People Leader

SSP America; Newark (NJ); On-site; USD 85,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance

SSP 401(k) with Company Match

Paid Time Off

Paid Holidays

Paid Sick Leave

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Job summary

SSP America is seeking an HR Manager to partner with Newark airport operations, shaping people strategy and workforce planning in a multi-unit, unionized environment.

You will coach leaders, manage labor relations, and drive leadership development while ensuring compliance across locations and delivering a superior employee experience at the Newark site.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience in HR or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive Human Resources experience supporting multi-site operations.
• Demonstrated experience coaching and influencing frontline and mid-level leaders.
• Strong employee relations, workplace investigations, conflict resolution, and relationship-building skills.
• Working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority.
• Ability to work primarily on-site at EWR (Newark).

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary HR Business Partner to airport operations leadership, participating in workforce planning and staff strategy.
• Translate operational goals into people strategies to support staffing, engagement, retention, and leadership capability; lead change management and communications.
• Coach leaders on employee relations, performance management, attendance, and corrective action; conduct complex workplace investigations.
• Administer grievances, interpret and apply terms of collective bargaining agreements, and manage day-to-day interactions with union representatives at EWR.
• Lead leadership development programming, succession planning, and internal mobility initiatives; partner on recruiting and onboarding.
• Ensure compliance with employment laws and maintain required records; audit HR practices across locations and close gaps.
• Track turnover, retention and other metrics; deliver regular people metrics reviews to leadership; forecast workforce needs.
• Work on-site at EWR and collaborate with operations for labor relations and workforce planning.

Skills

HR leadership

Employee relations

Workforce planning

Influence without authority

On-site availability

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business

Job description

Join Our Team!

Location: Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) | Newark, NJ | On-Site

Compensation: $85,000 - $90,000 + Bonus Eligible

Schedule: Full-Time | Exempt

Compensation & Benefits

• $85,000 - $90,000 annual salary, based on experience
• Bonus eligibility
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Basic Life & AD&D Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Voluntary Benefits including Life Insurance, Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, and Pet Insurance
• SSP 401(k) Plan with Company Match
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Sick Leave

Career Growth & Internal Development

• SSP America promotes from within, and this role is built as a launch point into Regional People Leader, Director, and Center of Excellence positions
• Direct exposure to a fast-paced union environment, which broadens your labor relations skill set faster than other roles
• Access to company-sponsored certification support, leadership development programming, and mentorship from senior HR leaders
• Cross-functional visibility with Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Payroll, and Operations leadership at the Support Center

About the Role

At SSP America, our People Leaders are business partners first. We work alongside operations leaders to build exceptional teams, strengthen leadership capability, create engaging workplace cultures, and drive measurable business performance.

This is not a transactional HR role. As the Human Resources Manager supporting our Newark airport operations, you will influence business decisions through people strategy, leadership coaching, workforce planning, employee and labor relations, and organizational development.

You’ll partner closely with General Managers and Directors to solve complex business challenges, develop future leaders, and deliver an exceptional employee experience in a fast-paced, multi-unit environment. Success in this role requires curiosity about the business, sound judgment, and the ability to influence leaders through credibility, data, and trusted relationships.

Scope of the Role:

• 10 restaurant units at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
• Approximately 250 team members at EWR
• EWR is a unionized environment.
• Multiple restaurant concepts, including proprietary, local, and national brands
• On-site at EWR

Responsibilities:

Strategic Partnership

• Serve as the primary Human Resources Business Partner to airport operations leadership, participating in business planning, workforce planning, staffing strategy, operational reviews, and performance discussions
• Translate operational goals into people strategies supporting staffing, engagement, retention, and leadership capability, lead change management and employee communications, and collaborate with Regional and Corporate People teams to execute enterprise priorities on the ground
• Partner with Operations leadership to understand labor costs, productivity, staffing levels, and business trends, using workforce insights to improve operational performance.

Employee & Labor Relations

• Coach leaders on employee relations, performance management, attendance, and corrective action, and conduct complex workplace investigations that ensure consistent, documented application of policy
• Administer grievances, interpret and apply collective bargaining agreement terms, and manage day to day interactions with union representatives at EWR, partnering with Labor Relations on escalated matters

Talent & Leadership Development

• Coach and develop General Managers and Assistant Managers on leadership behaviors, feedback, and team building, and deliver leadership development programming for frontline and mid-level managers
• Lead succession planning, talent reviews, and internal mobility initiatives.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition and hiring managers on recruiting and workforce planning, and lead onboarding, new hire orientation, and employee recognition programs

Compliance

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, including New Jersey wage and hour requirements, and maintain airport badging, I-9, and records compliance in coordination with operations and airport authorities
• Audit HR practices across all locations, keep policies and documentation current and consistently applied, and close gaps before they become risks
• Partner with Leave Administration and Operations to support ADA accommodations, FMLA, workers' compensation, and other leave-related processes

Analytics

• Track and report on turnover, retention, engagement, attendance, absenteeism, and overtime, and deliver a regular people metrics review to airport and regional leadership
• Analyze workforce trends and exit data to identify root causes, use headcount, requisition aging, and time to fill data to guide staffing decisions with operations, and build the business case for people initiatives using cost of turnover and labor cost data
• Forecast workforce needs using headcount, turnover, recruiting, and labor trends to proactively support business growth

What Success Looks Like in Year One:

• You are the first call for General Managers on people decisions, and leaders bring you challenges early instead of after escalation
• General Managers view HR as a trusted business partner who helps solve operational challenges and develop leaders
• Turnover and open position aging trend down against a documented baseline
• Employee relations matters are investigated and closed within target timelines with clean documentation
• The union relationship at EWR is stable, with grievances resolved at the lowest possible step

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive Human Resources experience supporting multi-site operations, including HR Generalist, HR Manager, or HR Business Partner responsibilities.
• Demonstrated experience coaching and influencing frontline and mid-level leaders.
• Strong employee relations, workplace investigations, conflict resolution, and relationship-building skills.
• Working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws, with the ability to translate workforce data into actionable business recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority, build credibility, exercise sound judgment, and manage competing priorities in a fast-paced operational environment
• Ability to work primarily on-site at EWR.

Preferred

• Experience supporting multi-unit operations within hospitality, restaurants, food service, retail, logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, distribution, or other high-volume operational environments.
• Experience supporting unionized workforces, including grievance administration and collective bargaining agreement interpretation.
• Experience partnering directly with operations leaders to drive engagement, retention, succession planning, and workforce planning initiatives.
• Professional certification such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR.

SSP America is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. SSP America provides reasonable accommodations throughout the application and interview process in accordance with applicable laws.