Retail HR Program & Governance Manager

Sephora•Remo, VA

5d•$125,000 - $140,000•Remote

About The Position

This role helps Retail HR identify and execute work that will remove barriers for the field. This role organizes priority gaps, coordinates stakeholders, and moves practical solutions forward across policies, processes, tools, leader guidance, and field enablement. In the near term, this role will focus on hands-on execution for high-priority Retail HR needs. The role will leverage data, field feedback, stakeholder input, and feedback mechanisms to understand top priorities and determine where Retail HR should focus first. As the role matures, it will help strengthen program governance, documentation, communication routines, and follow-through mechanisms. The ideal candidate is organized, collaborative, comfortable with ambiguity, and able to use leadership alignment to move important work forward. They communicate proactively and clearly so stakeholders understand what is happening, why it matters, what decisions are needed, and what actions come next. They are persistent in finding a path forward when work gets stuck, including providing practical interim guidance while longer-term processes are built and improved.

Requirements

5+ years of progressive experience in HR, HR Operations, Program Management, project coordination, process improvement, policy/program support, or related disciplines.
Experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives and projects.
Demonstrated success driving outcomes through influence rather than direct authority.
Experience developing, documenting, or supporting governance routines, operating procedures, process documentation, policies, programs, or organizational standards.
Comfortable taking a hands-on approach to prioritize ambiguous work, draft materials, organize work, build tools, and support execution when processes or resources are not yet established.
Strong project management, stakeholder management, facilitation, communication, and organizational skills.
Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities, including executive-level communications.
Proven ability to navigate ambiguity and manage competing priorities effectively.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting multi-unit retail, hospitality, field-based, or operationally complex organizations.
Experience with program management governance, organizational effectiveness, change management, continuous improvement, or transformation initiatives.
Experience developing SOPs, policy frameworks, knowledge management solutions, and operating models.
Experience with AI enablement, automation, process improvement, or workforce technology solutions.
Familiarity with Microsoft 365, Copilot, SharePoint, Smartsheet, Power BI, and project management platforms.
PMP, Lean Six Sigma, Change Management, SHRM, or related certifications.

Responsibilities

Identify Retail HR programs, policies, processes, tools, or ways of working that are unclear, hard to use, or need to be fixed.
Use data, field feedback, stakeholder input, and feedback mechanisms to understand recurring themes and top priorities.
Review urgency, risk, impact, dependencies, and capacity to decide what should be solved first.
Define the issue, the goal, the decisions needed, and the next steps.
Create practical solutions for priority Retail HR policies, processes, tools, leader guidance, and field enablement needs.
Draft and maintain SOPs, playbooks, toolkits, quick reference guides, templates, escalation frameworks, and process documentation.
Develop clear materials, templates, and process guides when resources do not already exist or need to be improved.
Keep key information organized, current, and easy to find.
Coordinate Retail HR programs and workstreams with clear owners, timelines, and deliverables.
Maintain program roadmaps, trackers, calendars, status updates, and decision records for priority Retail HR work.
Build routines that regularly assess barriers, align priorities to Retail HR’s rhythm of business, and evolve ways of working as the organization’s needs change.
Track progress and open items so priority work keeps moving.
Partner with Retail Operations, field leaders, HR Operations, Employee Relations, Legal, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, Communications, and other stakeholders as needed.
Align partners on priorities, roles, handoffs, decisions, and next steps.
Communicate progress, risks, decisions, and next steps proactively so stakeholders stay informed and prepared.
Build trust and follow through to help move work forward without direct authority.
Support rollout plans for new or updated Retail HR programs, processes, tools, and ways of working, with a focus on helping teams understand and use them consistently.
Create resources, guidance, and communication materials that help leaders and teams understand what is changing, why it matters, and how to apply it.
Identify opportunities to simplify work, improve consistency, and make better use of technology and AI-enabled tools.
Collect feedback after rollout to understand what is working, where teams need more support, and how guidance or tools should be improved.