Senior HR Business Partner & Talent​/Employee Relations Leader

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Full-time Regular Professional Champaign, IL, US

7 days ago Requisition

Salary Range: $ To $ Annually

Job Description:
Location:
Champaign, IL (Hybrid / On-Site)

The Senior HR Business Partner, Talent & Employee Relations Leader serves as a strategic and tactical advisor to business leaders, driving talent acquisition, workforce planning, strategic performance management, talent calibration, employee relations, and compensation governance. In this autonomous, high-impact role, you will shape how the organization attracts top talent, identifies high-potential workforce pools, resolves complex workplace challenges, and maintains an engaging, compliant work environment.

Operating with significant independence, you will design talent acquisition strategies, lead performance calibration processes, build high-potential identification frameworks, manage contingent labor, lead sensitive workplace investigations, refine employee handbooks and policies, and guide executives through compensation decisions. If you are an experienced HR strategist who thrives at the intersection of business goals, talent architecture, and employee advocacy, this role offers an exceptional opportunity to influence organizational culture and long-term growth.

Duties/Responsibilities:

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Own end-to-end talent acquisition strategies—from employer branding and pipeline development to executive sourcing and selection—to answer the core question:
  Who do we hire and how do we win top talent?
• Design and execute frameworks to identify, assess, and track high-potential (HiPo) talent pools across the organization to drive succession planning and key role readiness.
• Design and refine scalable onboarding programs and collateral that drive early engagement and time-to-productivity.
• Manage contingent labor relationships, vendor management systems (VMS), and staffing agencies to balance workforce flexibility and cost efficiency.

Performance Management Strategy & Calibration

• Architect, implement, and continuously evolve the enterprise-wide Performance Management Strategy, ensuring alignment between individual goals and overall business objectives, administer performance management programs, goal-setting frameworks, and continuous feedback mechanisms to drive high-performance teams.
• Design, facilitate, and lead company-wide performance calibration sessions across business units to ensure objective, equitable, and consistent performance ratings across all teams.
• Establish clear 9-box or similar performance-versus-potential assessment methodologies to systematically evaluate workforce capabilities.
• Coach leaders on continuous feedback, goal setting, dynamic performance reviews, and managing underperformance effectively.
• Coach managers and executive leaders through difficult workplace dynamics, performance improvement plans (PIPs), and talent retention strategies.
• Partner with department heads to address talent gaps, succession planning, and team restructuring.

Employee Relations, Investigations & Compliance

• Act as the primary advisor and neutral investigator for complex workplace issues, grievances, allegations of harassment/discrimination, and policy violations.
• Conduct thorough, fair, and legally sound internal investigations, producing comprehensive documentation and actionable recommendations.
• Oversee employee handbook revisions, HR policies, and compliance procedures to keep the organization aligned with federal, state…