HR Business Partner

Job Description:

This is the HR seat at the table for our Norwegian business. You’ll be the person leaders call when they need a thinking partner — the one who coaches, challenges, and helps them turn ambition into action. Sometimes that means sparring on a tricky people decision over coffee. Sometimes it means rolling up your sleeves on a sensitive case. Always, it means owning the local people agenda end-to-end.

You’ll work shoulder-to-shoulder with our HR expert network across the Nordics and globally — drawing on their depth, but bringing the local fluency that keeps things grounded in Norwegian reality. Strategy and operations both land on your desk, and you’re equally at home with both.

What you’ll actually do

• Be the trusted partner to leaders Coach managers through the full employee lifecycle — onboarding, follow-ups, performance conversations, sickness absence, conflict, and the harder employee relations cases. You bring calm judgment and a clear point of view, even when the conversation is uncomfortable.

• Translate business strategy into people plans Take what the business is trying to achieve and turn it into HR activity that actually moves the needle. No HR-for-HR’s-sake.

• Own the annual people cycle Goal-setting, development reviews, performance management, talent and succession, salary and bonus rounds, engagement surveys — you run the rhythm and make sure the follow-up is meaningful, not performative.

• Keep us compliant — and a good place to work You’re our expert on the Norwegian Working Environment Act and HSE (HMS). You’ll make sure our Working Environment Committee (AMU) and verneombud structure work as intended, prepare HR content for AMU meetings, and lead on HSE reporting.

• Lead on labor law and ER cases Confident, pragmatic advice on Norwegian labor law. Steady hands on the cases that matter.

• Turn data into decisions Sickness absence, turnover, engagement, compliance, risk — you read the signals, spot the patterns, and bring leaders insights they can act on.

• Guide leaders through change Reorganizations, role clarifications, evolving ways of working — you help leaders navigate it with care and clarity.

• Bring local execution to global initiatives You implement group-wide HR processes locally in a way that fits Norway — not by bending Norway to fit the process.

• Champion a diverse, engaged, high-performing team Partner with business leaders to build the kind of workforce we’re proud of.

What you bring

Experience

• 5–7+ years as an HR Business Partner, HR Manager, or similar — ideally inside a global matrix or group structure

• Solid grounding in Norwegian labor law and HSE (HMS)

• Track record in organizations going through change, with highly skilled people

Education

• Higher education in HR, organization, law, economics, or equivalent. A relevant master’s is a plus.

Language

• Fluent written and spoken Norwegian and English

Capability

• Strong leadership presence and solid project management chops

Who you are

You’re proactive — you’d rather move things forward than wait for the perfect moment. You own your deliverables and get them done, pragmatically. You’re confident enough in HR to challenge leaders respectfully, and self-aware enough to know when to listen. You read cultural cues well and bridge differing views without flattening them. You build trust quickly and keep it. You see HR through a commercial lens, balance analysis with action, and bring high personal integrity to everything. And you’re genuinely good to work with — the kind of teammate people are glad to have on the project.

About dentsu and dentsu Norway

Dentsu is a global partner for growth and transformation for the world’s leading businesses. Founded in Tokyo in 1901, the company today operates in around 120 countries. Through integrated services across Media, CXM, and Creative, dentsu creates holistic solutions that drive growth, innovation, and sustainable development.

Dentsu Norway is part of this global network and consists of dedicated employees working with market-leading brands and exciting clients. Our Oslo office has approximately 200 employees.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values for us, embedded in The 8 Ways to Never Before and our global Leadership Framework. We are proud of our culture and encourage candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.

We offer, among other things:

• Competitive compensation

• Attractive pension and insurance schemes

• Subsidized staff restaurant

• Subsidized gym membership and other fitness activities

• Flexible remote work arrangements

• Discounts and benefits with partner companies

Inclusion and Diversity: At Dentsu we believe in the power of diversity. We welcome all applications regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, color, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Contact: We look forward to receiving your application for any questions, please contact the TA in charge of this role: Thomas Holley, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner, EMEA, NE by email at: Thomas.holley@dentsu.com EMEA, NE. #LI-DENTSU #LI-Onsite #LI-TH2

Location: Oslo

Brand: Dentsu

Time Type: Full time

Contract Type: Permanent