HR Business Partner

Position Summary

The HR Business Partner (HRBP) at Group 1 Automotive is a strategic advisor and embedded partner to our dealership leadership teams particularly General Managers (GMs) and Market/Region Leaders. The role requires strong business acumen proactive insight and deep understanding of dealership operations service sales parts and people.

The HRBP shapes the People strategy that enables dealership performance talent stability leadership capability and culture. The role partners closely with HR Centers of Excellence (Talent Management Total Rewards Talent Acquisition Learning & Development HR Operations) to deliver integrated business-driven HR solutions.

Strategic Partnership with Dealership Leadership

Serve as a trusted partner to GMs and market leaders; aligning people strategy with store-level and market-level business goals.

Participate in dealership and market business reviews to anticipate workforce needs leadership gaps and organizational risks.

Coach leaders to build strong teams improve accountability and strengthen the employee experience.

Talent Leadership & Workforce Planning
Partner with the Talent Management COE on succession planning GM bench development and identifying high-performing leaders.
Support workforce planning for technicians service advisors sales roles and critical dealership positions.
Identify talent gaps early and coordinate with Talent Acquisition to build pipelines aligned to store demands.

Driving Culture & Engagement
Advise leaders on engagement trends and retention drivers specific to dealership environments.
Support action planning for stores with turnover leadership challenges or team instability.
Champion a performance-driven inclusive culture aligned with Group 1 values.

Employee Relations & Leader Capability
Provide high-judgment guidance on complex employee relations issues across dealerships.
Partner with HR leadership and Legal to ensure fair consistent and compliant outcomes.
Build leader capability in performance management coaching conversations and conflict resolution.

Change Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness
Support dealership and market leaders through operational changes acquisitions restructures and new process rollouts.
Apply practical change management to ensure new initiatives land effectively and sustain over time.
Diagnose store dynamics and partner with COEs to deploy targeted interventions.

Enterprise Collaboration (COE Integration)
Work seamlessly across HR to deliver aligned solutions:
Talent Acquisition/Talent Management workforce planning pipeline prioritization hiring for leadership roles. GM development succession work leadership capability-building.
Total Rewards: compensation guidance for technicians advisors sales teams and leadership positions.
Learning & Development: leadership programs onboarding enhancements team effectiveness support.
HR Operations: process consistency data integrity and policy alignment across stores.

Qualifications
Bachelors degree required; advanced degree or HR certification preferred.
58 years of progressive HR experience ideally supporting multi-unit field-based operations.
Strong business acumen able to understand dealership P&Ls staffing models and operational drivers.
Demonstrated ability to coach leaders influence decisions and navigate complex workplace dynamics.
Comfort operating with autonomy across geographically dispersed teams.

A Group 1 HRBP is expected to:
Be embedded in the business not behind the scenes.
Operate as a strategic advisor to dealership leaders not simply provide HR support.
Anticipate needs and shape solutions rather than respond reactively.
Be the integrator across all HR COEs ensuring leaders experience one unified HR team.
Influence outcomes that directly impact store performance retention culture and leadership strength.