HR Business Partner

Ellsworth Adhesives•Germantown, WI

22d•Hybrid

About The Position

Ellsworth Corporation, a global, industry-leading distributor of specialty chemicals and equipment and adhesive manufacturer, is seeking an HR Business Partner. This role serves as a strategic advisor and trusted partner to designated business leaders by translating business priorities into practical people strategies. It builds leader capability, advances workforce and talent planning, enables organizational change, and uses data and business insights to improve performance, engagement, and organizational effectiveness. The role operates within an integrated HR service model, collaborating with HR Centers of Excellence (COEs), HR Shared Services, and regional teams to ensure routine transactions are handled appropriately, allowing the HR Business Partner to focus on high-impact business and people priorities.

Requirements

6+ years of progressive Human Resources experience, including experience advising leaders as an HR Business Partner, HR Manager, or comparable role.
Experience supporting multiple functions, locations, or a complex matrixed organization is preferred.
Strong business acumen and the ability to connect people strategies to operational and financial priorities.
Demonstrated consultative, coaching, and influencing skills with leaders at multiple levels, including senior leaders.
Experience with workforce planning, organizational design, succession planning, talent strategy, and change management.
Ability to use workforce data and business metrics to diagnose issues, develop recommendations, and evaluate outcomes.
Sound judgment in complex, sensitive, or ambiguous situations; gathers facts, tests assumptions, and aligns stakeholders before communicating a final position.
Advanced employee relations, investigation, performance management, and employment-law knowledge; multi-state experience preferred.
Strong project leadership, prioritization, and follow-through across multiple business units and competing priorities.
Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills, with a collaborative and audience-appropriate communication style.
Ability to work effectively through an integrated HR service model and create clear ownership, handoffs, and escalation paths across HR teams.
Demonstrates curiosity, learning agility, discretion, accountability, and a continuous-improvement mindset.

Nice To Haves

PHR and/or SHRM/CP preferred

Responsibilities

Builds trusted, proactive partnerships with designated business leaders; develops a deep understanding of business strategy, operations, workforce dynamics, and priorities to anticipate people needs and shape solutions.
Serves as a strategic thought partner and coach to leaders, strengthening their capability and accountability in leadership, performance, talent, engagement, and employee decision-making.
Translates business plans into integrated workforce strategies, including organizational design, workforce planning, succession planning, talent reviews, capability development, and readiness for future growth.
Leads the people and change-management components of business transformation, helping leaders assess impacts, engage stakeholders, communicate effectively, and sustain adoption.
Uses workforce data, trends, and business metrics to identify root causes, frame options, develop recommendations, and measure the impact of people strategies and actions.
Provides objective, balanced guidance on complex employee relations and performance matters; leads and documents investigations and partners with Legal, leadership, and HR subject-matter experts on high-risk or sensitive issues.
Connects leaders with HR COEs, HR Shared Services, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Talent Management, HRIS, and regional HR partners to deliver coordinated solutions and a consistent employee experience.
Leads cross-functional HR and business initiatives by clarifying outcomes, ownership, decision rights, milestones, risks, and stakeholder commitments to drive timely, sustainable execution.
Promotes manager self-service and disciplined use of established HR processes, tools, and technology; identifies recurring administrative work and partners with the appropriate teams to simplify, standardize, or transition it.
Applies employment laws, company policies, and HR standards consistently while exercising sound judgment, escalating appropriately, and balancing employee experience, business needs, and organizational risk.