Job Title: Senior HR Business Partner                                

Reports to:  Chief People Officer                                                                                                      

Classification: Salaried, exempt                                            

Why This Role Matters

The SR. HR Business Partner ensures a safe, high‑performance environment for teams who serve customers every day. By combining frontline credibility with strategic partnership, this role is central to sustaining our employer‑of‑choice culture, advancing leader capability, and improving business results.

 What You’ll Do

The Senior HR Business Partner serves as a strategic advisor to leaders across Sales, Distribution, Transportation, and Customer Service, aligning people strategies to business goals in a fast-paced, operations-heavy environment. This position is the primary HR point of contact for approximately 200 team members across western & central New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. As an active member of the Human Resources Team, performs a range of duties as needed to maintain high levels of service to our team members onsite and in the field. 

This role blends high-touch employee relations with data‑informed decision making, workforce planning, and continuous improvement. The Senior HRBP champions an employer‑of‑choice culture, supports team member safety and well-being, and ensures compliant, consistent application of policies and regulatory requirements—including DOT and OSHA—for a diverse, largely field-based workforce.

• Serve as the primary HR partner and employee relations resource for assigned operations teams
• Advise and coach leaders on performance management, investigations, and people decisions
• Support recruiting, onboarding, training, and leader development
• Play a key role in safety, OSHA reporting, workers’ compensation, and DOT compliance
• Ensure consistent, compliant application of HR policies and employment practices
• Leverage HR systems and tools to improve efficiency and team member experience

What You Bring

• 7+ years of progressive HR Generalist or HR Business Partner experience
• Strong background in employee relations and front‑line leader support
• Experience in transportation, distribution, manufacturing, or similar operational environments
• Knowledge of federal and state employment laws; DOT experience strongly preferred
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and HR systems (ADP, iCIMS a plus)
• Confident communicator who builds trust and balances business needs with employee advocacy

Why Perry's Ice Cream

      You’ll be part of a team where your work makes a difference. We offer a supportive environment, opportunities for growth, and a chance to be part of a company that values quality, integrity, and community.

Base salary range $85,000-$110,000 commensurate with relevant skills and experience

 Perry's Ice Cream is an Equal Opportunity Employer and maintains a drug-free workplace.

Full Job Description

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior HR Business Partner serves as a strategic advisor to leaders across Sales, Distribution, Transportation, and Customer Service, aligning people strategies to business goals in a fast-paced, operations-heavy environment. This position is the primary HR point of contact for approximately 200 team members across western & central New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. As an active member of the Human Resources Team, performs a range of duties as needed to maintain high levels of service to our team members onsite and in the field. 

This role blends high-touch employee relations with data‑informed decision making, workforce planning, and continuous improvement. The Senior HRBP champions an employer‑of‑choice culture, supports team member safety and well-being, and ensures compliant, consistent application of policies and regulatory requirements—including DOT and OSHA—for a diverse, largely field-based workforce.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES include, but are not limited to:

Strategic HR Partnership & Organizational Effectiveness

• Advise leaders on organizational design, workforce planning, succession, and change management to drive operational performance and team member engagement.
• Translate business priorities into measurable people plans; track outcomes using HR metrics (e.g., turnover, internal promotion, safety, engagement).

 Employee Relations, Investigations & Leader Coaching

• Serve as the primary employee relations point of contact for assigned client groups; provide timely, professional, and confidential guidance.
• Conduct prompt, thorough investigations; recommend and implement appropriate corrective or preventive actions.
• Coach leaders to build capability in performance conversations, documentation, and values-aligned decision making.

 Talent Acquisition & Onboarding

• Lead the recruitment process for client group teams to ensure equal employment opportunity, consistency, and adherence to company policies.
• Support onboarding and leader assimilation to accelerate cultural integration and time-to-productivity.

 Learning, Development & Leader Enablement

• Consult on individual development planning; identify skill gaps and source scalable learning solutions.
• Drive adoption of HR tools and processes; build leader proficiency in performance management, feedback, and coaching.

 Safety, Health & DOT Compliance

• Actively participate in the Sales & Distribution Safety Steering Team; advise on programs that reduce incidents and hazards.
• Serve as Designated Employer Representative (DER) for DOT; ensure compliance across drug/alcohol testing, documentation, and recordkeeping.
• Maintain OSHA logs and safety reporting; partner with leaders on incident response and prevention.
• Liaise with the workers’ compensation carrier; coordinate transitional duty and return-to-work in alignment with medical guidance and business needs.
• Partner with leaders to determine reasonable accommodations.

 Total Rewards, HR Operations & Systems

• Support annual processes (performance, open enrollment, wellness program)
• Administer wage adjustments and status changes per policy and guidelines; maintain audit-ready documentation.
• Leverage HRIS and related systems to ensure data integrity and efficient processes.

 Data, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Use HR analytics to identify trends, risks, and opportunities; recommend and implement process/system improvements that enhance service and productivity.
• Evaluate and adopt HR technology and AI‑enabled tools to streamline administrative work and improve the team member experience.

 Policy, Compliance & Risk Mitigation

• Ensure consistent, compliant application of policies and employment practices across sites and teams.
• Monitor changes in federal, state, and local employment regulations; update leaders and partner with Legal/Compliance as needed.
• Maintain confidential records in accordance with company policy and regulatory requirements.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Behavior, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 5+ years of progressive HR Generalist/HR Business Partner experience
• Demonstrated depth in employee relations, investigations, and leader coaching.
• Strong working knowledge of state and federal employment regulations.
• Proficiency with MS 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Flexibility to vary work schedule from time to time in support of high service levels; availability to work >40 hrs/week as needed (ave. 45 hrs/week)
• Preference for candidate that has additional qualifications

• First-hand experience in transportation, distribution, or manufacturing industry
• Familiarity with ADP payroll/HR/Benefits and iCIMS (or similar) ATS.
• Knowledge of DOT regulations
• Experience leveraging HR analytics and AI‑enabled tools to improve efficiency and decision quality.
• Professional certification: SHRM‑CP/SHRM‑SCP or PHR/SPHR.

JOB COMPETENCIES

• Strategic Influence & Business Acumen: Connects people priorities to operational outcomes; advises at all levels.
• Communication & Empathy: Adapts style; practices active listening; fosters trust.
• Relationship Building: Establishes credibility with front-line leaders and field teams.
• Team Orientation: Collaborates across HR and the business; models the teamwork philosophy.
• Data‑Informed Judgment: Uses metrics and evidence alongside current organizational effectiveness thought leadership to diagnose, decide, and measure results.
• Service Orientation: motivation to provide value-added service to internal/external customers while balancing to the business goals and constraints
• Continuous Improvement: Streamlines processes; adopts new technologies.
• Time Management & Execution: Manages multiple priorities and meets commitments with minimal follow-up.
• Integrity & Confidentiality: Handles sensitive matters with discretion; acts in alignment with values.