HR Business Partner

Brooks Safety Solutions (BSS) is a private equity-backed (H.I.G. Capital), multi-brand fire and life safety distribution company with approximately 500 employees across nine brands and locations nationwide. BSS is executing an aggressive growth strategy supported by organic growth and an active M&A pipeline. BSS is undergoing significant organizational change, including continued acquisitions, organizational restructuring, technology transformation, and growth across its brands. The HR Business Partner will serve as a strategic partner to business leaders, helping translate business strategy into organizational and people solutions, while also helping stand up foundational HR programs that do not yet exist at BSS today. THE ROLE The HR Business Partner will serve as the primary HR partner to assigned brand leaders and their leadership teams. This role provides strategic and hands-on support across organization design, change management, performance, compensation, workforce planning, and employee relations. Because BSS's HR function is still early in its build-out, this role carries responsibility beyond typical HRBP work: the HRBP will partner directly with the CHRO and fellow HR Team to design and stand up two foundational programs that do not yet exist at BSS – an enterprise compensation architecture (including a market-based pricing project) and a formal performance management process – while continuing to deliver day-to-day HRBP support to assigned brands. The successful candidate will be a trusted advisor who understands the business, operates with sound judgment, challenges leaders when appropriate, and is comfortable building structure and process in a fast-moving, still-forming HR environment. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Brand Leader Partnership Serve as the primary HR relationship and trusted advisor to assigned brand leaders and leadership teams. Partner with leaders to translate business strategy and priorities into practical people solutions. Coach leaders on organizational effectiveness, manager capability, talent decisions, employee relations, and workforce planning. Build strong, credible relationships and provide proactive, commercially minded HR guidance. Compensation Architecture & Market-Based Pricing (Build Project) Partner with the CHRO to design BSS's first enterprise compensation architecture, including job leveling, pay grades/bands, and salary structures spanning BSS's nine brands. Lead or support a market-based pricing project, benchmarking roles against relevant industry and geographic labor markets to ensure pay is externally competitive and internally equitable. Translate market data into actionable pay recommendations, band placements, and structure updates for assigned brand leaders. Help establish the ongoing governance and maintenance model for job architecture and pay structures once built. Performance Management (Build Project) Partner with the CHRO and HR Team to design and implement BSS's first formalized, enterprise-wide performance management process, including goal-setting, feedback, review cycles, and development planning. Pilot and refine the performance management process with assigned brand leaders, incorporating feedback to improve adoption, consistency, and effectiveness before broader rollout. Train and coach leaders on running effective performance conversations, setting goals, and documentation once the process is live. Support ongoing talent discussions and calibration and identify trends requiring broader organizational action. Organization Design & Job Architecture Partner with leaders to evaluate organizational structures, capabilities, spans and layers, and future workforce needs. Design and implement organizational changes aligned with business strategy and BSS standards. Support role creation, elimination, reporting changes, restructuring, and leadership transitions. Develop and maintain job descriptions and partner with the CHRO on job architecture, leveling, and role alignment. Change Management & Organizational Transformation Lead the HR component of reorganizations, leadership transitions, and other workforce changes. Develop change-management plans addressing communication, employee impact, manager readiness, and execution. Support integration of acquired businesses into BSS's organizational structure, culture, policies, and processes. Identify people-related risks and coach leaders through complex organizational decisions. Strategic Workforce Planning Partner with leaders to develop workforce plans aligned with business growth, productivity, organizational changes, and M&A. Identify critical roles, capability gaps, succession concerns, and talent risks. Use workforce data to inform business decisions and partner with Talent Acquisition on recruiting priorities. Anticipate workforce implications of growth, restructuring, acquisitions, and other strategic initiatives. Employee Relations & Risk Management Advise leaders on employee relations, performance concerns, workplace issues, and policy interpretation. Conduct or oversee investigations, partnering with the CHRO and legal counsel on higher-risk matters. Ensure employment decisions are appropriately documented and aligned with BSS policies and applicable law. Identify recurring issues and recommend proactive, systemic solutions. WHAT YOU BRING Required 7+ years of progressive HR experience, including significant HR Business Partner experience supporting business leaders. Demonstrated experience partnering with senior leaders on organizational and people strategy. Experience with organization design, workforce planning, performance management, employee relations, and organizational change. Experience leading or substantially supporting a market pricing or compensation benchmarking project across multiple roles or functions. Experience designing or standing up a performance management process, in addition to administering one. Experience supporting restructurings, reorganizations, RIFs, or similar workforce actions. Strong business acumen and ability to connect people decisions to financial and operational outcomes. Strong communication, coaching, influencing, and problem-solving skills. Ability to operate independently and build structure in a growing, evolving organization. Sound judgment, discretion, and comfort handling sensitive and confidential matters. Preferred Experience in distribution, industrial services, safety, manufacturing, or another operationally complex environment. Experience in a PE-backed, multi-brand, or acquisition-driven organization. Experience working across multiple locations or states. Experience with California employment law, including wage-and-hour, leave, and classification requirements (or willingness to learn this). Familiarity with Paycom or a comparable HRIS. Experience building HR infrastructure in a resource-constrained or early-stage HR environment. WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE Success in this role means becoming a trusted business partner to assigned brand leaders while playing a lead role in building two foundational HR programs at BSS: an enterprise compensation architecture (grounded in a market-based pricing project) and a formal performance management process, delivered in close partnership with the CHRO and fellow HRBPs. The HRBP will bring greater consistency and structure to organization design, compensation, workforce planning, and change management while proactively identifying and addressing talent and employee-related risks. #J-18808-Ljbffr