Senior Manager, HR Business Partner
3 days ago
South Plainfield
Job DescriptionAt ANS, we’re not just a consulting engineering firm—we’re a team of trailblazers shaping the future of multi-disciplinary engineering. We’ve been voted Best Places to Work, ranked in the Top 10 the Hottest Firm in the US by Zweig Reports, and in the Top 250 for the 2024 Inc. 5,000 for our 1,748% 3-Year Growth. Our team is dynamic, energetic, and allergic to bureaucracy in our goal to solve problems and get things done. We’re data and metric driven, and we frequently question the “why” to build better processes. Position OverviewANS is seeking a versatile Senior Manager, HR Business Partner (HRBP) to serve as a strategic partner to business leaders and a hands-on operator for core HR work. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, this person will help scale our people practices across a multi-office, multi-discipline environment (including field and project-based teams), and will be a key leader in strengthening manager capability, performance, retention, and culture. This is a great fit for someone who loves variety you can zoom out to shape programs and zoom in to make sure the fundamentals (including payroll and people processes) run smoothly. What you’ll do • Strategic HR partnership: Partner with senior leaders to translate business goals into people plans (org design, workforce planning, talent, engagement, retention)., • Manager enablement: Coach managers on leadership routines, feedback, performance management, and team health; build practical toolkits and operating rhythms., • Employee relations & investigations: Lead complex ER cases with sound judgment, documentation, and consistency; advise on risk mitigation and compliance., • Performance management: Drive performance cycles and calibration; support PIPs and improvement plans with clear expectations and measurable outcomes., • Learning & development partnership: Partner with our L&D lead to build manager training, role-based learning paths, and practical workshops; help drive adoption and measure impact., • Payroll partnership & processing support: Partner closely with Payroll/Finance to ensure accurate, timely payroll processing across employee groups (including field/project-based teams). Own/coordinate inputs (changes, approvals, audits), troubleshoot issues, and improve payroll-related workflows and controls., • Change & integration support: Support M&A integration and change management (communications, manager alignment, policy harmonization, adoption tracking)., • Compensation & job architecture support: Partner on leveling, offers, internal equity, and market benchmarking; help leaders make consistent decisions., • Talent & succession: Partner with Recruiting and LD&I to identify critical roles, succession risks, and development plans for technical leadership., • Culture & engagement: Use data (attrition, engagement, performance, DEI signals) to identify trends and run targeted interventions., • Policy & compliance: Ensure policies are practical and scalable; support training completion and compliance requirements across states and roles., • Operational excellence: Improve HR processes, templates, and documentation; create simple dashboards and KPIs for leadership. What success looks like (first 6- 12 months), • Managers report clearer guidance, faster issue resolution, and stronger confidence handling people situations., • Reduced regrettable attrition in priority groups; improved internal mobility and development planning., • Consistent performance management practices across teams (timely feedback, documented expectations, fair outcomes)., • Payroll runs smoothly with strong controls, clear ownership, and fast resolution of employee questions., • L&D programs see strong participation and measurable lift in manager capability., • Smoother change adoption during growth and integration moments., • Visible, trusted HRBP presence across offices and field/project teams. Requirements, • 8+ years of progressive HR experience, including HRBP work supporting leaders in a fast-paced environment., • Experience in professional services, engineering, construction, field operations, or project-based organizations strongly preferred., • Proven strength in employee relations, performance management, coaching, and change management., • Hands-on payroll experience: you’ve supported or processed payroll (or owned key inputs/approvals), understand payroll controls, and can partner effectively with Finance/Payroll vendors, • Learning & development exposure: you’ve helped design, deliver, or operationalize training programs (manager training, onboarding, role-based learning) and can measure outcomes., • Comfort operating at both strategic and hands-on levels (you can build the plan and run the play)., • Strong business acumen and ability to influence without authority., • Data-informed approach (can define KPIs, interpret trends, and recommend actions)., • Excellent communication skills clear, inclusive, and practical. Nice to have, • M&A integration experience (people-side diligence, harmonization, communications)., • Multi-state HR exposure and experience supporting distributed teams., • Experience supporting a blended workforce (office + field) and multiple pay types. Working style, • Collaborative, low-ego partner who builds trust quickly., • Comfortable with ambiguity and growth-stage change.