US People Manager

Oner Active•New York, NY

12d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced and hands-on US People Manager to lead and deliver our people strategy across the United States. This role will support both our corporate office employees and retail store teams, including our flagship New York location, as well as remote employees across multiple states. This is a broad, generalist role that blends strategic HR business partnering with operational excellence across payroll, benefits, compliance, recruitment, and learning & development. You will be the go-to expert for all US people matters, ensuring we deliver a consistent, compliant, and engaging employee experience.

Requirements

Proven experience in a broad HR/People role within the United States, ideally in retail, consumer, or high-growth environments
Strong knowledge of US employment law, payroll, and multi-state compliance
Experience supporting both corporate and retail populations is highly desirable
Hands-on approach with the ability to operate both strategically and operationally
Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment

Responsibilities

Act as the go-to HR contact for US managers and employees, providing guidance on policy, performance management, and day-to-day people queries
Serve as the first point of contact for US employees and managers on policy, benefits, and performance processes, exercising judgement on what to resolve directly versus escalate
Handle day-to-day employee relations matters with a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach, escalating complex or high-risk cases to your UK-based line manager and external employment counsel as needed
Manage onboarding, offboarding, promotions, compensation changes, and organisational updates, ensuring every transition is handled accurately and with care
Process and oversee US payroll (via Paychex or equivalent vendor), reviewing for accuracy and supporting the setup of new state payrolls as needed
Administer benefits programmes (healthcare, retirement, wellness), managing enrolments and qualifying life events, and act as main point of contact for benefits queries and vendor relationships
Benchmark and help evolve benefits offerings to remain competitive
Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local employment law across multiple states, including tax requirements, leave administration, workers' compensation, unemployment claims, employment verifications, and required postings
Liaise with outside employment counsel on offers, restrictive covenants, and escalated matters
Flag material compliance risks or employment law changes
Act as system administrator for the HRIS, maintaining accurate employee records and reporting
Use data and reporting to highlight trends and support people decisions
Partner with our Talent Acquisition team and hiring managers in supporting recruitment across corporate and retail roles
Manage and deliver an engaging onboarding experience for all new US hires
Help shape and roll out training programmes, development and engagement initiatives
Foster a culture of continuous learning and growth, in coordination with the UK People Team