Senior HR Business Partner (People Partner)

Our client is seeking a People Partner to serve as a strategic advisor to senior business leaders across the U.S. and Canada, providing forward‑looking HR counsel and driving the talent agenda in alignment with business priorities. This role partners closely with global and regional leaders to shape workforce strategy, develop organizational capabilities, and deliver enterprise HR programs with local relevance.

The People Partner uses data, insights, and strong business acumen to diagnose talent needs, influence decision‑making, and guide leaders through organizational change, workforce planning, and leadership development. This role collaborates with Centers of Excellence (COEs), HR Managers, and peer People Partners to ensure consistent, high‑quality delivery of HR solutions.

Onsite | No Visa Sponsorship | No Relocation Assistance

Contract Duration: 6 months | W2

Location: Candidates must reside within a reasonable daily commuting distance (up to 45 minutes) | Local Chicago-area candidates will only be considered

Requirements:

Strategic Business Partnering

• Advise senior leaders on people strategy, workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, and talent priorities.
• Stay deeply connected to business operations to anticipate workforce challenges and capability gaps.
• Provide data‑driven insights to inform decisions on structure, talent, performance, and resource planning.

Talent Strategy & Leadership Development

• Assess bench strength and workforce capabilities; identify critical roles and succession risks.
• Facilitate talent reviews, performance calibration, and leadership development planning.
• Support internal mobility, career development, and learning initiatives, track program outcomes.

Workforce Planning, Succession & Reward

• Partner with leaders to develop and execute workforce plans, including hiring, development, and contingent labor strategies.
• Support reward and performance management processes, ensuring alignment with business needs.
• Interpret HR metrics and analytics to guide leaders on trends, risks, and recommended actions.

Organizational Effectiveness & Change Management

• Lead or support organizational design efforts, restructuring initiatives, and change management plans.
• Develop business cases for proposed organizational changes and partner with HR Managers on implementation.
• Create and track metrics to evaluate the impact of organizational effectiveness initiatives.

Inclusion, Diversity & Culture

• Assess inclusion and diversity health within the business; identify challenges and develop action plans.
• Support culture and engagement initiatives; develop post‑survey action plans with leaders.

Recruiting Partnership

• Provide business insights to inform sourcing strategies.
• Participate in interviews and selection discussions as needed.

Qualifications/Must-Haves:

• Familiarity with ATS platforms and recruiting metrics.
• Ability to operate independently with minimal oversight.
• Strong coaching, advisory, and stakeholder‑influencing skills.
• Exposure to global or multi‑jurisdictional HR programs (preferred)
• Critical thinking, problem‑solving, and consultative decision‑making.
• Intermediate data analysis skills (Excel, Power BI, Tableau preferred)
• Strong client‑service orientation and ability to challenge constructively.
• Demonstrated commitment to staying current on HR and industry trends.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including facilitation with senior groups.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across COEs, HR Managers, and cross‑functional teams.
• Proficiency with enterprise HRIS platforms (Workday, SuccessFactors, Oracle, etc.)
• Strong background in HR analytics and using data to guide leader decisions.
• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Organizational Psychology, or related field preferred, equivalent experience or senior HR certifications (SHRM‑SCP, SPHR) accepted.
• 10+ years of progressive HR experience, including strategic HR business partnering in the U.S. and/or Canada.
• Experience supporting senior leaders and influencing decisions at VP/Senior Director level.
• Demonstrated experience leading workforce planning, succession planning, talent reviews, and organizational change.