Senior People & Culture Operations Partner

Job Description

Job Description

The Senior People & Culture Operations Partner serves as a trusted People & Culture partner to both field-based and corporate teams, providing a balance of strategic HR partnership and operational support. This role works closely with leaders and team members across the organization to support employee relations, performance management, talent development, workforce planning, engagement, and the consistent application of People & Culture policies and practices. This role combines employee relations, performance management, talent development, workforce planning, engagement, onboarding, and day-to-day People & Culture execution. The Senior People & Culture Operations Partner acts as an advisor for assigned business areas, building strong relationships with leaders and team members while understanding business needs and translating them into effective People & Culture solutions. The role requires strong judgment, discretion, communication skills, and the ability to operate effectively in both corporate and field environments. This position will partner closely with People & Culture Center of Excellence teams, Talent, and other internal stakeholders to deliver consistent and positive team member experience across the organization.

What you will do:

• Serve as a trusted People & Culture partner to assigned field and corporate leaders, providing guidance aligned with business priorities and workforce needs.
• Coach leaders and managers on employee management, communication, performance, accountability, organizational effectiveness, and workplace practices.
• Manage employee relations matters, including performance concerns, conduct, attendance, workplace conflict, investigations, corrective action, and other sensitive employee issues.
• Partner with leaders on performance management, including goal setting, performance reviews, performance improvement plans, and team member development.
• Support organizational needs, including organizational structure changes, promotions, transfers, reorganizations, and succession considerations.
• Identify workforce trends and risks through team member feedback, people data, turnover analysis, and business observations, and recommend appropriate actions.
• Support talent management and development initiatives, including performance reviews, succession planning, career development, leadership development, and retention strategies.
• Drive employee engagement and experience initiatives, helping leaders translate team member feedback and engagement results into meaningful actions.
• Provide day-to-day guidance on company policies, benefits, leave, compensation, payroll, P&C processes, and other employee-related questions.
• Support HR operations and employee lifecycle activities, including onboarding, employee changes, promotions, transfers, separations, documentation, and HRIS transactions.
• Ensure consistent application of company policies and practices, escalating complex, sensitive, or high-risk matters to P&C leadership and appropriate partners.
• Support field-based teams and locations, adapting People & Culture practices to operational environments and providing an accessible P&C presence where needed.
• Develop and maintain P&C resources and processes, including SOPs, manager guidance, communications, and process improvements that enhance efficiency and consistency.
• Maintain knowledge of employment practices and applicable regulations and support compliance, reporting, audits, and other People & Culture initiatives. 

Who you are:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field preferred and/or years of experience.
• 5+ years of progressive HR/People & Culture experience, with demonstrated experience in an HR generalist or HR business partner capacity.
• Strong experience supporting employee relations and performance management.
• Experience partnering directly with managers and senior leaders.
• Experience supporting both corporate and operational, field, construction, engineering, or project-based environments preferred.
• Working knowledge of employment laws and HR best practices. 
• Experience with HRIS systems and Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification preferred. 
• Understands business priorities and connects people strategies to organizational needs. 
• Handles sensitive employee matters with sound judgment, consistency, and discretion. 

• Builds manager capability through practical coaching and guidance.
• Communicates clearly and effectively with team members at all levels and across different work environments.
• Establishes trust and credibility with field team members, corporate teams, managers, and senior leaders.
• Evaluates complex situations, identifies root causes, and develops practical solutions.
• Understands how workforce decisions affect operations, productivity, cost, risk, and organizational performance.
• Effectively balances strategic priorities with hands-on People and Culture responsibilities in a changing environment.
• Demonstrates sound judgment when handling sensitive team member and business information.
• Uses people and workforce data to identify trends and make informed recommendations.
• Takes ownership of issues through resolution and follows through on commitments.
• Works effectively across P&C and with leaders and cross-functional partners to deliver solutions. 

At Milhouse, we’re more than just a place to work — we’re a place to grow, thrive, and be celebrated. Here’s how we invest in you:

• Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage – Reach out to learn how your  deductible could be covered 100% through  Garner Health ! 
• Company Sponsored Life Insurance and  Short-Term Disability – We’ve got your back when life takes unexpected turns. 
• Voluntary Coverages – Take control of your well-being with added coverage options. 
• Discounted Gym Membership – Stay active with wellness options that support your fitness goals. 
• Competitive Base Salary – Earn what you're worth in a performance-driven culture. 
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Build your future with confidence. 
• Professional Development Incentives – Get rewarded for growing your skills — including  bonuses for earning your P.E. License . 
• Milhouse University (Cross-Functional Training)– Expand your expertise with internal training built to elevate your career and receive PDH credits for applicable training towards professional engineering licenses, etc.. 
• Employee Education & Development Program – Tuition assistance and learning opportunities to keep you moving forward. 
• Generous PTO + Paid Holidays – Rest, recharge, and enjoy the moments that matter most. 
• Paid Parental Leave – Bond with your new arrival — and yes,  we’ll even cover a year of diapers!  
• Extracurricular Sports Teams – Join our  summer Volleyball and Softball squads for fun off the clock. 
• Employee Recognition Program – Be celebrated for the impact you make. 
• Employee Referral Bonus – Bring great people on board and  get paid for it. 
• Transit Benefits Program – Save on your daily commute. 
• Charitable Events and Activities offered through non-profit affiliate –  Milhouse Charities.  

The actual base pay depends upon many factors, such as education, experience, and skills. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

While we provide a range, we'd love to hear from you if you are in or outside of this range as we are always looking to cater roles to the Talent we find!

Milhouse is a pay transparency non-discrimination organization committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace. We ensure that all employees are compensated fairly and without bias, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. In compliance with the Illinois Equal Pay Act, effective January 1, 2025, we include pay scales and benefits in all job postings and ensure that all promotion opportunities are communicated to current employees within 14 days of external postings. Additionally, we participate in E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility and uphold compliance with federal requirements.

Here's a little information on Milhouse Engineering and Construction, Inc.:

Milhouse Engineering and Construction, Inc. was founded in 2001 with the goal of building the best engineering company in the country. It was based on the belief that if we hired great people, fueled their passion while challenging them to excel, and maintained a laser focus on the needs of your clients, success would come- and so it has. Our portfolio of successful projects continues to grow, our family of highly satisfied clients continues to expand, and our staff just gets better and better.

We are a unique, Chicago-based firm whose collective passion, vision and expertise has led to phenomenal growth! With more than 500+ talented professionals and offices across the globe, Milhouse offers a dynamic work environment where there is no limit to what you can achieve if you are willing to go after it.

Our people are the cornerstone of our organization, and key to our success. Join a remarkably talented team that shares a passion for what they do and a vision for improving communities around the world through innovative engineering and construction. Click here to see who we are, and how our people drive our culture each & every day.

Click here to see all of our awards and how many times we've won Chicago’s 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For!

Important Notice to US Applicants

Milhouse Engineering and Construction, Inc. is an at-will employer.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.