US People Manager

Oner Active; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Oner Active is seeking a hands-on US People Manager to lead and implement our people strategy across the United States, including our flagship New York location. The role covers payroll, benefits, compliance, recruitment, and learning & development for corporate and retail teams.

The successful candidate will partner with the UK People Team, deliver a consistent employee experience, and drive engagement while managing US-specific risks and opportunities.

Qualifications

• Broad HR/People experience in the United States, ideally in retail or high-growth environments.
• Strong knowledge of US employment law, payroll, and multi-state compliance.
• Hands-on approach balancing strategic and operational work.
• Experience supporting corporate and retail populations is desirable.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Act as the go-to HR contact for US managers and employees on policy, performance, and queries.
• Oversee onboarding, payroll processing, benefits administration, and state payroll setup.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws across states.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition and manage onboarding for US hires.
• Shape learning, development, and engagement initiatives with UK People Team.

Skills

US HR experience

People management

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Adaptability

Tools

HRIS

Payroll systems

Job description

Role: US People Manager

Reports into: Head of People

Contract Type: Full Time, working 7.5 hours per day, 5 days per week

Location: Hybrid, New York, USA, working 3 days a week office based

About Us

Nothing is clearer to us than the belief that every woman should include strength training in her life to enhance both physical and mental well-being. It's about building strong bodies and even stronger minds, asserting their right to take up space in the gym, and allowing the spotlight to shine bright on their progress.

To us, strength training represents a determined, goal-oriented mindset and an unwavering work ethic. We don't wait for success; we create it through hard work and determination. When faced with challenges, we don't back down; instead, we break through barriers, recognising that true progress lies on the other side.

These are the pillars that form the foundation of Oner Active. We consistently challenge ourselves to create innovative and impactful products, so that you can perform better. With our range of products and innovative approach, we provide a wide variety of colours to ensure that all skin tones genuinely radiate in Oner.

Our Purpose and Mission

We are on a mission to unite and empower women to be the strongest version of themselves through strength training. We want to inspire women to take centre stage in the gym by promoting strength training, which underpins all movement and sport, as a healthy foundation in life.

About you:

We are seeking an experienced and hands-on US People Manager to lead and deliver our people strategy across the United States. This role will support both our corporate office employees and retail store teams, including our flagship New York location, as well as remote employees across multiple states.

This is a broad, generalist role that blends strategic HR business partnering with operational excellence across payroll, benefits, compliance, recruitment, and learning & development. You will be the go-to expert for all US people matters, ensuring we deliver a consistent, compliant, and engaging employee experience

You’ll be responsible for:

HR Business Partnering & Employee Relations

• Act as the go-to HR contact for US managers and employees, providing guidance on policy, performance management, and day-to-day people queries
• Serve as the first point of contact for US employees and managers on policy, benefits, and performance processes, exercising judgement on what to resolve directly versus elevate
• Handle day-to-day employee relations matters with a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach, escalating complex or high-risk cases to your UK-based line manager and external employment counsel as needed

Employee Lifecycle, Payroll & Benefits

• Manage onboarding, offboarding, promotions, compensation changes, and organisational updates, ensuring every transition is handled accurately and with care
• Process and oversee US payroll (via Paychex or equivalent vendor), reviewing for accuracy and supporting the setup of new state payrolls as needed
• Administer benefits programmes (healthcare, retirement, wellness), managing enrolments and qualifying life events, and act as main point of contact for benefits queries and vendor relationships
• Benchmark and help evolve benefits offerings to remain competitive

Compliance & Risk Management

• Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local employment law across multiple states, including tax requirements, leave administration, workers' compensation, unemployment claims, employment verifications, and required postings
• Liaise with outside employment counsel on offers, restrictive covenants, and escalated matters
• Flag material compliance risks or employment law changes
• Act as system administrator for the HRIS, maintaining accurate employee records and reporting
• Use data and reporting to highlight trends and support people decisions

Recruitment & Onboarding

• Partner with our Talent Acquisition team and hiring managers in supporting recruitment across corporate and retail roles
• Manage and deliver an engaging onboarding experience for all new US hires

Learning & Development

• Help shape and roll out training programmes, development and engagement initiatives
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and growth, in coordination with the UK People Team

You’ll need to have:

• Proven experience in a broad HR/People role within the United States, ideally in retail, consumer, or high-growth environments
• Strong knowledge of US employment law, payroll, and multi-state compliance
• Experience supporting both corporate and retail populations is highly desirable
• Hands-on approach with the ability to operate both strategically and operationally
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

At Oner Active it’s about embracing diversity and empowering every individual to reach their full potential. We are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels valued, supported, and able to thrive.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are dedicated to ensuring that everyone has equal access to opportunities during the recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments or additional support, we encourage you to reach out to our Recruitment team - we're here to support you every step of the way.

Salary Range:

We're offering an annual base salary of $100,000 to $130,000 for this role. The exact offer will reflect your experience, skills, and location.