People Manager

Job Description

Job DescriptionRole Summary

• Salary: A starting salary of $83,000 to $85,000 per annum, depending on your previous experience (please note that we have established salary bands to ensure a fair and consistent approach for all applicants, eliminating the need for individual negotiations)
• Benefits: Discretionary profit share bonuses paid twice per year, hybrid and flexible working options, generous vacation allowance, private medical and dental insurance, 401K plan with up to a 5% employer contribution, life insurance, full funding and study leave for external training and more
• Role Type: Full-time or part-time, permanent role
• Start Date: The role will ideally commence in early 2026 with start dates available in February, March and April. You will be asked to state your availability in your application form
• Application Deadlines: The deadline for applications is January 18, 2026 with interviews taking place shortly after
• Location: This role is available in our Boston office

About the Role

Are you ready to shape the future of People operations in one of the US’s Top Places to Work? Do you thrive in fast-paced, high-growth environments where your impact is visible?

With offices in Boston, New York and, soon, Vancouver, we are seeking a proactive, enthusiastic and collaborative People Manager to join us. This brand new, pivotal role is your chance to manage People operations across the Americas in a high-growth, fast-paced environment. You’ll be the go-to expert for HR in the US and Canada, partnering with our global People team to deliver seamless processes, drive engagement, and shape the future of our workforce. Staying abreast of wider People trends in the industry and remaining passionate about high-quality delivery, you will act as a trusted adviser to colleagues across the business and should act with integrity and in a way that upholds trust and confidence in our People function.

We were recently awarded a spot in the US Top Places to Work in 2025 and have over 80 brilliant and ambitious colleagues based in Boston and New York. Our US team has grown rapidly since its establishment in 2020. This follows on from over 15 years operating across the UK and Asia. Our global expansion plans remain ambitious, with a small Canada office opening in Vancouver in early 2026.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Managing all US and Canada People processes to ensure they run successfully, compliantly and efficiently. This includes onboarding new starters, offboarding leavers, managing promotions, running employee engagement surveys, processing benefits, sickness/absence management, and more
• Managing a wide range of People projects for both the US/Canada and other global companies. Ensures that the Americas Director, Head of People and other key stakeholders remain informed about the progress of projects and can input where required
• Providing tailored, robust and responsive advice and employee relations expertise to colleagues on performance management, career development, absence management, wellbeing, workplace conduct and more. You will also recognize when escalation or external counsel is required
• Autonomously produce HR letters that are written appropriately, accurately researched, compliant with statutory regulations and company policy and show a high level of accuracy and attention to detail
• Driving process improvements to increase the efficiency within HR administration (e.g. utilizing technology and AI), whilst maintaining a high-quality service
• Actively staying abreast of HR/employment changes and trends, including societal and political factors. You will proactively feed this back to relevant Directors and the Head of People to ensure this translates to the actions of the People team and shapes the overall People and company strategy appropriately
• Maintaining strong relationships with external stakeholders, such as our benefits broker and legal counsel
• Supporting the development of our Boston-based People team, including being responsible for team satisfaction, wellbeing, workload, and enhances their development through regular contact, ongoing feedback, training and performance reviews. In due course, this may also include being a direct line manager to colleagues

Our standard working week is 40 hours, Monday to Friday, however we can also consider applicants looking for part-time hours of no less than 24 hours per week.

Hybrid Working Policy: We believe that having face-to-face time in the office holds many benefits and is central to ensuring that the community we have created, where people have a workplace they belong to and feel part of, is never lost. At the same time, we recognise that homeworking can improve work life balance, reduce commuting times and costs, and provide the opportunity to juggle personal commitments.

Therefore, we offer flexible working arrangements that allow our colleagues to work from home for up to half of the time, measured across a 2-week rolling period.

About Costello Medical

Costello Medical is a rapidly growing global healthcare agency specializing in medical communications, market access and health economic and outcomes research. We work with a wide range of clients, including the industry’s most successful pharmaceutical companies. We received B Corporation Accreditation in 2022. Please click here to learn more about us, our work and our mission: https://www.costellomedical.com/

Requirements

About You

We are looking for a candidate who is committed to high-quality, collaborative, and excited by the prospect of using their HR expertise to support with the successful functioning of a People team in a rapidly evolving company. The successful candidate should take pride in delivering an excellent service to colleagues. 

Essential requirements for the role are:

• At least 2-3 years’ professional experience in a relevant role in the US
• A degree level qualification in a relevant discipline (minimum GPA 3.3) or a relevant HR qualification, such as SHRM certification
• Strong knowledge of US employment law and HR best practice; experience in Massachusetts or New York desirable
• Extensive experience of managing a suite of HR processes across the entire employee lifecycle
• Proven capability in employee relations, with a track record of delivering high-quality and accurate HR advice to colleagues at varying levels of seniority
• Demonstrable experience of leading and managing HR projects, including mapping out project plans, timelines and resource, and successfully executing all steps through to completion. Exercises high levels of autonomy whilst recognising the need to collaborate at appropriate timepoints with key stakeholders
• Collaborative style of working and highly communicative with key stakeholders and managers
• Excellent written communication skills and numerical/financial literacy
• Courage to challenge, speak up when necessary and influence others, always carefully considering how best to protect the needs of the company

Benefits

Why Join Costello Medical as a People Manager?

Costello Medical is a rapidly growing global healthcare agency specialising in medical communications, market access, and health economics. Our vision is to be a leading global partner consistently striving for meaningful and outstanding contributions that improve people’s health and lives.

We strongly recognise the importance of exceptional People talent and believe we offer a unique platform for you to build a long-lasting career with us.

• Shape the Future: Take the lead in building and refining our People operations across the Americas. With our US team growing rapidly and new hires joining every month, you’ll have the chance to influence processes, culture, and strategy during an exciting period of expansion
• A chance to collaborate and influence: In a highly innovative and growing company, you’ll work closely with colleagues across the Americas and globally. Whether shaping onboarding experiences, advising on employee relations, or driving engagement initiatives, you’ll be the face of People operations in the US and Canada
• Develop cutting-edge HR skills: We are continuously evolving our People practices. From implementing new HR technologies and leveraging AI for process improvements to introducing innovative engagement strategies, you’ll gain hands-on experience and have the opportunity to lead change. You will also gain invaluable international exposure by collaborating with our People teams in the UK and Asia, broadening your experience beyond US HR practices
• Colleagues who respect and value you: Our teams deeply care about creating an exceptional workplace. Your expertise and guidance will be trusted and appreciated, making you an integral part of our culture and success
• We are invested in our culture: We live by our values—collaboration, integrity, and innovation—and have been recognised as one of the US Top Places to Work 2025. You’ll join a team that prioritises wellbeing, inclusivity, and professional growth.
• Contribute towards something meaningful: At Costello Medical, we are committed to improving health globally. By creating an outstanding employee experience, you enable our teams to deliver life-changing work for clients, patients, and communities worldwide.

What We Offer

Alongside our award-winning company culture, where every team member is celebrated, respected, and has their voice heard, we are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes:

• A starting salary of $83,000 to $85,000 per annum, depending on your previous experience, as well as a discretionary profit share bonus paid twice per year. Please note that we have established salary bands that ensures a fair and consistent approach for all applicants, eliminating the need for individual negotiations
• 23 days’ vacation leave increasing by 1 day each year to a maximum of 27 days. 6 public holidays plus 1 floating vacation day to use on a holiday of your choosing
• Flexible working hours and the chance to work from home for up to half of your working time
• Private medical insurance with a company contribution, as well as dental and vision cover, and life insurance
• Retirement savings via a 401k plan with up to a 5% employer match
• Paid funding for external education, and study leave
• Paid and unpaid sabbaticals based on length of service
• Regular company-funded social activities

Please click here to learn about our full reward package and the other benefits of working for Costello Medical: https://www.costellomedical.com/careers/benefits-package-in-the-uk/

The Application Process

You are required to submit your resume and a cover letter via our online application form by January 18, 2026. In your cover letter, you must explain why you think you would be suited to the role and why you would like to join Costello Medical, with examples to support both. Your resume should clearly state the dates of all qualifications and grades achieved where applicable.

Then, our recruitment process includes an assessment and interview. Please note that the successful candidate may be required to undergo security/background checks, and any employment offer will be conditional on the results of these. Our standard recruitment process lasts around 1 month, however this can be adapted if necessary.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce and, throughout the recruitment process, there are a number of reasonable adjustments we can provide. Please click here to learn more.

Please note that, whilst we embrace AI to innovate and improve processes, your role may involve confidential data that cannot be uploaded to AI. Therefore, it is important for us to assess your own skills and abilities, so we recommend that you do not rely solely on this technology to generate any application materials.

Visa Sponsorship

We welcome applications from international candidates, but we cannot provide visa sponsorship for working visas. Therefore, you must have the right to work in the US independently from the company. However, we do consider those on a temporary visas.