Director, People Business Partner - Bergdorf Goodman Stores

Saks Fifth Avenue

4d • Onsite

About The Position

As the Director, People Business Partner for BG Stores, you will serve as the senior People presence on the ground, acting as a direct extension of the AVP, People Business Partner, Bergdorf Goodman. You will operate with a high degree of autonomy, representing the People function in day-to-day store operations, making independent decisions within your portfolio, with a clear sense of when to act and when to align upward. Within an organization where excellence is not aspirational, it is expected that your presence, judgment, and credibility will be as defining as your technical expertise. You will partner closely with store leadership across both the Men’s and Women’s stores to design and execute people strategies that support store employees, including a high-performing book-of-business seller population. In a complex store environment, your judgment, presence, and ability to act decisively will be as important as your technical HR expertise. Leading a team of 3 PBPs, you will be accountable for the full employee experience at the store level, from complex labor relations and employee relations matters to talent development and workforce planning. You will bring a steady, consultative, and confident presence to a fast-paced environment where consistency, compliance, and culture are equally mission-critical.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, Psychology, or a related field.
• 8–10+ years of progressive HR experience, with at least 3-4 years in a people manager or lead role.
• Demonstrated experience in a union environment, including CBA administration, grievance handling, step meetings, and labor relations support.
• Strong employee relations expertise with a track record of independently managing complex, sensitive cases with sound judgment and consistency.
• Proven ability to operate autonomously, making confident, well-reasoned decisions within their portfolio and escalating appropriately.
• Strong executive presence and communication skills; comfortable holding their own in rooms with Store Directors, GMs, and senior business leaders.
• Experience supporting retail, luxury, hospitality, or other high-volume, client-facing environments.
• Proven ability to coach leaders, influence without authority, and drive people outcomes in a matrixed organization.
• Strong business acumen and comfort operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment with competing priorities.
• Exceptional discretion, professionalism, and interpersonal skills suited to a luxury brand environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting a high-performing sales workforce with significant individual book-of-business accountability.
• Master’s degree or advanced HR certification (e.g., SPHR, SHRM-SCP).
• Background in luxury retail or fashion is highly valued.
• Familiarity with HRIS systems and people analytics tools.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary store PBP point of contact for store leaders across both the Men’s and Women’s stores, translating business priorities into executable people plans that reflect the brand’s luxury positioning.
• Partner with the AVP, PBP, BG to align store-level people initiatives with the broader organizational strategy, serving as a thought partner and deputy in their absence.
• Use data, organizational insights, and business trends to proactively identify workforce risks and recommend timely, independent interventions.
• Navigate senior stakeholder relationships with ease and confidence, building trusted, credible partnerships with Store Leadership and department leaders and influencing outcomes without relying on positional authority.
• Independently manage a high volume of complex employee relations matters with sound judgment, discretion, and consistency, ensuring fair and timely resolution across a diverse workforce.
• Serve as the primary day-to-day resource for union contract administration, including CBA interpretation, grievance handling, step meetings, and manager guidance on contract compliance.
• Partner with Legal and Employee Relations to support arbitration preparation, grievance responses, and contract negotiation processes.
• Identify and address systemic ER trends proactively, developing root cause analyses and recommending structural or behavioral interventions before issues escalate.
• Drive consistency in the application of HR policies and procedures across all store departments, reducing risk and reinforcing a culture of accountability.
• Exercise independent judgment on ER matters, knowing when to act decisively and when to bring in additional stakeholders.
• Develop tailored people strategies to support and retain top sellers, recognizing the unique performance culture of a luxury, customer-driven business.
• Collaborate with Compensation and business leaders to design recognition frameworks and performance structures that motivate and retain high-earning associates.
• Partner with leaders on performance management, ensuring consistent and documented coaching conversations across all levels of the store.
• Lead talent management processes, including succession planning, talent reviews, and career pathing for the Bergdorf Goodman store population.
• Coach and advise store managers and senior leaders on leadership effectiveness, team dynamics, and performance alignment.
• Partner with L&D and Centers of Excellence (CoEs) to bring targeted development programs into the store environment.
• Manage, coach, and develop a team of 3 PBPs, building capability and fostering a collaborative, high-performance team culture.
• Set clear priorities, delegate effectively, and ensure the team delivers consistent, high-quality HR support across all store operations.
• Model continuous improvement and a solutions-oriented mindset, encouraging the team to evolve their practice alongside the business.
• Oversee end-to-end PBP operational excellence at the store level, ensuring timely and accurate execution across onboarding, offboarding, leave administration, and compliance.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition, Compensation, ER, Analytics, and other CoEs to deliver integrated and seamless support to the business.
• Ensure accurate workforce data and reporting to support business decisions and people analytics.

Benefits

• medical insurance
• dental insurance
• vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan
• basic life insurance
• supplemental life insurance
• disability insurance
• a variety of additional voluntary benefits (such as critical illness, hospital and accident insurance)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director