Senior HR Business Partner

The Human Resources Manager serves as the senior on-site HR partner for an approximately 200-person warehouse operation. This role is accountable for translating business priorities into practical people strategies that strengthen leadership capability, workforce stability, associate engagement, organizational effectiveness, and operational performance.

The role combines strategic partnership with hands-on execution in a fast-paced distribution environment. The incumbent advises the site leadership team, independently manages complex employee relations matters, leads workforce and talent planning, ensures consistent application of policy and employment requirements, and drives the disciplined execution of core HR processes. Success requires sound judgment, visible floor presence- working onsite each day, strong business acumen, and the ability to influence leaders at all levels.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the primary HR advisor to the site leadership team, providing independent counsel on organizational, workforce, leadership, and employee matters that affect safety, service, cost, quality, productivity, and retention.
• Develop and execute an annual site people plan aligned with operational priorities, including workforce capacity, critical-skill needs, leadership capability, succession, engagement, retention, attendance, and culture.
• Assess organizational effectiveness and recommend changes to structure, roles, spans of support, work practices, and leadership routines to improve accountability and execution.
• Lead workforce planning for an approximately 200-person operation, using staffing, overtime, turnover, absenteeism, vacancy, labor-market, and productivity trends to identify risks and recommend actions.
• Partner with operations and talent acquisition to establish recruiting priorities, selection standards, onboarding practices, and staffing strategies for hourly, technical, professional, and leadership roles, including the effective use of temporary labor.
• Own complex and sensitive employee relations matters from intake through resolution, including investigations, corrective action, performance concerns, workplace complaints, conflict resolution, and termination decisions; ensure conclusions are timely, well documented, consistent, and defensible.
• Coach leaders to improve decision quality, communication, performance management, associate engagement, and consistent application of company policy. Challenge ineffective or inconsistent leadership practices and follow through on corrective actions.
• Lead talent management processes for the site, including goal and performance discussions, talent review, succession planning, development planning, salary review, and leadership development. Ensure actions are integrated and completed with quality.
• Identify capability gaps and implement targeted development solutions for supervisors, managers, and high-potential associates, with particular focus on frontline leadership, accountability, change leadership, and associate relations.
• Lead the people and change-management workstream for significant operational changes, including shift changes, staffing model changes, process redesign, technology implementation, and organizational transitions.
• Monitor associate experience and organizational health through floor presence, leader feedback, listening channels, engagement results, exit feedback, and workforce data; translate findings into measurable improvement plans.
• Ensure site HR practices comply with applicable employment laws, company policies, collective requirements where applicable, recordkeeping standards, and internal controls. Escalate material risk and coordinate with Legal, Compliance, Health Services, Security, and HR Centers of Expertise as appropriate.
• Provide oversight and governance for leave, accommodation, attendance, wage and hour, compensation, benefits, performance, and personnel-action processes, coordinating with specialized teams while maintaining site-level accountability.
• Establish and maintain clear HR metrics, dashboards, and operating reviews. Present trends, root causes, risks, and recommended actions to site and divisional leadership; verify that agreed actions produce sustained improvement.
• Lead or coordinate HR projects and continuous-improvement initiatives across the site. Standardize processes, clarify ownership, remove administrative waste, and improve the timeliness and quality of HR service delivery.
• Provide functional direction, prioritization, and quality oversight to HR support resources and cross-functional partners supporting the site. Build effective relationships with divisional HR and North American Centers of Expertise.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality, professional judgment, and composure when handling sensitive business and associate information.
• Perform other duties and lead special assignments consistent with the scope and level of the role.
Decision Scope and Expected Impact

• Operates with substantial independence within established policy and governance frameworks and is expected to resolve most site HR matters without routine escalation.
• Makes recommendations and influences decisions that affect site staffing, leadership capability, labor cost, associate relations, retention, organizational risk, and continuity of operations.
• Balances immediate operational needs with long-term workforce health and organizational capability, clearly identifying trade-offs and risks.
• Escalates high-risk legal, ethics, compliance, safety, or reputational matters promptly while retaining ownership for local coordination and follow-through.

Function: Distribution
Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level