Human Resources Business Partner

About the Role:

This is a freelance role scheduled to be ongoing for the time being, there is always the opportunity of the role becoming full time should it be the right fit.

Hybrid - 3 days in office 2 remote at their NYC HQ.

Our client, a prestigious luxury fashion house, is seeking a Contract HRBP/ Generalist– Retail to support the employee experience across its retail organization throughout North America.

This role will serve as a key HR partner to retail leadership and employees, with a primary focus on employee relations, HR support, and day-to-day people matters across the brand’s boutiques and retail locations. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-touch luxury environment and partnering with employees and managers at all levels.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced HR professional who enjoys being highly visible, building trusted relationships, and helping retail teams navigate a broad range of HR-related matters.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Relations

• Serve as a primary HR point of contact for employees and managers across North American retail locations.
• Provide guidance and support on employee relations matters, including performance management, attendance, conduct, workplace concerns, conflict resolution, and disciplinary processes.
• Partner with Retail Managers and leadership to address employee concerns fairly, consistently, and in alignment with company policies and applicable employment laws.
• Conduct and support employee investigations, documenting findings and partnering with senior HR leadership and Legal when appropriate.
• Help foster a positive, respectful, inclusive, and engaging workplace culture across retail locations.

Retail HR Partnership

• Develop strong working relationships with Store Managers, Regional Managers, Retail leadership, and corporate HR teams.
• Provide day-to-day HR guidance to retail management on people-related questions and situations.
• Support the implementation and consistent application of HR policies and procedures across North American retail locations.
• Act as a liaison between retail employees and corporate HR functions.
• Partner with HR leadership on employee engagement and retention initiatives within the retail organization.
• Provide support during periods of organizational change, new store openings, leadership transitions, and other retail initiatives as needed.

HR Operations & Administration

• Support employee lifecycle processes including onboarding, transfers, promotions, leaves, performance management, and offboarding.
• Maintain accurate and confidential employee documentation and HR records.
• Ensure HR practices and documentation are aligned with applicable federal, state/provincial, and local employment regulations across North America.
• Partner with Payroll, Benefits, Talent Acquisition, and other HR teams to resolve employee-related issues.
• Assist with HR reporting, audits, and other people-related projects as needed.

Employee Experience

• Serve as a trusted and approachable resource for retail employees.
• Help ensure employees receive a consistent and elevated HR experience reflective of the luxury brand environment.
• Identify recurring employee or organizational issues and proactively recommend solutions to HR leadership.
• Support initiatives designed to strengthen engagement, communication, development, and retention across the retail workforce.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive HR Generalist or HR Business Partner experience , preferably within retail, luxury, fashion, hospitality, or another high-touch consumer environment.
• Strong experience handling employee relations matters from intake through resolution .
• Experience supporting a geographically dispersed workforce, ideally across multiple states and/or provinces.
• Strong knowledge of HR policies, employment practices, and compliance requirements.
• Experience partnering directly with managers and senior leadership.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain strict confidentiality when handling sensitive employee matters.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and follow-through.
• Comfortable working independently in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills and experience working with HRIS systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience supporting retail stores, boutiques, or field organizations .
• Experience within the luxury fashion, beauty, or premium consumer goods industry .
• Experience supporting employees across both the United States and Canada .
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• PHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, or comparable HR certification is a plus.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a people-focused HR professional who thrives in a retail environment and is comfortable balancing employee advocacy with business needs. They should be confident advising managers, navigating sensitive employee relations situations, and building credibility with employees across a geographically dispersed organization.

Experience in a luxury or highly service-oriented environment is particularly valuable, as the role requires a polished, discreet, collaborative, and solutions-oriented approach.