Manager, HR Business Partner

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art•Los Angeles, CA

9d•$95,000 - $125,000

About The Position

ABOUT THE LUCAS MUSEUM OF NARRATIVE ART Opening in September 2026, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is dedicated to illustrated storytelling. Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum’s collection features works by artists including Norman Rockwell, Kadir Nelson, Jessie Willcox Smith, N. C. Wyeth, Beatrix Potter, Judith F. Baca, Frida Kahlo, and Maxfield Parrish; as well as comic art legends such as Winsor McCay, Jack Kirby, Frank Frazetta, Alison Bechdel, Chris Ware, and R. Crumb; and photographers Gordon Parks, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Dorothea Lange. The Museum also houses the Lucas Archives, containing models, props, concept art, and costumes from Lucas’s filmmaking career. Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD with a landscape by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA, the Museum is in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, on an 11-acre campus that includes new green space and a 300,000-square-foot building with galleries, two theaters, a library, restaurant, café, retail store, and community spaces. POSITION SUMMARY The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art seeks a Manager, HR Business Partner, to serve as a senior, hands on partner within the People and Culture function. Reporting directly to the Chief People & Culture Officer, this role provides critical execution, continuity, and judgement across core HR areas. As the museum prepares for opening and continues to build its organizational foundations, the Manager, HR Business Partner plays a central role in advancing employee relations, compliance, policy development, labor relations support, and people strategy. This role partners closely with managers to strengthen leadership capability, ensure clear and consistent people practices, support performance and growth, and translate people strategy into effective day-to-day execution, while also providing guidance on employee relations and labor matters as needed. The successful candidate brings strong judgment, discretion, and operational HR experience, and is comfortable working across both hands-on casework and strategic advising in a complex, mission-driven environment.

Requirements

8–12+ years of progressive HR experience, including 5+ years in a senior HR Business Partner, employee relations, or HR management role
Proven experience supporting leaders in complex, mission-driven or public-facing organizations
Solid working knowledge of California employment law and HR compliance best practices
Demonstrated experience in policy development, HR compliance, labor relations and performance management
Strong experience administering HRIS and ATS platforms, including workflow configuration, reporting, data governance, and user adoption; experience with Rippling, Lever, AlertMedia administration a plus.
Excellent communication, coaching, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and influence at all levels
Ability to manage multiple priorities, exercise sound judgment, and adapt to evolving organizational needs in a dynamic environment

Responsibilities

Serve as a senior, hands-on HR business partner, providing sound judgment and execution across employee relations, performance management, policy application, and people operations
Coach and advise managers on effective people management practices, including feedback, documentation, performance improvement, accountability, and fair decision-making
Lead and support complex employee relations matters as needed, including investigations, corrective action, performance concerns, and separations, in partnership with the Chief People & Culture Officer
Draft, review, and maintain HR policies and practices, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and alignment with organizational values
Proactively identify people-related risks, trends, or gaps and recommend preventative, practical solutions that support a stable and effective workplace
Partner with People & Culture leadership on organizational design, workforce planning, talent reviews, succession planning, and leadership readiness initiatives
Support and continuously improve performance management processes, including leader training, calibration support, and clear communication across cycles
Facilitate change management and transition support during periods of growth, structural change, or organizational evolution
Pull, analyze, and interpret people data and metrics (e.g., workforce trends, engagement insights, performance patterns) to inform strategy and leadership decision-making
Serve as a key partner for HRIS administration, ensuring data accuracy, secure information management, effective workflows, and reliable reporting
Ensure accurate, timely, and confidential management of personnel records, personnel action forms, and sensitive employee data
Develop and deliver clear people-related communications, including policy updates, organizational announcements, and performance or talent cycle guidance
Assess the people impact of organizational changes and partner with leaders on readiness planning, communication strategies, and transition support
Act as a steward of organizational culture and values by identifying patterns that impact employee experience and partnering with leaders to reinforce alignment
Participate in cross-functional and People & Culture initiatives and projects as assigned