HR Business Partner, Retail

J.Jill is a national lifestyle brand that provides apparel, footwear and accessories designed to help its customers move through a full life with ease. The brand represents an easy, thoughtful, and inspired style that celebrates the totality of all women and designs its products with its core brand ethos in mind: keep it simple and make it matter. J. Jill offers a high touch customer experience through over 200 stores nationwide and a robust ecommerce platform. J.Jill is headquartered outside Boston.

This highly visible position is responsible for partnering with the field leaders, retail stores, and related partners, building valuable relationships that transform requests and needs into opportunities and/or solutions. Bringing a broad experience base, provides expertise on performance management, policy interpretation, talent development, compliance, labor law and associate relations, developing and managing HR programs and supporting HR decision making by providing organizational analysis and insights. Ultimately managing the people agenda with the internal client.

Business Partnership: Functions as a trusted advisor on a range of HR topics within the field organization by building relationships and providing thoughtful counsel to support organization strategy and initiatives. Acts as the direct day-to-day contact for associates within field organization. Understands business challenges, identify opportunities for improvement and influence leaders to proactively address them. Leads department specific and field strategic initiatives, soliciting buy in, partnering with field partners, and driving solutions. Provides guidance and input on field role design.

Associate Lifecycle: Provides coaching and guidance to managers and associates throughout the associate lifecycle, including onboarding, performance management, associate relations, associate development and offboarding. Conducts investigations, including harassment and ethics complaints, provides accurate and timely responses to concerns and determines expedient solutions to ensure fairness and legal compliance. Manages third party unemployment claims processing, troubleshoots, as necessary.

Coaching and Counseling: Coaches and guides managers and field leaders to address organizational needs. Provide guidance on performance management, career development, performance review cycle, compensation, and succession planning. Guide associates in having direct, open, and productive dialog when necessary.

Talent Development: Supports the performance management and talent assessment process, developing communication training and compiling and tracking information. Implement solutions to support the overall effectiveness of the business and to enhance associate engagement.

Compliance: Research employment law changes, develops tools, and updates policies and procedures as needed. Provides policy guidance and interpretation. Communicates/trains and participates in any related updates to the field as well as ensures effective and timely roll-out of those changes and updates.

HR Programs: Develops and implements HR programs and initiatives within the retail field organization. Provides expertise on HR policy and contributes to the creation or improvement of HR policies and programs. Manages communication updates via Connect and other internal resources.

HR Projects: Consults with the business and HR team to deliver on various and ad-hoc projects as needed, including harassment prevention training, associate survey and tracking quarterly and yearly turnover and related metrics that evaluate performance against Key Performance Indicators as well as company goals and objectives. Stays current on HR trends to develop solutions using current best practices in the field. Assists, as needed, with HR partnership in the Quincy and Tilton locations.

• Must have an approachable and engaging style and strong listening skills.
• Ability to build productive relationships and influence all levels of the organization.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work in a demanding environment with demonstrated ability to juggle multiple competing projects and demands.
• Comfortable adapting to change in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work independently, plan effectively, problem-solve, be creative, and produce results.
• Strong understanding of employment laws, regulations, and compliance requirements.
• Advanced ability to work with Workday, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to analyze, interpret, and manipulate data as it relates to the HR function.
• Proven abilities in the areas of associate relations and HR program development and management.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required.

• 5+ years of Human Resource experience, preferably in a fashion, retail, or consumer products industry.
• Workday knowledge preferred

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by associates assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of this position.

At J.Jill, we believe our associates should be seen, valued, and celebrated. We support the advancement of our associates by harnessing their unique contributions to grow and improve, and our success is guided by a culture that values keeping it simple and making it matter. J.Jill is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing an inclusive and professional workplace free from discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at J.Jill are based solely upon business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, sexual orientation, sexual and reproductive health decisions, age, marital status, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status or any other legally protected status.  J.Jill provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals, in accordance with applicable laws.  If you need to inquire about an accommodation to assist with completing the application process, please email Talent.Acquisition@jjill.com