People Operation Business Partner

Group 1 Automotive; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. is looking for a People Operations Business Partner to act as a strategic HR advisor. This role involves driving organizational effectiveness and workforce engagement across multiple dealership locations.

Key responsibilities include managing employee relations, partnering with business leaders, and evaluating workforce analytics to support business performance. The ideal candidate should have a strong HR background in a high-volume retail environment and excellent communication skills.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive Human Resources Business Partner or HR Generalist experience supporting field operations.
• Experience in retail or high-volume customer-facing organizations.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state employment laws.

Responsibilities

• Lead employee relations matters and workplace investigations.
• Serve as primary HR advisor for assigned dealership market.
• Partner with business leaders on talent strategies and organizational change.

Skills

Employee investigations

Organizational design

Talent management

Workforce planning

Performance management

Exceptional communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field

Job description

Overview

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. is seeking to hire a People Operations Business Partner. This position serves as a strategic HR advisor to one of the Company's largest dealership markets, partnering closely with business leaders to drive organizational effectiveness, workforce performance, and employee engagement across a multi-store retail environment.

The People Operations Business Partner serves as the strategic HR advisor to one of Group 1 Automotive's largest dealership markets, partnering closely with General Managers, Market Directors, Fixed Operations leaders, and corporate leadership to drive business performance through talent, culture, and organizational effectiveness.

This is a highly visible role requiring strong business acumen, executive presence, and the ability to influence leaders at all levels of the organization. The Business Partner serves as the primary advisor on complex employee relations matters, leading workplace investigations, coaching leaders through sensitive employee situations, interpreting policy and navigating employment law and compliance, and mitigating organizational risk. This role also drives organizational change, talent management, leadership development, and workforce planning initiatives while leveraging workforce analytics to deliver data-driven insights and practical HR solutions that support business performance.

Embedded within dealership operations, this role translates business objectives into people strategies that support revenue growth, customer experience, and workforce effectiveness across retail sales, Fixed Operations (Service and Parts), and Finance & Insurance (F&I). The Business Partner partners with business leaders to influence key operational outcomes, including sales performance, customer satisfaction, technician productivity, employee retention, succession planning, and workforce planning.

The ideal candidate is a proactive, self-motivated HR leader who thrives in a fast-paced, high-volume retail environment. This individual must be comfortable navigating ambiguity, managing multiple priorities independently, and building strong partnerships across the business while appropriately challenging leaders to achieve the best outcomes for the organization and its employees.

This position requires regular travel within the assigned market and flexibility to support dealership operations, including occasional evenings and weekends as business needs require.

Responsibilities

Employee Relations & Investigations

• Lead complex employee relations matters, including workplace investigations, policy interpretation, conflict resolution, corrective actions, and performance management.
• Ensure consistent application of Company policies while mitigating organizational risk.
• Partner with Legal and other internal stakeholders on sensitive employee matters as needed.

Strategic Business Partnership

• Serve as the primary People Operations Business Partner for an assigned dealership market, supporting General Managers, Market Directors, and operational leadership.
• Build trusted relationships with business leaders by providing strategic HR guidance aligned with operational and financial objectives.
• Coach, influence, and challenge leaders on organizational effectiveness, workforce planning, employee engagement, and performance management.
• Partner with leadership to develop action plans that improve retention, productivity, and overall business performance.

Talent Management & Organizational Effectiveness

• Partner with business leaders to develop talent strategies that support current and future business needs.
• Facilitate talent review and calibration sessions to identify high‑potential talent and support succession planning initiatives.
• Identify organizational capability gaps and implement development strategies to strengthen leadership pipelines.
• Support acquisitions, reorganizations, and organizational change initiatives.

Workforce Analytics & Business Insights

• Analyze workforce metrics and People Operations data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Translate workforce analytics into actionable recommendations that support business objectives.
• Partner with leaders to develop data‑driven action plans related to turnover, engagement, staffing, and organizational performance.

Change Management

• Lead organizational change initiatives by developing communication, implementation, and adoption strategies.
• Guide leaders through periods of organizational change while maintaining employee engagement and operational continuity.
• Promote consistent People Operations practices and operational excellence across multiple dealership locations.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Talent Acquisition, People Operations, Compensation, Benefits, Payroll, Learning & Development, and other Centers of Excellence to deliver integrated HR solutions.
• Share best practices across markets and contribute to the continuous improvement and growth of People Operations processes and programs.
• Independently manage workload, calendar, travel schedule, and business priorities in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 7+ years of progressive Human Resources Business Partner or HR Generalist experience supporting field operations.
• Experience supporting retail, automotive, hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing, or other high‑volume, customer‑facing organizations.
• Demonstrated success partnering directly with General Managers, Regional or Market Directors, and operational leadership.
• Extensive experience leading employee investigations and resolving complex workplace issues.
• Experience driving organizational change and influencing business leaders.
• Strong knowledge of:
• Organizational design
• Talent management
• Succession planning
• Workforce planning
• Performance management
• Experience leveraging workforce analytics to drive business decisions.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and relationship‑building skills.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities independently.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state employment laws and HR compliance.
• Willingness to travel regularly within the assigned market.

Preferred

• Experience supporting a Fortune 200, Fortune 250, or similarly large multi‑site organization with high turnover
• Field HR experience.
• Professional HR certification (SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR).

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status. Employment may be contingent upon successful completion of a background check and/or drug screening.