to hiri