WHAT DOES A HR BUSINESS PARTNER DO?

Updated: July 16, 2025 - The Human Resources (HR) Business Partner drives strategic people solutions by aligning human capital priorities with business goals through deep commercial insight and close collaboration with senior leadership. This role delivers high-impact coaching, talent management, and organizational development initiatives while supporting leadership growth, performance, and capability building across regions. The partner leverages HR analytics and cross-functional collaboration to implement data-driven plans, enhance workforce effectiveness, and ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for HR Business Partner

1. HR Business Partner Duties

  • Leadership Representation: Representing HR at the Children's Senior Leadership Team
  • Performance Analysis: Analysing directorate performance information, presenting it, challenges and solutions
  • Workforce Change: Leading Workforce Change activity (service redesign)
  • Workplace Planning: Supporting the Directorate in designing and implementing their approach to Future Ways of Working
  • Query Response: Responding to management queries
  • Strategic Partnership: Working with heads of departments and managers as a strategic partner within multiple functions, helping with the delivery of the strategic plan and the delivery of their vision
  • People Planning: Fully understanding their business area and developing the people plan that will support the strategy
  • Performance Coaching: Coaching and helping to drive the performance of the people
  • Change Support: Driving performance and supporting organisational change
  • Culture Engagement: Championing the engagement and culture

2. HR Business Partner Details

  • Relationship Building: Build strong, personable and collaborative relationships with portfolio, advising on best practice HR and value-adding HR initiatives to support their organisational development
  • Process Coaching: Provide advice and coaching on key HR processes including Talent Management, Learning and Development, Compensation and Benefits, Recruitment and Performance Management
  • Employee Relations: Provide advice and support about Employee relations including resolving issues, grievances in line with local legislation
  • Project Enhancement: Enhance project management or change management with new strategic HR projects for the portfolio and assist with change management strategies aligned with business outcomes
  • Influence Integrity: Engage and influence with integrity across all levels of the business

3. HR Business Partner Responsibilities

  • Strategic Advisory: Strategic HR advisory and initiatives aligned with the overall business strategy
  • Policy Development: Work closely with regional HR teams in developing fair HR policies for all countries
  • Strategy Monitoring: Collaborate with the team in developing and monitoring overall HR strategies, systems, tactics and procedures across the organization
  • Relations Bridging: Bridge management and employee relations by addressing demands, grievances or other issues
  • Talent Support: Support current and future business needs through the development, engagement, motivation and preservation of human capital
  • Talent Acquisition: Responsible for the recruitment and selection process
  • Relocation Support: Oversee and support work pass and relocation matters
  • Operations Oversight: Oversee the daily operations of the HR department

4. HR Business Partner Job Summary

  • Strategic Delivery: Deliver the strategic direction and business requirements of the aligned business areas, driving the HR aspects of the agenda through the leadership teams
  • Process Leadership: Lead annual HR processes including performance reviews, compensation planning, promotions, objective setting, etc., in conjunction with HR guidelines
  • Organization Design: Works with the business to identify and evaluate the Organisation Design and leads the business through restructuring, implementation and change
  • Advisory Support: Acts as a trusted advisor and critical friend to the business
  • Change Facilitation: Facilitate organisational changes according to business needs by taking into consideration relocation, job development opportunities, terminations, headcount and organisational objectives
  • Manager Upskilling: Ensures that managers are upskilled to manage their grievance/disciplinary/performance and management processes, and become involved in the management of more complex cases
  • Capability Coaching: Coaches, leads and drives the ongoing development of people's capability in the line management population to support direct line management engagement
  • Workforce Planning: Support Head of HR and/or Senior HRBP with business area near and long-term workforce forecasting and demand planning
  • Talent Readiness: Works with business area/s to ensure a candidate pool is ready for management roles
  • Succession Planning: Conducts talent and succession planning activities within the area
  • Talent Identification: Supports for Talent identification exercises
  • Performance Metrics: Uses metrics to identify opportunities to improve performance
  • Strategy Alignment: Ensures the People strategy/approach is aligned across business units
  • Leadership Input: Provides Business Leadership team input on People strategies/initiatives
  • Absence Monitoring: Works with HR Advisors to monitor absence to determine the root cause
  • Sickness Coaching: Coaches HR Advisors on sickness case management and manages complex long-term sickness cases within the area
  • Union Relations: Manages relationships with Trade Union reps and Regional Officers
  • ER Support: Supports Pay Negotiations, Recognition process and the ER Agenda
  • Engagement Champion: Support the global employee engagement survey and follow up with action planning
  • Project Management: Lead and manage HR related projects
  • Cross-functional Collaboration: Cross-functional working with Centres of Excellence, Shared Service
  • Colleague Support: Supporting wider HR colleagues

5. HR Business Partner Accountabilities

  • Procedure Review: Assisting in the ongoing review and implementation of internal Standard Operating Procedures for the efficient and effective administration of the Human Resources Department
  • Data Compilation: Collating payroll information and collecting and compiling data and statistics relating to Employment Control, Absenteeism, etc
  • Confidentiality Maintenance: Ensuring that the highest levels of confidentiality are maintained within the Department
  • Forum Representation: Represent the department at key internal and external forums/committees
  • Report Writing: Preparing and writing HR correspondence and reports for wider distribution
  • Inquiry Response: Responding professionally to inquiries from staff and members of the public
  • Policy Compliance: Ensuring that all policies and procedures identified by the hospital as being relevant to the post have been read, acknowledged, implemented and adhered to
  • Project Support: Provide support on designated HR projects that are identified to build and improve the HR department or organisational effectiveness
  • Absence Input: Input of absence management data into the HR system including medical certs, and return to work interview forms
  • Deadline Partnership: Partner, ensuring strict adherence to deadlines
  • Payroll Reporting: Preparation of fortnightly and monthly payroll reports for the Payroll Business

6. HR Business Partner Functions

  • Query Support: Supports with employee queries and escalations, coaches front-line managers
  • Onboarding Management: Manages onboarding and off-boarding
  • Relations Handling: Manages employee relations issues, conducts investigations with Employee Relations Partner with guidance from the Leader or BP
  • Performance Management: Manages performance management (eg, PIP) processes with Employee Relations Partner
  • Material Preparation: Creates HC preparation materials
  • Recruitment Partnership: Partners with TA on recruitment efforts
  • Cycle Training: Trains employees and managers on the performance review cycle
  • Engagement Analysis: Analyzes employee engagement survey findings and prepares a report-out for teams
  • System Facilitation: Facilitates and assists with people system actions and changes (transfers, pay changes, location and general people data audits)

7. HR Business Partner Job Description

  • Talent Deployment: Deploy the global talent management strategy and processes, including the use of data and analytics, to develop a diverse leadership pipeline and succession to key roles
  • Capability Planning: Accelerate future capabilities/address capability gaps, delivering a plan in support of the business strategy
  • Leadership Coaching: Provide coaching to leaders to support their personal leadership development and capability to deliver the people and culture agenda
  • Change Support: Support HR change management, driving operational tasks to self-service and People Services for execution
  • Engagement Building: Build employee engagement by leveraging global frameworks and resources
  • Inclusive Partnership: Partner with and coach leaders to build an inclusive and high-performing team environment
  • Project Execution: Project management and execution of restructuring and/or broader change programmes
  • Program Delivery: Support the delivery of the annual Performance, Rewards, global rewards and benefits programmes
  • Partner Development: Focus on personal development to build business partner capabilities

8. HR Business Partner Overview

  • People Planning: Supporting the leaders in defining, developing and executing local people plans that support the achievement of the business strategy
  • Strategy Integration: Ensures that People plans are integrated with wider HR strategy, policies and priorities
  • Calendar Delivery: Delivery of the annual people calendar activities within the objectives and strategy
  • Talent Support: Translating and supporting the delivery of the talent strategy
  • Leadership Pipeline: Driving a pipeline of diverse future leaders and accelerating high-potential development while driving the Diversity and Inclusion agenda
  • Capability Building: Building and developing future strategic capabilities for Technology such as solution design and robotics
  • HR Consultation: Drive HR support and consultation to the business
  • Query Handling: Answer employee and manager queries about HR programs, policies, and other HR-related topics
  • Performance Advisory: Advise on performance management challenges and lead investigations and reorganizations
  • Program Assistance: Assist People Partners with planning and roll-out of HR programs and initiatives
  • Inquiry Management: Manage inquiries and connect employees to the correct subject-matter expert
  • Policy Improvement: Identify opportunities to improve HR policies and propose solutions to improve inconsistencies and gaps

9. HR Business Partner Details and Accountabilities

  • Market Understanding: Develop and maintain a sound commercial understanding of the markets, varied strategies and operations within which the groups that make up the client group operate to flex and deliver plans and initiatives accordingly
  • Business Partnership: Act as a trusted Partner to Business Leaders, to support business planning and operational decision-making of the business management teams
  • Leadership Development: Raise the bar for the people management capability of leaders
  • Competency Investment: Defining and optimising investment in competency management and assessment
  • Executive Coaching: Personal Coach and trusted adviser to the EVPs and VPs across the client group
  • Growth Facilitation: Holding the mirror up to them as leaders and facilitating their personal, professional and leadership growth
  • People Leadership: People Leadership and professional growth of indirect HR reports (regional HRBPs)
  • Agenda Setting: Set the human capital agenda and priorities, network and work collaboratively with Regional and Group HR colleagues across countries/regions to ensure smooth delivery of people plans and activities
  • HR Expertise: Provide the businesses with expertise in HR, organisational development and business change interventions
  • Solution Translation: Translate business needs and plans into organisation/people solutions with minimal risk to Experian and ensuring efficient and effective deployment of resources
  • Process Facilitation: Facilitate delivery of performance, reward, learning and talent management processes across the client group and work with the Business to ensure outcomes are defined and optimised at all levels
  • Action Planning: Develop and implement with the business areas action plans in response to the outputs of the Employee Listening Strategy
  • Best Practices: Ensure sharing of best practices/ideas across HR colleagues to drive a consistent approach
  • Talent Tracking: Partner extensively with business and HR colleagues to define, deliver and track talent management plans
  • Service Ethos: Maintain a strong customer service ethos and focus both internally and externally to encourage speed of response and exemplary standards of service
  • Analytics Optimisation: Personally optimise the use and insight from HR Analytics (including predictive) to drive a step change across the business areas and to continue improving the health of core KPI’s

10. HR Business Partner Tasks

  • Programmatic Support: Provide HR programmatic support, thought partnership, and coaching to managers and directors of the organization
  • Needs Assessment: Proactively assess team and manager development needs, make recommendations, and implement appropriate solutions
  • Data Reporting: Provide rigorous data analysis and reporting solutions based on business needs
  • Talent Execution: Execute on talent management strategies to support a team’s growth and individual development plans
  • Cycle Management: Manage and facilitate the overall Performance Summary Cycle and employee engagement survey throughout the year
  • HR Integration: Integrate and partner with HR colleagues in the Recruiting, Learning and Development, Compensation, Legal, and HR Programs teams to implement solutions and help scale the business
  • Strategy Execution: Partner closely with regional HR partners on global strategy and execution
  • Relations Support: Work closely with Employee Relations Partners, supporting employee relations issues
  • Meeting Facilitation: Attend and potentially facilitate team and off-site meetings
  • Community Participation: Participate as an integral member of the extended HR community

11. HR Business Partner Roles

  • Succession Planning: Support Leaders in developing succession and development plans and work proactively to ensure that they have a talent pool available within the business
  • Talent Acquisition: Working with the resourcing team to actively support the recruitment for all role levels within the functions
  • Candidate Selection: Ensure a consistent level of high-calibre candidates are recruited for the right roles at the right time
  • Learning Development: Support and implement learning and development-based activities to equip employees with the necessary skills and learning
  • Culture Development: Drive culture development within the businesses with a focus on employee engagement
  • Early Careers: Lead the Early Year Careers strategy and ensure a robust pipeline of young talent
  • HR Reporting: Maintain appropriate systems for monitoring, measuring and reporting on HR activities within agreed formats and timescales
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with applicable employment compliance requirements through appropriate program and process management
  • HR Transformation: Champion HR Transformation by partnering with Global People Services and ER Partners to deliver a streamlined HR service to the business and employees
  • Project Leadership: Actively lead and participate in ad hoc projects throughout the year
  • Process Improvement: Support local HR Transactional activity with a focus on driving efficiency and Continuous Improvement

12. HR Business Partner Additional Details

  • Organizational Effectiveness: Drive and provide data-driven insights and actions to improve organizational effectiveness
  • Diversity Inclusion: Lead efforts to drive and increase diversity and inclusion through various projects and initiatives, including early career development programs
  • Talent Development: Develop and execute talent management and development strategies, and opportunities for growth
  • Internal Communication: Partner with leaders to drive effective communication across the organization
  • HR Analytics: Ensure the accuracy and reliability of HR data, right and fast
  • Stakeholder Management: Build relationships and broker services
  • HR Execution: Ensuring the successful execution of all HR initiatives
  • HR Support: Providing HR support in the areas of development and coaching, performance management, and workplace investigations
  • Talent Assessment: Developing and implementing talent assessment and development programs, and driving selection and retention strategies
  • HR Advisory: Delivering proactive advice and counsel to leaders, while maintaining integrity with HR policy and practice and seeking creative solutions to problems
  • Employee Relations: Identifying and addressing employee relations issues promptly

13. HR Business Partner Essential Functions

  • People Initiatives: Develop and drive critical people initiatives, large projects and provide great internal stakeholder and candidate customer support
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Builds cross-functional partnerships
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Works closely with Regional Operations leaders, new site leadership teams, and other departments such as Recruiting, PR, Real Estate, Finance, Legal, Payroll and HRS to achieve objectives
  • Project Governance: Facilitates strategic project governance and communication to stakeholders and leads project status meetings
  • Best Practices: Partner to identify best practices to be leveraged across the network and define key performance indicators for successful expansion
  • HR Deployment: Partners with key internal stakeholders to ensure deployment of HR tools and processes on time for site launch and expansions
  • Culture Leadership: Serves as Amazon's cultural ambassador to the site leadership team, the employment base and local community to exhibit leadership principles and core values and infuses them into local site culture
  • Issue Escalation: Serves as an escalation point for any HR related new site issues
  • Team Mentorship: Mentors and develops strong partnerships with the launch teams and new site HR teams
  • HR Preparedness: Ensures they are prepared to successfully deliver ongoing HR support at their locations
  • Cultural Innovation: Encourages a culture of efficiency, innovation, and customer service

14. HR Business Partner Role Purpose

  • HR Consulting: Consults managers and employees on HR matters
  • Policy Communication: Partner with employees and leaders to communicate various Human Resources policies, procedures, laws, standards and government regulations
  • Talent Management: Drive Talent management and succession planning together with managers
  • Policy Development: Develop and implement HR policies and procedures locally, and continuously drive process improvement
  • Labor Relations: Manage Labour law matters and relationships including works council relations and negotiations
  • Employee Engagement: Drive Employee engagement initiatives and support action planning
  • Compensation Management: Manage Local compensation and benefits, including annual compensation processes
  • HR Administration: Manage HR Administrative tasks such as employee contracts, HR system administration (mainly Success Factors), administration of the company pension scheme and time recording system and payroll collaboration with the outsourced provider
  • Data Analysis: Manage HR KPIs and reports, analyse data and present trends and recommendations
  • Project Leadership: Participate or drive projects to impact, e.g., culture, engagement, or ways of working within Critical Care

15. HR Business Partner General Responsibilities

  • Team Leadership: Lead and develop a team of HR professionals in a high-growth, rapidly changing environment
  • Workplace Culture: Strong drive to create a positive work environment
  • Problem Solving: Work in an environment that demands strong deliverables, along with the ability to identify problems and drive appropriate solutions
  • Customer Focus: Maintain an effective internal and external customer service focus
  • Business Alignment: Understand business goals and recommend new approaches, policies and procedures to effect continual improvements in business objectives, productivity and development of HR within the company
  • Talent Integration: Understand the entire talent system and each stage of the employee life-cycle and apply that understanding to craft integrated solutions that are thoughtful and reinforced by upstream and downstream talent programs
  • Executive Interface: Interface at all levels of the organization
  • Autonomous Execution: Operate with autonomy and discretion
  • Employee Engagement: Successfully monitor the "pulse" of the employees to ensure a high level of employee engagement
  • Shift Support: Support a 24/7 environment that has multiple shifts and a significant staffing ramp during the seasonal peak in the fourth quarter
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