HR Business Partner – North America (Fashion/Retail)
Location: Manhattan, New York, NY (Hybrid) – NYC Metro Area candidates only
Employment Type: Full-Time
Industry Experience Required: Minimum 5+ years HR experience within Fashion or Beauty Retail (corporate and/or retail field support).
An established global consumer brand is looking for a hands-on HR Business Partner – North America to own day-to-day HR operations for its North American employee population. This role is based in Manhattan and will serve as the primary HR point of contact across the region, covering the full employee lifecycle and partnering closely with leadership and managers.
What you will do
- Act as the primary HR point of contact for all employees in the North America region.
- Handle and execute day-to-day HR tasks across the full employee lifecycle – from recruitment and onboarding to offboarding.
- Own and manage payroll processes for the US and Canada in collaboration with an external payroll provider and internal platform (e.g., Deel).
- Provide proactive support and guidance to managers and employees on operational HR matters including time off, benefits, employee relations, and compliance.
- Ensure local legal and regulatory compliance in all HR processes, staying up to date on federal, state, and local labor laws and partnering with legal advisors when needed.
- Build and maintain strong partnerships with people managers and employees across all North America departments to deliver best-in-class HR support.
- Support recruitment activities, including sourcing, interviewing, coordinating offers, onboarding, and facilitating exit interviews and offboarding.
- Manage employment contracts, onboarding documentation, and HR records to ensure accuracy, consistency, and compliance.
- Advise managers on policies, absences, sick leave, and performance-related matters, escalating complex cases to senior HR leadership.
- Deliver HR administrative support across employee lifecycle touchpoints.
- Act as a liaison between North America and global HQ teams, ensuring alignment with global HR initiatives while tailoring execution to local needs.
- Track and maintain HR metrics such as headcount, attrition, and sick leave and share insights with the global HR team.
How you will work with others
Internal: Collaborate closely with North America leadership, hiring managers, and team members across functions to support daily HR needs. Work with the global HR team in Europe to ensure alignment and consistency across global HR processes and tools.
External: Serve as HR contact for external recruitment agencies, employment law advisors, and vendors supporting HR operations (for example relocation and other HR service providers).
Success in this role will look like
- Accurate and timely processing of payroll and HR administration with no compliance breaches.
- Efficient, consistent recruitment, onboarding, and offboarding processes that provide a positive experience for employees and managers.
- Strong, trust-based relationships with local managers and employees, with responsive, pragmatic HR support.
- Effective alignment and implementation of global HR processes in the North America office.
- Updated, compliant employee records and policies that are audit-ready.
- Timely responses to HR-related queries with a service-minded, solution-oriented approach.
- Active contribution to employee engagement and well-being initiatives in partnership with the global HR team.
- On-time rollout of performance management processes with measurable improvements in performance and satisfaction.
- Clear, actionable HR insights derived from HR data and metrics, supporting data-driven decision-making.
What you bring
- 5+ years of HR experience within Fashion or Beauty Retail (corporate, retail, or a mix of both).
- Proven experience as an HR Business Partner or HR Generalist covering a broad range of HR activities across the employee lifecycle.
- Hands-on experience coordinating or owning payroll and HR administration in the US (Canada experience is a plus).
- Strong understanding of North American employment laws and the ability to navigate multiple jurisdictions.
- Comfort working in a global environment and partnering with HR teams in other regions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, including the ability to draft clear HR communications and guidance.
- A pragmatic, can-do, and service-oriented mindset with the ability to balance operational execution and strategic support.
- Detail orientation with the ability to maintain accurate data and documentation while managing multiple priorities.
- Interest in continuous improvement and HR process optimization, including leveraging tools and automation to elevate the employee experience.
