Global Human Resources Business Partner Director (Durham, NC)

Fortrea; Durham (CA); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life

STD/LTD

401(K)

ESPP

Paid time off

Job summary

Fortrea in Durham, NC is seeking a seasoned Global HR Business Partner to serve as the trusted advisor to senior functional leaders and executives. This hybrid, office-based role partners with HR Centers of Excellence to translate business strategy into integrated people, talent, and workforce solutions.

The role requires 8+ years in HR with 3-5+ years in HRBP, across multiple HR disciplines, and strong business acumen to influence decisions in a matrixed organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, or related field.
• HR certification preferred (SHRM, SPHR, CIPD, or equivalent).
• 8+ years of HR or related experience.
• 3-5+ years of progressive HR Business Partnering experience.
• Experience supporting senior functional leaders and/or direct reports to C-suite executives.
• Experience across at least two HR disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience in organizational effectiveness, talent management, workforce planning, leadership development, change management, or employee relations.
• Proven ability to influence decisions in a complex, matrixed organization.
• Strong business acumen and ability to translate strategies into practical people solutions.
• Experience developing executive-level recommendations, summaries, and decision-support materials.
• Preferred: Advanced degree (MBA, Master’s) and global function experience.

Responsibilities

• Builds strong relationships with business and HR leaders.
• Translates business priorities into long-term people strategies and workforce plans.
• Partners with HR Centers of Excellence and leadership to enable performance and growth.
• Develops and executes HR and business priorities.
• Acts as strategic advisor on organizational effectiveness, workforce planning, leadership capability, talent, and culture.
• Helps leaders design organizations and manage change.
• Leads talent review, succession planning, leadership development, and workforce planning for assigned functions.
• Coaches leaders to align with growth objectives.
• Supports attraction, development, engagement, retention, and advancement of talent.
• Identifies capability gaps and creates plans.
• Partners with leaders to align enterprise HR strategies and provide insights.
• Supports global HR processes adoption.
• Synthesizes data into executive summaries and business cases.
• Escalates issues with recommendations.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, or related field

Job description

Job Overview:

Global HR Business Partner and primary HR advisor to senior functional leaders and/or direct reports to C-suite executives supporting complex global functions and organizations. Member of respective leadership teams. Active participant in the development of business and functional strategies and responsible for translating those strategies into integrated people, talent, workforce, and organizational solutions that support both short- and long-term business objectives.

Serves as a trusted advisor, organizational effectiveness consultant, and leadership coach to business leaders. Operates within a globally aligned HR partnering model, partnering closely with HR Centers of Excellence and HR Operations to ensure effective delivery of enterprise HR strategies, programs, and solutions.

Recognized for being a subject matter expert in HR Partnering, exemplifying strong business acumen, sound judgment, agility, and the ability to navigate ambiguity and complexity. Effectively synthesizes information, identifies risks and opportunities, and develops executive-ready recommendations that support business decisions and organizational performance.

This is an individual contributor role that achieves results through influence, expertise, and strategic partnership.

Summary of Responsibilities:

Strategic Business Partnership

• Builds strong working relationships founded on trust, credibility, and respect with business and HR leaders.
• Develops a deep understanding of business strategies and translates business priorities into long-term people strategies and workforce plans.
• Partners with business leaders, HR Centers of Excellence, and HR leadership to develop and execute people strategies that enable business performance and sustainable growth.
• Actively contributes to the development and execution of HR and business priorities.
• Serves as a strategic advisor on organizational effectiveness, workforce planning, leadership capability, talent, and culture.

Organizational Effectiveness & Change Leadership

• Partners with leaders to identify opportunities to improve organizational effectiveness, team performance, workforce capability, and business outcomes.
• Supports organizational design, workforce planning, operating model effectiveness, and change management initiatives.
• Helps leaders navigate organizational complexity, ambiguity, and business transformation.
• Identifies risks and develops practical solutions to support business and organizational objectives.

Talent & Leadership Strategy

• Leads talent review, succession planning, leadership development, and workforce planning activities for assigned functions.
• Provides coaching and development support to leaders in alignment with business strategy and growth objectives.
• Supports the attraction, development, engagement, retention, and advancement of talent.
• Partners with leaders to identify capability gaps and develop plans to strengthen organizational and leadership effectiveness.

Enterprise HR Partnership

• Partners closely with HR Centers of Excellence to align enterprise HR strategies with business needs and priorities.
• Provides business insights that support the proactive development and delivery of HR programs, services, and solutions.
• Supports implementation and adoption of global HR processes, programs, and initiatives.
• Ensures alignment between business priorities and enterprise HR strategies and objectives.

Strategic Insights & Executive Decision Support

• Leverages workforce data, business insights, and organizational trends to inform decision making.
• Synthesizes complex information into concise executive summaries, business cases, and recommendations.
• Evaluates risks, impacts, and alternative solutions while exercising sound business judgment.
• Escalates issues with clear recommendations, implementation considerations, and business rationale.
• Demonstrates increasing agility, strategic thinking, and independent decision making in complex business environments.

Governance & Compliance

• Applies consistency and fairness in adherence to regulations, compliance requirements, company policies, procedures, and issue escalation protocols.
• Ensures people decisions support both business objectives and organizational standards.
• All other duties as needed or assigned.

Qualifications (Minimum Required):

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, or related field.
• HR certification preferred (SHRM, SPHR, CIPD, or equivalent).

Experience (Minimum Required):

• 8+ years of HR or related experience
• 3-5+ years of progressive HR Business Partnering experience.
• Experience supporting senior functional leaders and/or direct reports to C-suite executives.
• Experience across at least two HR disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience in organizational effectiveness, talent management, workforce planning, leadership development, change management, or employee relations.
• Proven ability to influence decisions and outcomes in a complex, matrixed organization without direct authority.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity, competing priorities, and organizational complexity.
• Strong business acumen and ability to translate business strategies into practical people solutions.
• Experience developing executive-level recommendations, summaries, and decision-support materials.

Preferred Qualifications Include:

• Advanced degree (MBA, Master’s, or equivalent).
• Experience supporting global functions and globally distributed teams.
• Experience leading organizational transformation, workforce planning, or talent strategy initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to independently assess issues, identify solutions, and provide executive-ready recommendations to senior HR and business leaders.

Physical Demands / Work Environment:

Work Environment:

• Work is performed in an office environment with exposure to electrical office equipment.
• Occasional drives to site locations with occasional travel both domestic and international.

Physical Requirements:

• Frequently stationary for 6-8 hours per day.
• Repetitive hand movement of both hands with the ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Occasional crouching, stooping, with frequent bending and twisting of upper body and neck.
• Ability to access and use a variety of computer software developed both in-house and off-the-shelf.
• Light to moderate lifting and carrying, or moving of objects, including luggage and laptop computer with a maximum lift of 15-20 lbs.
• Regular and consistent attendance.
• Varied hours may be required.

This is a hybrid role with the expectation to work within our Durham headquarters 3 days each week.

Pay Range: $145,000-$160,000 (The range does not include benefits, and if applicable, bonus, commission, or equity)

Benefits: All job offers will be based on a candidate’s skills and prior relevant experience, applicable degrees/certifications, as well as internal equity and market data. Regular, full-time or part-time employees working 20 or more hours per week are eligible for comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life
• STD/LTD
• 401(K)
• ESPP
• Paid time off (PTO) or Flexible time off (FTO)
• Company bonus where applicable

For more detailed information, please click here.

Application deadline: October 15, 2026

Learn more about our EEO & Accommodations request here.