HR Business Partner

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Reports to: VP of Human Resources, Ornua North America

Location: Evanston, IL

Position Type: Full-Time, Hybrid

Schedule: 8am - 5pm, hybrid (3 days in office)

Ornua is an Irish dairy co-operative that markets and sells dairy products on behalf of its Member Co-operatives, Ireland’s dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers. Ornua is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products and has annualised sales of €3.4 billion. Headquartered in Dublin, Ornua has a strong global team of 2,800 employees, operating from 10 business units worldwide, including 12 production facilities.

Ornua’s core purpose is to build profitable routes to market for Irish dairy products.

The Group is structured across two divisions:
Ornua Foods and Ornua Ingredients. Ornua Foods is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua’s consumer brands, including Ireland’s most successful food export, Kerrygold, as well as Kerrygold Dubliner, Pilgrims Choice, Forto and BEO milk powders. Markets are served by production facilities in Ireland, Germany and the UK and by in-market Sales and Marketing teams in Asia, Germany, Ireland, MEA, Poland, Spain, rest of Europe, and North and Latin America.

Ornua Ingredients is responsible for the procurement of Irish and non-Irish dairy products, for the sale of dairy ingredients to food manufacturing and food service customers across the world, and for managing volatility through de-risking and trading strategies. The business is supported by production facilities in the UK, Spain, the US, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria and by in-market teams in Africa and the Middle East.

The HR Business Partner is accountable for both strategic and day-to-day HR activities for Ornua Foods North America, ensuring successful execution of the company’s People agenda in a way that enables the business to deliver on its key objectives. As a trusted advisor, this position works closely with business leaders, employees, HR centers of expertise and external partners to deliver impactful solutions that support growth, enhance the employee experience, and promote ongoing alignment to the company’s strategic plan.

Success means building collaborative relationships, influencing change and driving continuous improvement, leveraging human capital analytics, and helping our teams thrive in a fast-paced, purpose-driven culture.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to business leaders through regular one-on-one meetings, providing guidance on leadership and people-related challenges.
• Contribute to business success by aligning HR initiatives with organizational goals and supporting the execution of the people strategy.
• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition and Development teams to attract, retain, and grow high-performing talent, while promoting the Ornua Foods North America employer brand internally and externally.
• Support workforce planning, organizational design, talent reviews and succession planning, ensuring alignment with Ornua’s frameworks and identifying high-potential talent.
• Guide managers through performance management cycles, including goal setting, feedback, and development planning.
• Promote a collaborative and inclusive culture through employee engagement initiatives, internal communications, and wellness programs.
• Support compensation and benefits activities, including open enrollment and cost management, and contribute to annual HR budgeting and headcount planning.
• Analyze engagement data and partner with leaders to develop and implement action plans that enhance employee experience.
• Manage employee relations cases with consistency and compliance, acting as a culture ambassador and sounding board during periods of change.
• Lead the local implementation of enterprise-wide HR programs such as DEI, wellness, and recognition, and provide feedback for continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with HR policies and procedures, and partner with Shared Services to resolve operational issues and maintain service delivery.
• Use HR analytics and dashboards to identify trends, track key metrics (e.g., turnover, engagement, diversity), and inform talent…