HR Business Partner

Northern Trust • Chicago, IL

68d • $114,500 - $194,700

About The Position

Northern Trust is a global leader in wealth management, asset servicing, asset management, and banking services. Since 1889, the company has been guided by its principles of Service, Expertise, and Integrity. With over 135 years of financial experience and more than 24,000 partners, Northern Trust serves sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

This individual contributor role, reporting to the Head of HR Consulting for COO Business Services, Technology, and Chief Data & Analytics Office, will support client groups within the Business Services groups in the Enterprise Chief Operating Office. The role serves as one of several HR Business Partners aligned with senior leaders to ensure effective coordination between business clients, the HR Consulting Function, and HR Centers of Expertise (COEs) to strategically and proactively deliver HR solutions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field
• 8+ years operating in a HR Business Partner or comparable role.
• Strong consulting and advisory capability with proven experience coaching senior leaders.
• Ability to analyze data, assess risk and apply sound judgment to inform and influence decision‑making.
• Deep domain expertise across HR policy, practice and process, with a strong understanding of how HR disciplines integrate.
• Highly collaborative relationship manager with foundational knowledge of workforce planning and organizational design.
• Effective communicator with the ability to explain complex or sensitive information, build consensus and lead change initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex problems, apply best practices and act as a resource for less experienced colleagues.
• Experience leading or contributing to small projects with manageable risk and resource requirements.
• Strong awareness of the external market and competitive environment.
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa).

Nice To Haves

• Experience in Workday preferred

Responsibilities

• Partners with leaders to understand business goals and challenges; brings people and workforce implications into business decisions early and proactively.
• Translates business strategy into workforce needs (skills, capacity, roles, timing); anticipates risks and gaps rather than reacting late.
• Advises on team design, role clarity, spans of control, and ways of working; supports reorganizations and improvements to how work gets done.
• Coaches leaders on performance, development and difficult talent decisions; builds leader capability rather than taking ownership away from leaders.
• Supports or leads change initiatives by translating enterprise change into local impact; focuses on readiness, adoption, and sustained outcomes.
• Uses people data, analytics, and AI‑enabled tools to surface insights, tell a story, and inform decisions; shifts conversations from reporting to meaning and implications.
• Partners with leaders on identifying critical roles, assessing readiness, and defining development actions; senior HRBPs shape longer‑term succession strategy.
• Helps leaders understand how behaviors drive culture and engagement; embeds inclusive practices into everyday people decisions.
• Facilitates navigation of complex employee cases with support from ER SMEs; balances policy, risk, fairness, and employee experience while identifying systemic issues.
• Acts as the integrator between the business and HR COEs (Talent Acquisition, Talent, Learning & Development, Rewards, DEI), ensuring solutions are practical, aligned, and business‑relevant.
• Facilitates leadership and talent discussions and represents HR credibly in business forums; influences outcomes through trust, insight, and judgment.

Benefits

• retirement benefits (401k and pension)
• health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability)
• paid time off
• parental and caregiver leave
• life & accident insurance
• other voluntary and well-being benefits
• discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component

What This Job Offers

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