People & Talent Generalist (Contract Role, New York)

Location: NYC, Soho, in-office 4x days

Rate: $8,000 – $10,000/month

Who are we?

MATTE is a 360° creative studio at the convergence of hype, storytelling and design. We bring people together to inspire new ways of engaging, to provoke long term progress, and to entertain audiences around the world, while helping forward-thinking brands and institutions nimbly and truly do the same. Our studio capabilities range from strategic ideation and insights, creative development, branding and identity, experiential, web design and development, campaigns and content creation, all the way through full-scale production and execution.

About this role: 

We're a fast-growing creative agency at the intersection of culture, design, content, and experiences, and we're looking for a Contract People & Talent Generalist to join our People team this summer.

This role will partner closely with our Head of People & Culture to support both talent acquisition and people operations across the business. Approximately 80% of the role will focus on recruiting, with the remaining 20% dedicated to HR operations and employee experience initiatives.

You'll have meaningful ownership from day one—managing searches, partnering with hiring managers, supporting employee lifecycle processes, and helping scale the systems and programs that support our team.

What you'll own (≈80% — Recruiting)

• Run recruiting alongside the People Lead across creative, production, and other open roles — partnering on senior reqs and taking full ownership of mid-level reqs as you ramp
• Source candidates across LinkedIn, Behance, Vimeo, Dribbble, and rep agencies for creative/production roles
• Run phone screens, manage interview loops, and drive candidates through the funnel
• Partner with hiring managers on intake, scorecards, debriefs, and next steps
• Draft job descriptions, sourcing outreach, and offer letters
• Build and maintain candidate pipelines for ongoing roles
• Keep our ATS (Greenhouse) clean and reporting honest

What you'll own (≈20% — People Ops / HR)

• Onboard new hires and contractors end-to-end (offers, I-9s, system access, day-one experience)
• Manage day-to-day HRIS administration (Justworks)
• Field benefits and PTO questions, maintain employee documentation
• Help triage employee questions and route appropriately
• Support compliance (I-9s, EEO, state-specific requirements)
• Improve and document People processes as we grow

You're a fit if you have

• 2-4 years of experience across recruiting and People operations (some combination — full-cycle recruiting, talent ops, HR generalist work, or People generalist work)
• Real exposure to creative and/or production hiring — you've sourced, screened, or coordinated for creative or production roles and you have a working point of view on the talent
• Working knowledge of Greenhouse and Linkedin Recruiter is required.
• Self-starter instincts — you find the next thing to do without being told and you keep your own work organized
• Hunger to grow into a full-stack People generalist
• Comfort with the in-office, side-by-side rhythm of a team of two
• Genuine interest in creative and production work

Nice to have

• Experience at an in-house brand studio, creative agency, or production company
• Familiarity with creative sourcing platforms (The Dots, Behance, Vimeo)
• Coursework or certification in HR (aPHR, SHRM-CP, or in progress)

Everyone is welcome at MATTE - we’re passionate about building a team that reflects the diversity of our community and creating an environment where our differences are celebrated. MATTE provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, MATTE will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.