People Business Partner - Be the Trusted People Partner Our Leaders Can't Imagine Working Without.

People Business Partner

Portland, Oregon Area

Position Summary

The Regional People Business Partner (PBP) serves as a strategic partner to Regional Directors and District Managers while supporting the People Operations Department Head in executing enterprise people strategies, leadership initiatives, workforce planning, and organizational priorities across assigned restaurants.

The PBP translates enterprise HR strategy into practical, field-level execution while ensuring legal compliance and reinforcing company values. This position requires strong business acumen, data fluency, and the ability to coach leaders in fast-paced, high-turnover environments.

Key Accountabilities

1. Employee Relations & Risk Mitigation

• Conduct and document investigations related to harassment, discrimination, wage/hour, and policy violations.
• Advise leaders on corrective action, documentation, and terminations.
• Ensure consistent and legally compliant application of policies.
• Monitor high-risk trends and partner with Safety/Compliance as needed.
• Reduce litigation exposure through proactive coaching and documentation.

2. Strategic Partnership & Business Alignment

• Partner with Regional/District leadership to improve efficiencies related to People metrics (e.g. retention, and engagement).
• Analyze, review and translate People data to guide and inform operational action plans.
• Support succession planning and bench strength development.
• Inform and assist leaders in best practices for performance management, conflict resolution, and holding subordinates accountable.
• Reinforce company values in all things.
• Support engagement survey follow-ups and post-survey action planning.

3. Talent & Workforce Strategy

• Partner with Talent Acquisition to address recruiting gaps.
• Monitor time-to-fill, quality of hire, and short-term turnover trends.
• Support onboarding improvements to increase short-term retention.
• Identify leadership readiness and internal promotion opportunities.
• Support the development, delivery, and reinforcement of enterprise leadership and values-based training programs.
• Support workforce planning for seasonal volatility and growth.

4. Compliance & Policy Adoption

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Audit field practices for wage and hour compliance.
• Drive consistent adoption of enterprise policies and systems.
• Support HRIS, LMS, and documentation usage in the field.

5. Data & Reporting

• Monitor turnover, retention, labor %, open positions, and engagement metrics.
• Build and maintain regional dashboards of People metrics to support business conversations.
• Provide monthly People performance insights and workforce trend analysis to Regional Leaders and the People Ops Department Head to support operational and strategic decision-making.

Core Competencies

• Business Acumen
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Coaching & Influence
• Legal & Compliance Knowledge
• Field Credibility
• Change Management

Qualifications

• 6+ years HR experience; multi-unit preferred.
• SHRM and/or HRCI certification.
• QSR or retail experience is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of federal and state employment law.
• Strong analytical skills (Excel/HRIS reporting).
• Experience conducting investigations.
• Ability to travel within the region (50–75%).
• English / Spanish bilingual desirable