Sr. Manager, HR Business Partners & Employee Relations

Position Description:

Oversees the HR Business Partner Team (HRBPs) and the Employee Relations Team (ER) to most effectively manage company talent and minimize risk and negative exposure while increasing productivity and retention for Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona (GCNA) and its affiliated entities. This role leads the development, design, and implementation of proactive, scalable, and compliant people operations across a multi-state organization. This role is responsible for stabilizing and strengthening HR fundamentals, establishing consistent practices, and evolving the HR Business Partner and Employee Relations functions into trusted forward-thinking partners to the business, ensuring the HRBP and ER teams become strategic partners with business area leaders to solve problems, leverage opportunities, and minimize risk.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develops and executes HR strategies that strengthen foundational people practices and support short- and long-term business objectives across a multi-state organization.
• Builds and leads high-performing HRBP and ER teams by establishing clear operating models, goals, success metrics, and development plans that drive accountability and consistency.
• Leverages people and employee relations analytics proactively to identify trends, risks, and capability gaps; ensures timely intervention, corrective action, and leader support through targeted tools, training, and guidance.
• Ensures enterprise-wide compliance and risk mitigation by overseeing adherence to all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, including FLSA, NLRA, FMLA, ADA, and EEOC requirements.
• Monitors emerging workforce and employment trends and translates insights into practical, scalable solutions aligned with organizational priorities and operational needs.
• Partners with business leaders on workforce planning and restructuring efforts, ensuring alignment with strategy, compliance, and change management best practices.
• Leads the HR Business Partner team in providing proactive coaching and advisory support to leaders across performance management, leadership effectiveness, talent planning, compensation, engagement, retention, succession, and recognition.
• Leads the Employee Relations function to proactively assess ER trends, address root causes, and implement preventative strategies, including training and leader enablement tools.
• Oversees the development, review, and annual update of employee handbooks and HR policies, ensuring clarity, consistency, and compliance across multi-state operations.
• Interprets and applies employment law, policies, and practices to provide clear, practical guidance to leaders and HR partners, balancing risk management with sound business judgment; leads HRBP and ER teams to operate likewise.
• Collaborates closely with senior and executive leadership to solve complex people challenges and advance organizational effectiveness.
• Models a high standard of service and partnership, building trust and credibility through responsive, consistent, and solutions-oriented HR support.
• Independently leads high-impact, cross-functional HR initiatives and projects from design through execution, ensuring alignment with operational needs and scalability.
• Serves as the escalation point for complex, sensitive, or high-risk HR and employee relations matters.
• Acts as a visible HR leader and ambassador, driving initiatives that strengthen operations, leadership capability, and workplace culture.
• Designs and delivers training related to people management, employee relations, and employment law to build leader confidence and capability and reduce risk.
• Maintains strict confidentiality and sound judgment, handling sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
• Identifies and drives continuous improvement opportunities to streamline HR processes, enhance consistency, and improve scalability and effectiveness.
• Partners with HR leadership to build and manage budgets for assigned areas, ensuring responsible stewardship of resources.
• Travels to company locations as needed.
• Provides support outside standard business hours when needed, particularly for urgent or high-risk matters.
• Leads performance management and talent oversight for direct reports, including coaching, discipline, development planning, compensation, and annual reviews.
• Plays a critical role in driving company culture change efforts and change management processes.
• Models Goodwill Core Values - Trust, Collaboration, Engagement, Ownership, and Innovation.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications (Education, Experience, Skills):

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience in Human Resources, Business, Finance, or another related field, preferred. High School degree or GED required.
• 5+ years' of prior leadership experience.
• Proven HR Business Partner experience (employee relations, investigations, strategic HR consulting, employee retention enhancement, training, and development, etc.) or leadership of HR Business Partner function strongly preferred.
• HR Retail experience preferred.
• Customer-focused orientation with strong communication skills and the ability to function as an effective and respected partner to internal clients.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the proven ability to drive communication across a broader group.
• Proven ability to be analytical and handle confidential and sensitive data effectively with strong attention to detail.
• Attention to detail and well-organized.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks while still delivering high-quality results in a fast-paced environment, working well under pressure.
• Proven ability to lead process improvement for human capital and/or operational issues.
• Thorough working knowledge of current state and federal rules and regulations regarding employment law.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and prioritize multiple processes with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated ability to explain difficult issues and information clearly, ensuring communication is understood.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, train, and motivate others.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Valid driver's license and clean MVR.
• Must maintain auto insurance at all times, which is equal to or in excess of the state minimum.
• Ability to pass a background check and drug screen, where applicable for the position.

You will be eligible for a comprehensive Total Rewards package, 1st of the month following 60 days of employment that includes the following:

• 5 Medical Plans
• Employer Funded Health Reimbursement Account (HRA)
• 3 Dental Plans
• Vision Plan
• 401K
• Employer Paid Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Paid Time Off; Sick and Vacation
• Paid Holidays
• These are just a few highlights of our key benefit offerings!

Become a valued member of an organization where good work meets community impact. Our mission is: Empowering Individuals, Strengthening Families, and Building Stronger Communities. Goodwill provides no-cost career development, training, and education services to help individuals build a better life for themselves and their families. Our core values are Trust, Collaboration, Engagement, Ownership, and Innovation. Everything we accomplish as a team is centered around these core values. Together, we create an inclusive and welcoming environment for each other. With stores conveniently located near you, you can work for a company where team strength and success are valued and encouraged. Join our team and gain opportunities for job growth at Goodwill and beyond.

Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified individuals seeking employment are considered without regard to race (including traits associated with race, e.g., hairstyles), color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and related conditions, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, disability, military status, age, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state and local fair employment practice laws.

Individuals with a disability may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act and/or state or local laws. Please contact Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona at 1-833-624-0920 option 6 or leaves@goodwillaz.org if you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

For questions about your application or employment with Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona, please contact our Candidate Support Line at 1-833-624-0920, option 5.

PHISHING SCAM WARNING: Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona/Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley, Inc. ("GCNA/GIMV") are among several companies recently made aware of a phishing scam involving con artists posing as hiring managers recruiting via email, text and social media. The imposters are creating misleading email accounts, conducting remote "interviews," and making artificial job offers in order to collect personal and financial information from unsuspecting individuals. Please note that GCNA/GIMV only use company email addresses, which contain "@goodwillaz.org" or @gimv.org", to communicate with candidates via email. The company also uses secure tools on our website to receive data from applicants and would never ask them to submit their personal banking information to apply for an open job. If you are contacted by someone about an open job at GCNA/GIMV, please verify the domain of the sender's email address and that they are asking you to apply on this website. If you believe you have been a victim of a phishing scam, please visit the Department of Homeland Security's Cyber Smart website (https://www.cisa.gov/be-cyber-smart/campaign) to learn how to report it.