North America Head of HR — Strategic People Leader

Job Description The Head of HR for North America is accountable for shaping and delivering an ambitious people strategy across the United States, Canada and Mexico, translating global direction into powerful local execution that drives commercial performance and long‑term growth. Reporting directly to the Regional Managing Director & COS people director, the role sits at the heart of the North America regional team— ensuring people decisions strengthen organisational capability and unlock the potential of teams across each market. Operating as a trusted adviser to senior leaders, you will blend strategic planning with hands‑on ownership of the moments that matter most (employee engagement activities, performance / pay reviews, learning and development initiatives, talent acquisition). You will lead and inspire a HR BP responsible for executing HR activations across the store estate, while also acting as the HR Business Partner to North America regional department heads based in New York. North America people strategy & leadership Partner with Regional and Global business leaders to translate global people frameworks into effective, locally relevant execution that supports North America strategy and growth. Build strong, trust‑based relationships with leaders to embed people priorities into operational and commercial decision‑making. Represent the North America region credibly in group people forums, ensuring a strong North America voice and challenging global approaches where they do not deliver for local realities. Organisation effectiveness & change Lead workforce planning and organisational design to ensure the business is structured for performance, agility and future readiness. Drive and support change and transformation initiatives, enabling leaders and teams to adapt to evolving business needs. Talent, succession & leadership capability Own succession planning and talent pipelines for critical North America roles. Drive internal mobility and capability building, strengthening leadership depth and accountability across markets. Provide guidance on performance, development and engagement, intervening directly where impact or risk is high. Retain direct involvement in complex senior hires, critical leadership cases, restructures and sensitive people issues. Culture & colleague experience Champion a values‑driven, inclusive culture that strengthens engagement, belonging and performance. Embed colleague experience frameworks, including Moments That Matter, to elevate engagement and retention. Provide senior oversight of employee relations, ensuring fair, consistent and legally sound outcomes across North America. Qualifications Proven senior HR leadership experience within a complex, matrix environment, ideally in a consumer/fashion‑led business. Demonstrated experience leading other HR leaders and building high‑performing teams — shaping capability as well as delivery. Strong commercial acumen with the credibility and confidence to influence Regional Managing Directors and leadership teams. Track record of translating strategy into practical, high‑impact people solutions that drive business performance. Comfortable operating at both strategic and hands‑on levels, owning critical people decisions and interventions when it matters most. Deep experience working within matrixed, global organisations, with the ability to navigate complexity and influence. Strong expertise across core people priorities, including organisational design, workforce planning, succession, leadership development and employee relations. Calm, decisive leadership style with the judgement to manage risk, ambiguity and sensitive situations across diverse markets and cultures. Passion for building inclusive, values‑driven cultures that strengthen engagement, performance and long‑term talent retention. This is a full time permanent contract based at our Regional Office in New York. Benefits Generous Vacation Package, Flexible Wellness Days, Company Paid Holidays, including your Birthday 8 weeks of paid parental pay to both new mothers and fathers. We offer other parental‑related leave and disability options such as pre‑partum maternity disability, additional parental leave, adoption assistance, and a healthy pregnancy/healthy babies program. 401K Retirement Plan after one year of service Medical, Pharmacy and Vision Coverage Compensation: $160,000 to $190,000 Inclusion & Diversity At COS we’re determined to create and maintain inclusive, diverse and equitable workplaces throughout our organisation. Our teams should consist of a variety of people who share and combine their knowledge, experience and ideas. Having a diverse workforce leads to a positive impact on how we address challenges, what we perceive as possible and how we choose to relate to our colleagues and customers all over the world, therefore all diversity dimensions are taken into consideration in our recruitment process. #J-18808-Ljbffr COS