Manager, People Business Partner
About The Position
The Manager, People Business Partner for Bergdorf Goodman serves as a dedicated People partner to the Women’s and Men’s stores, working at the intersection of people strategy and business performance. The role supports a complex, high-performing workforce of customer advisors and operational professionals whose engagement, retention, and performance directly affect commercial results. The manager builds credibility with associates and leaders, applies people practices consistently, and helps deliver an exceptional employee experience across both store locations. Reporting to the Director, People Business Partner, this visible and solutions-oriented role partners with department managers and the broader People team. It requires a strong understanding of luxury selling culture, sound judgment in sensitive employee matters, and the ability to connect people practices to business priorities. The manager supports employee relations, talent and performance processes, recruiting, workforce planning, HR operations, compliance, and associate inquiries.
Requirements
- 5–7 years of progressive retail HR or People Business Partner experience, with demonstrated ownership of a sizeable and complex employee population.
- Experience partnering with high-performing, client-facing sales talent while maintaining standards and strong relationships.
- Strong employee relations expertise and demonstrated ability to independently manage sensitive cases with sound judgment, consistency, and discretion.
- Experience supporting a retail or similarly performance-driven workforce, with an understanding of what motivates and retains high-performing commercial talent.
- Ability to build credible, trusted relationships across all levels of a diverse workforce, from frontline associates to senior store leadership.
- Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities across multiple locations or departments while maintaining attention to detail and follow-through.
- Business-oriented mindset and ability to connect people practices to selling-floor outcomes and commercial performance.
- Exceptional discretion, professionalism, and composure consistent with a luxury retail environment.
- Clear and confident written and verbal communication skills.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in luxury retail, fashion, or a high-touch, client-facing consumer environment.
- Familiarity with book-of-business sales culture, including commission structures, client ownership, and seller retention.
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, or a related field.
- Familiarity with HRIS systems such as Workday and people reporting tools.
Responsibilities
- Serve as the primary People partner to functional leaders and department managers across the Women’s and Men’s stores, developing an understanding of department goals, team dynamics, and talent needs.
- Maintain a visible presence on the selling floor and throughout back of house, building trusted relationships with associates and managers.
- Translate business priorities and performance trends into actionable people plans in partnership with the Director, People Business Partner.
- Advise managers on the dynamics of a high-performance sales culture, including client relationship ownership and associate engagement.
- Partner across both store locations while accounting for their distinct cultures, clientele, and team composition.
- Own and manage employee relations matters, including performance management, interpersonal conflict, and conduct issues.
- Partner with managers to ensure performance documentation is timely, thorough, and aligned with company policy and brand expectations.
- Identify employee relations trends and proactively bring observations and recommendations to the Director, People Business Partner.
- Engage Legal and other partners as appropriate, exercising judgment about when to act independently and when to align upward.
- Develop an understanding of the interpersonal, commercial, and cultural factors that drive associate engagement and loyalty.
- Partner with leaders and Compensation to support consistent and equitable application of recognition, performance, and compensation structures.
- Support managers in identifying and developing high-potential talent and contribute to a culture of growth and career investment.
- Address associate concerns related to competitive dynamics with care, fairness, and business context.
- Serve as a trusted resource for colleagues navigating workplace concerns.
- Support performance reviews, talent calibrations, succession conversations, and other talent acquisition and management processes.
- Partner with department managers to establish performance expectations, promote consistent feedback, and address underperformance in a structured and timely manner.
- Contribute to workforce planning for a high-volume, high-touch luxury selling environment.
- Support full-cycle recruiting and hiring, including candidate and onboarding experiences that reflect Bergdorf Goodman standards.
- Ensure consistent application of HR policies, procedures, and compliance requirements across the store employee population.
- Maintain accurate case documentation and workforce data, supporting reporting and people analytics.
- Partner with Compensation, Benefits, Payroll, and other Centers of Expertise to resolve associate inquiries and support HR service delivery.
- Support leave-of-absence processes and guide managers and associates through each step.
Benefits
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- 401(k) retirement plan
- Basic life insurance
- Supplemental life insurance
- Disability insurance
- Additional voluntary benefits, such as critical illness, hospital, and accident insurance
- Employee discount
- Career advancement opportunities across retail, distribution, digital, and corporate
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
Education Level
No Education Listed
