HR Business Partner

HR Business Partner

Urban Outfitters exists to fuel the next generation of individuality — and the people who build that brand every day at our Philadelphia home office are the creative engine that makes it possible. The HR Business Partner, Urban Outfitters is a key part of the team that ensures that engine runs well: that UO's talent is developed, its leaders are equipped, its employee experience is intentional, and its people strategy is connected to where the brand is going commercially and culturally.

This is a trusted people advisor and proactive thought partner to UO managers and directors, connecting the brand to URBN's HR Centers of Excellence and translating business priorities into talent action. This role operates at the intersection of UO's creative brand identity and the people practices that make that identity sustainable at scale.

If you are drawn to UO because you believe HR can be as creative, intentional, and culture-forward as the brand itself — this role is for you.

Strategic Business Partnership

• Serve as the primary HR advisor to director-level and above leaders across the UO brand — participating in leadership team conversations, bringing a talent lens to business decisions before they are made, and advising on people matters with confidence and appropriate urgency
• Connect UO leadership to URBN COE expertise across Compensation, Benefits, L&D, HR Ops, and ER — serving as an informed connector and quality monitor, ensuring COE programs land well for UO's specific population

Talent Development & Performance Management

• Lead annual talent calibration and talent mapping sessions with UO leadership, identifying high-potential talent, at-risk talent, succession depth, and critical role gaps
• Drive adoption and quality of URBN Connects (UO's performance management program with four annual touchpoints: goal-setting, mid-year, year-end, and development planning) — coaching managers on effective performance conversations and holding the program to a high standard of execution
• Coach managers and directors on leadership effectiveness, team performance, and individual development with specificity and care — not generic HR guidance, but insight grounded in knowledge of the person, the team, and the business context
• Partner with the TD and L&D COEs to connect high-potential UO employees to development programs; follow through on nominations, program participation, and post-program development actions

People Analytics & Employee Listening

• Analyze workforce data for the UO population — turnover trends, engagement results, talent health indicators, performance distribution — and translate that data into clear, actionable recommendations for UO leadership
• Drive UO's participation in the Employee Engagement Survey and Employee Lifecycle Survey; facilitate leadership communication of results and accountability for follow-through on action plans
• Identify patterns in people data — recurring ER themes, turnover triggers, engagement gaps by team or function — and surface them to the HR Leadership with supporting analysis

Employee Experience & Culture

• Champion the UO employee experience across the full lifecycle — from the moment a candidate engages with the brand through onboarding, development, recognition, and transition — ensuring the experience reflects UO's creative, individual, and community-oriented culture
• Partner with UO leadership on culture-building programming and engagement initiatives that reinforce UO's brand identity and values
• Coordinate with the onboarding logistics and program execution — ensuring that the operational experience (Day 1, I-9, orientation, New to URBN program completion) is seamlessly integrated with the strategic experience (manager introductions, 90-day check-ins, culture immersion)

Employee Relations & Compliance

• Advise managers on employee relations matters — performance management processes, disciplinary actions, and separations — ensuring consistency, fairness, and legal compliance across the UO population
• Partner with the HR Leadership and Legal on investigations, accommodation requests, and high-risk ER matters; escalate appropriately and follow…