People & Culture/HR Business Partner - Assurance

Cohen & Company; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading accounting and consulting firm is seeking an experienced HR Business Partner in Chicago, IL. This pivotal role focuses on strategic talent management, engagement, and integration of new hires while ensuring alignment with firm priorities. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in HR, preferably within professional services, and a strong emphasis on data-driven decision-making. Generous compensation and benefits are offered, with a salary range of $130,000 to $150,000.

Benefits

Comprehensive Total Rewards package

Flexible time off policy

Talent development resources

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive HRBP experience is essential.
• Strong preference for experience in professional services.
• Demonstrated success advising leaders on talent strategy.

Responsibilities

• Build talent strategies for leadership and skill gaps.
• Guide performance and development conversations.
• Support M&A integration and partner onboarding.

Skills

Strategic influence

Communication skills

Relationship building

Data analysis

Performance management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources or Business Administration

Tools

Workday

Job description

What You’ll Do

At Cohen & Co, our People & Culture (P&C) Business Partners serve as the connective tissue between our service lines and the broader P&C organization. We align people strategies with firm priorities, ensuring that decisions about talent, structure, and leadership directly support firm growth and client excellence.

Embedded within our service line and Corporate Shared Services teams, P&C Business Partners anticipate needs before they surface, bring data and discipline to workforce decisions, and help leaders operate with greater clarity, consistency, and speed. They collaborate closely with colleagues across Talent Acquisition, Talent Operations, Talent Development, and Talent Deployment, as well as firm leadership.

This is a high-impact, relationship-driven role for someone who thrives on strategy, influence, and operational excellence — and who brings a strong understanding of professional services environments.

Key areas of focus:

Talent Management

• Build talent strategies that identify emerging leaders, address skill gaps, and ensure a ready succession bench.
• Guide performance and development conversations that elevate standards, strengthen accountability, and advance growth.
• Partner with the Talent Development team to align learning priorities with business capability needs.
• Equip future leaders through targeted coaching, exposure, and career planning.

Engagement and Culture

• Translate engagement and stay-interview insights into targeted actions that strengthen connection, performance, and retention.
• Lead integration of new hires, lateral partners, and M&A teams to align expectations and reinforce culture.
• Oversee onboarding and integration across U.S. and global operations to create one connected employee experience.

Change and Integration

• Help teams navigate organizational shifts, process redesigns, and technology adoption, including Workday.
• Partner with Deployment Specialists to clarify roles, rebalance work, and minimize disruption.

Deployment and Workforce Planning

• Partner with service lines and Deployment leaders to align capacity, client demand, and staffing priorities.
• Anticipate workforce needs to ensure work is allocated equitably and talent is deployed where it drives the most leverage.
• Provide leaders with workforce insights that sharpen planning and strengthen decision quality.

Performance Management and Manager Coaching

• Ensure clarity around goals, expectations, and success measures.
• Develop managerial capability to provide timely, actionable feedback and coach for performance.
• Drive consistency and follow-through in review and development cycles.
• Use performance data to identify strengths, risks, and targeted interventions.

Compensation and Recognition

• Steward annual compensation, promotion, and bonus cycles to ensure fairness, transparency, and alignment with performance.
• Deliver data-driven insights that support pay decisions, recognition, and retention.

Employee Relations

• Address performance or conduct issues through coaching, development, or formal action.
• Provide guidance on complex employee matters.
• Help leaders balance empathy with accountability.
• Identify systemic issues and recommend solutions that strengthen trust and communication.
• Analyze employee concern data to inform broader P&C initiatives.

Partner/MD Integration

• Accelerate new partner integration by ensuring clarity of expectations, visibility with key leaders, and early business contribution.
• Serve as a bridge between P&C, service lines, and leadership to ensure integration follows a structured, consistent plan.
• Provide coaching and feedback throughout the first year to support relationship‑building and firm engagement.
• Capture insights from each integration to continuously refine the partner onboarding model.

M&A Integration

• Support the work of due diligence, assessing team structures, key roles, and retention risks.
• Guide onboarding, communication, and change planning to help new teams understand the firm’s culture, standards, and expectations.
• Identify and address talent gaps early to protect client continuity and team stability.
• Monitor integration progress post‑close, ensuring leaders have the tools and support to sustain performance and engagement.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field
• 10+ years of progressive HRBP
• Strong preference for experience in a professional services or public accounting environment
• Demonstrated success advising senior leaders on talent strategy, organizational design, and employee relations
• Strong understanding of performance management, compensation cycles, and workforce planning
• Proven ability to use data and insights to drive decisions
• Exceptional communication, influencing, and relationship‑building skills

Nice to Haves

• Experience supporting multi‑office or international operations
• Familiarity with Workday
• SHRM‑SCP, SPHR, or equivalent certification
• Experience in M&A integration or partner/MD onboarding

Locations

• Chicago, IL; Cleveland, OH; Philadelphia, PA; Milwaukee, WI; Baltimore, MD
• Required in office 4x per week

Who We Are

At Cohen & Co our foundational principles offer insight into how we achieve an inclusive, growth‑oriented culture that fuels the success of our firm, our clients and our people. In particular, we honor our foundational principle of “great people first” by:

• Championing the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion by embracing the unique stories, backgrounds, perspectives and ideas that come from our people; and
• Offering a comprehensive and competitive Total Rewards package, which allows each employee to use the benefits that best suits their needs. Our offerings go beyond standard options, including time off outside of your standard PTO to give back to the community, annual discretionary merit increases and bonuses, talent development resources to tap into growth opportunities, and so much more!

Estimated Salary Range: $130,000 to $150,000*

*Salaries offered to candidates are determined based on factors such as candidate's relevant skillset, experience, licensure, and certifications, as well as job responsibilities, geography, market considerations, and organizational needs. At Cohen & Co, we don't stop setting ourselves apart by offering competitive base compensation. As part of our 'great people first' foundational principle, our firm offers a comprehensive and competitive Total Rewards package that allows each employee to design a package that best suits their needs and goes beyond standard options, including time off outside of your standard PTO to recharge and give back to the community, annual discretionary merit increases and bonuses, talent development resources to tap into growth opportunities, and so much more!

Learn More About Us!

• Discover our Passion, Purpose & Expertise
• Learn more about our Firm's culture
• Experienced Hire Opportunities

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity of thought and background to build an inclusive and energized culture and better meet the needs of our clients.

Agency recruiters may not submit unsolicited candidate information or resumes to any Cohen & Co employee without a recruiting services contract first being entered into with the Cohen & Co Talent Acquisition Team; see policy here.