People & Culture Business Partner

Since 2013, we’ve been creating remarkably better furniture experiences one sofa at a time. As our People & Culture (P&C) Business Partner, you’ll help bring our people strategy to life across Customer Care, Logistics, and our growing brick-and-mortar Retail expansion. Supporting frontline employees and partnering with leaders and managers across Canada and the US, you’ll help strengthen employee engagement, performance, talent development, workforce planning, and organizational effectiveness while navigating change and employee relations.

About the role

Our Customer Care, Logistics, and Retail teams are at the heart of our customer experience. As these teams continue to grow and evolve, we need an experienced P&C Business Partner who understands the opportunities and challenges that come with supporting frontline, hourly teams across multiple locations and jurisdictions. This role reports into the Director, Global P&C Business Partnership. You’ll serve as a key link between P&C, frontline employees, managers, and function leaders. You’ll balance strategic partnership with hands-on support, helping our teams navigate employee relations, develop talent, plan for future workforce needs, strengthen engagement, and manage change. You’ll use your P&C expertise, business context, and people data to understand what’s happening within the business and help leaders and teams take meaningful action.

This role supports frontline teams across Canada and the US, so we’re looking for someone based in Chicago. You’ll be well positioned to travel to our retail and logistics locations and spend time with the broader P&C team at our Vancouver HQ.

Responsibilities

• Partner With the Business
  • Collaborate with function leaders to develop and implement people strategies that align with business goals.
  • Support operational workforce planning to address future needs and ensure alignment with business objectives.
  • Analyze organizational structures and roles, partnering with leaders to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Work cross-functionally across P&C and the broader business to create a cohesive approach to people priorities.
• Support Our Frontline Employees & Managers
  • Serve as a primary P&C point of contact for frontline employees and managers across Customer Care, Logistics, and Retail.
  • Support employee concerns, mediate disputes, and lead workplace investigations.
  • Coach managers through employee relations and performance matters while ensuring compliance with applicable US and Canadian employment requirements, including California-specific requirements.
  • Support leaders with employee onboarding plans and conduct exit interviews to identify themes, trends, and opportunities for improvement.
  • Travel to our Vancouver HQ approx. 2x per year and warehouse or retail locations about once per quarter.
• Develop Talent & Performance
  • Coach managers on performance management, reviews, goal setting, and effective feedback.
  • Support talent development, retention, resource planning, and succession planning to build strong teams.
  • Identify training needs and facilitate manager training in partnership with the Talent and Learning Development team.
  • Support leaders and employees through the merit and performance cycles, partnering with the Compensation & Total Rewards Manager on role benchmarking as needed.
• Strengthen Engagement & Navigate Change
  • Partner with managers to identify opportunities to strengthen employee engagement and the overall employee experience.
  • Support and facilitate organizational change initiatives, helping teams navigate change with clear communication and minimal disruption.
  • Help leaders build resilient and adaptable teams as business needs evolve.
• Use Data to Guide Decisions
  • Use people data and analytics to identify trends, inform decisions, and provide actionable insights to function leaders.
  • Bring together people data and business context to help identify opportunities and recommend practical solutions.

Requirements

• 7+ years of Human Resources or People & Culture experience in a Business Partner capacity.
• Direct experience supporting frontline, hourly employee groups and the managers who lead them in a fast-paced environment.
• Prior experience supporting employees across multiple US states, including California.
• Proven ability to work effectively and build trusted relationships with frontline employees, managers, and leaders at different levels of an organization.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to understand operational needs and translate them into practical people solutions.
• Growth-oriented and adaptable to change, with the judgment to work effectively through ambiguity.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, interpersonal, organizational, and time management skills.

Employee Relations & Employment Knowledge

• Strong employee relations experience, including handling employee concerns, investigations, performance matters, and other complex workplace situations.
• Well-versed in employment law across the United States, including California-specific requirements such as wage and hour law, meal and rest break requirements, and Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) exposure.
• Knowledge of employment standards, human rights, health and safety, and privacy requirements relevant to the jurisdictions supported.

Tools We Use

• Google Workspace and Microsoft Office Suite.
• HR systems including HRIS, ATS, performance, and engagement platforms. We currently use HiBob and Pinpoint.

Nice to Have

• Current SHRM designation.
• Prior experience supporting employees in Canada.
• Experience supporting Retail, Customer Care, Logistics, or other distributed frontline teams.

Additional Requirements

• Legally able to work in the United States.
• Completion of pre-employment drug & alcohol test and criminal background check.
• Willingness and ability to travel within Canada and the US.
• Valid passport required for cross-border travel.
• Initial training and onboarding will take place at Article’s Vancouver HQ.

Benefits

• Wealth
  • Target salary: $120,000 to $140,000. The actual base pay can increase beyond this range and will be based on various factors, including transferable skills.
  • Cash Bonus: Annual cash bonus when Article hits its annual financial goals (eligible employees).
  • 401(k) Match: 4% matched contributions to help you save for the future.
  • Product Discount: 45% discount on our entire product range (15% for friends and family).
• Vacation & Paid Time Off
  • Paid Vacation: 160 hours (4 weeks) of paid vacation (accrued annually).
  • Paid Holidays: 8 paid company holidays + 1 Inclusion & Diversity day.
  • Paid Sick Leave: 48 hours (6 days, accrued annually).
• Total Health & Insurance Benefits
  • Health Benefits: Medical, Dental, & Vision coverage (benefits-eligible from the first day of employment).
  • Insurance: Life & Disability insurance, and Travel Medical insurance.
  • Tax-Advantaged Accounts: Health FSA (Flexible Spending Account) and Dependent Care FSA.
  • Employee Support: SupportLinc EAP (Employee Assistance Program) and discounted pet insurance.