Senior Human Resources Manager

Full-time portfolio leadership role based in Houston, Texas, overseeing the HR function for ZT Automotive’s multi-brand, multi-location dealership group.

About the Role

The Portfolio HR Leader translates business strategy into a practical people agenda that strengthens leadership capability, attracts and retains dealership talent, improves the employee experience, and supports disciplined growth. This leader serves as a trusted advisor to portfolio executives, market leaders, general managers, and functional partners while building consistent HR standards responsive to each dealership’s operating environment. The role combines strategic judgment with hands-on execution to establish scalable HR infrastructure, use workforce data to guide decisions, lead employee relations and compliance, and support acquisition integration.

Responsibilities

• Partner with portfolio leadership and dealership operators to translate growth plans, operating priorities, and financial objectives into an integrated people strategy.
• Advise leaders on organization design, workforce planning, leadership effectiveness, succession, retention, compensation, and complex employee matters.
• Build strong relationships with general managers and market leaders through structured operating reviews and timely follow-through.
• Balance portfolio-wide consistency with appropriate local flexibility across brands, markets, and dealership functions.
• Develop a proactive talent strategy for high-volume and hard-to-fill dealership roles across Sales, Service, Parts, Finance & Insurance, Accounting, and support functions.
• Strengthen recruiting discipline, candidate experience, selection quality, onboarding, and early-tenure follow-up in partnership with dealership leaders.
• Use headcount, productivity, vacancy, turnover, and labor-cost data to identify workforce risks and recommend action.
• Build manager capability through clear expectations, coaching, performance management, progressive discipline, and leadership development.
• Create succession and talent-review practices for critical dealership and portfolio roles, with clear development actions and accountability.
• Promote a high-performance culture grounded in integrity, accountability, customer service, safety, inclusion, and respect.
• Strengthen employee communications, recognition, engagement, and listening mechanisms across geographically dispersed locations.
• Provide sound, timely guidance on investigations, corrective action, workplace conduct, attendance, leave, accommodations, wage-and-hour matters, and separations.
• Ensure HR practices comply with applicable federal, state, and local employment requirements across the portfolio’s operating markets.
• Maintain consistent policies, documentation standards, recordkeeping, and audit readiness while partnering with Legal and other advisors as appropriate.
• Provide strategic oversight of dealership pay-plan governance, benefits, retirement programs, paid time off, and related employee communications.
• Partner with Finance, Payroll, and dealership leadership to strengthen pay accuracy, controls, approval practices, issue resolution, and compliance for hourly, salaried, commission, draw, and flat-rate populations.
• Standardize core employee lifecycle processes—including hiring, onboarding, transfers, status changes, leaves, and terminations—through clear ownership, service levels, and controls.
• Advance effective use of HR technology (Paylocity), reporting, self-service, workflow automation, and data quality to improve service and reduce administrative friction.
• Lead HR due diligence and post-close integration planning for dealership acquisitions, including workforce data, compliance, compensation and benefits, payroll, systems, communications, and retention risk.
• Deliver a structured employee transition experience that preserves business continuity, establishes trust, and drives adoption of ZT Automotive practices.
• Create repeatable integration playbooks, milestones, risk tracking, and leadership reporting to support continued portfolio expansion.
• Lead, coach, and develop the HR team; establish clear roles, priorities, service standards, escalation paths, and performance expectations.
• Build an operating model that positions HR close to the business while maintaining appropriate governance, subject-matter expertise, and process discipline.
• Manage external partners and vendors with clear expectations for service, compliance, cost, and outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• Reliable payroll and HR operations, accurate workforce data, effective controls, and responsive employee service.
• Consistent policy execution, timely employee-relations resolution, and reduced compliance and workforce risk.
• Disciplined, employee-centered integration of newly acquired dealerships.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related discipline; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• 7+ years of progressive HR experience, including at least 3 years leading an HR function, major business unit, or complex multi-site organization.
• Demonstrated experience advising senior executives and operational leaders in a fast-paced, decentralized environment.
• Strong command of employee relations, employment law, talent management, compensation, benefits, payroll governance, and HR operations.
• Experience building scalable processes, leading change, and using workforce analytics to influence business decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Automotive retail, dealership group, multi-unit retail, hospitality, or another high-volume, operationally intensive industry.
• Experience supporting acquisitions, integrations, rapid growth, or private-equity-backed portfolio operations.
• HR certification such as SPHR, SHRM-SCP, or GPHR.
• Experience with HRIS/payroll platforms, applicant tracking systems, dealership management systems, and dashboard reporting.