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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for HR Manager

💰 $70,000 - $120,000

Human ResourcesManagementTalent Acquisition

🎯 Role Definition

An HR Manager (Human Resources Manager) leads people operations and HR programs to attract, develop, engage, and retain top talent. This role oversees full-cycle recruiting, employee relations, performance management, compensation and benefits administration, HRIS management, compliance with labor laws, and strategic HR initiatives that align workforce capabilities with business goals. The HR Manager acts as a trusted partner to department leaders, coaches managers on people processes, and builds scalable HR practices across the organization.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • HR Coordinator or HR Assistant
  • HR Generalist
  • Talent Acquisition Specialist / Recruiter

Advancement To:

  • Senior HR Manager
  • HR Director / Head of People
  • VP of Human Resources or Chief People Officer

Lateral Moves:

  • Compensation & Benefits Manager
  • Learning & Development Manager
  • Employee Relations / Labor Relations Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead and execute end-to-end recruitment and selection activities for mid- to senior-level roles, including job postings, sourcing, screening, interviewing, offer negotiation, and onboarding to ensure time-to-fill and quality-of-hire targets are met.
  • Design and implement a structured onboarding program that accelerates new-hire time-to-productivity, improves retention in the first 90 days, and enhances early employee engagement.
  • Manage employee relations matters, investigate complaints and grievances, conduct fact-finding interviews, document outcomes, and recommend corrective actions to ensure fair, consistent resolution and mitigate legal risk.
  • Develop, communicate, and enforce HR policies and procedures consistent with company values and compliant with federal, state, and local employment laws; update policy manuals and handbooks as regulations change.
  • Administer compensation programs including salary benchmarking, job evaluations, salary structure maintenance, offer approvals, and annual merit/bonus processes to maintain internal equity and external competitiveness.
  • Oversee benefits program administration—medical, dental, vision, retirement plans, disability, leave management—partnering with brokers/vendors to optimize cost, participation, and employee understanding.
  • Drive performance management processes: facilitate goal setting, coach managers on delivering feedback, manage performance review cycles, and develop improvement and corrective action plans when necessary.
  • Partner with business leaders to create and execute workforce planning, succession planning, and talent development strategies that reduce skill gaps and support business continuity.
  • Implement and manage HRIS and ATS systems (e.g., Workday, BambooHR, ADP, Greenhouse) to ensure accurate employee data, streamlined workflows, and actionable HR metrics and dashboards.
  • Prepare and analyze HR metrics and workforce analytics (turnover, retention, hiring velocity, diversity metrics) and translate findings into strategic recommendations for leadership.
  • Lead compensation review and promotion cycles, collaborate with finance to model budget impact, and present recommendations for salary adjustments and bonus allocations.
  • Develop and deliver training and development programs for managers and employees on topics including performance conversations, leadership, compliance, diversity and inclusion, and harassment prevention.
  • Ensure compliance with employment laws including FLSA, ADA, FMLA, EEO requirements, and support audits, I-9 processing, and record-keeping in partnership with legal or outside counsel.
  • Shape and grow company culture initiatives, employee recognition programs, and engagement activities; measure engagement through surveys and implement action plans to address key drivers of morale.
  • Manage offboarding processes, conduct exit interviews, analyze turnover drivers, and recommend retention strategies to reduce voluntary attrition.
  • Lead change management for HR-related organizational changes (restructurings, mergers, new policies), advising leaders on communication plans and employee impact mitigation.
  • Coach and mentor managers on leadership, conflict resolution, performance improvement, and employee development to build managerial capability and accountability.
  • Coordinate accommodations and leave management processes, working with employees and medical providers as necessary to ensure compliance and reasonable accommodations.
  • Oversee HR vendor relationships (benefits brokers, payroll providers, background check vendors, learning platforms) and negotiate contracts to ensure service quality and cost-effectiveness.
  • Design, implement and monitor diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and metrics, recommending programs to advance representation and inclusive practices across the employee lifecycle.
  • Maintain up-to-date employee records, HR documentation, and reports while ensuring confidentiality and secure handling of sensitive personnel information.
  • Drive continuous improvement of HR processes by documenting workflows, deploying automation where possible, and delivering training and change communications to increase HR service delivery efficiency.

Secondary Functions

  • Support strategic HR projects such as HR transformation, HRIS implementations, and employer branding campaigns from planning through execution.
  • Partner with marketing and recruiting to develop employer brand content, careers pages, job descriptions, and social recruiting strategies to attract passive candidates.
  • Support ad-hoc HR analytics requests and produce custom reports to inform executive decision-making and business case development.
  • Facilitate cross-functional working groups on retention, onboarding, and leadership development to scale best practices across departments.
  • Coordinate periodic compensation and benefits reviews with finance and external consultants, contributing to total rewards strategy and annual budgeting.
  • Assist with union/collective bargaining support where applicable by coordinating with labor counsel and leadership to manage labor relations matters.
  • Participate in interview calibration sessions and talent review meetings to ensure consistent hiring standards and alignment on candidate fit.
  • Contribute to the organization’s apprenticeship, internship, or campus recruiting programs to source early talent and build talent pipelines.
  • Provide HR support during campus/industry recruiting events and career fairs, representing the company and screening early career candidates.
  • Act as a backup approver for payroll, time-off administration and other operational HR tasks during peak times.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • HRIS administration and data management (e.g., Workday, ADP, BambooHR, SuccessFactors)
  • Applicant Tracking System (ATS) proficiency (e.g., Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS) and full-cycle recruiting
  • Employment law and compliance knowledge (FMLA, ADA, FLSA, EEO) with ability to apply in practice
  • Compensation and benefits administration, benchmarking, and total rewards design
  • Performance management systems and OKR/KPI alignment for people metrics
  • HR analytics and reporting (turnover analysis, headcount planning, workforce metrics) using Excel, SQL or BI tools
  • Onboarding and offboarding processes, exit interview analytics, and retention program design
  • Talent assessment and succession planning methodologies, competency modeling
  • Project management skills for HR programs and system rollouts
  • Experience managing third-party vendors for payroll, benefits, and background checks

Soft Skills

  • Strong interpersonal and coaching skills — ability to influence leaders and build trust across levels
  • Clear, persuasive written and verbal communication for policy writing and employee communications
  • High degree of confidentiality, discretion, and ethical judgment in handling sensitive matters
  • Critical thinking and problem-solving under ambiguity with a data-informed mindset
  • Change management and stakeholder engagement — guiding teams through transitions
  • Empathy and active listening to support employee well-being and effective conflict resolution
  • Time management and prioritization — managing multiple concurrent HR programs and initiatives
  • Adaptability and resilience in a fast-paced, evolving business environment

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Psychology, or related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's in Human Resources, MBA, or related advanced degree.
  • HR certification such as SHRM-CP / SHRM-SCP, PHR / SPHR is highly desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Human Resources Management
  • Business Administration / Management
  • Organizational Psychology
  • Industrial-Organizational Psychology
  • Labor Relations

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 5–8 years of progressive HR experience, including at least 2–3 years in a managerial or lead role.

Preferred:

  • 7+ years of HR experience with demonstrated ownership of recruiting, employee relations, performance management, and HRIS administration.
  • Experience operating in a fast-growth or matrixed environment and partnering with senior leadership to drive people strategy.
  • Prior experience managing direct reports and building high-performing HR teams.
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