Senior People Leader

Location: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) | Seattle, WA | On-Site

Pay

$100,000–$105,000 annual salary, based on experience. Bonus eligibility.

Schedule

Full-Time | Exempt

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Basic Life & AD&D Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Voluntary Benefits including Life Insurance, Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, and Pet Insurance
• SSP 401(k) Plan with Company Match
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Sick Leave

About the Role

Primary responsibility for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), with support for Portland (PDX) and Spokane (GEG). Supports multiple restaurant concepts, including proprietary, local, and national brands. Supports both union and non-union operations. Partners with multiple Directors of Operations, General Managers, and operational leadership teams. Approximately 20% travel within the region.

Responsibilities

Strategic Partnership

• Serve as the primary Human Resources Business Partner to airport operations leadership, participating in business planning, workforce planning, staffing strategy, operational reviews, labor planning, and leadership discussions.
• Translate operational goals into people strategies that improve staffing, engagement, retention, leadership capability, and organizational effectiveness.
• Lead change management initiatives, employee communications, and organizational transitions while partnering with Regional and Corporate People teams.
• Partner with Operations leadership to understand labor costs, productivity, staffing levels, and business trends, using workforce insights to improve operational performance.
• Build trusted partnerships with operational leaders by providing strategic guidance, coaching, and practical business solutions.

Employee & Labor Relations

• Coach leaders on employee relations, performance management, attendance, corrective action, documentation, and leadership effectiveness while conducting complex workplace investigations and ensuring consistent application of company policy.
• Lead workplace investigations involving employee misconduct, harassment, discrimination, policy violations, and performance concerns while preparing well-supported employment recommendations.
• Administer grievances, interpret collective bargaining agreement provisions, manage day-to-day union interactions, and partner with Labor Relations on escalated matters and bargaining strategy.
• Partner with Legal and Employee Relations regarding agency charges, unemployment claims, demand letters, audits, and other employment-related matters.

Talent & Leadership Development

• Coach and develop General Managers, Assistant Managers, and Operations leaders on leadership behaviors, accountability, employee engagement, and performance management.
• Lead succession planning, talent reviews, leadership development, and internal mobility initiatives.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition on recruiting strategies, interviewing, workforce planning, onboarding, and retention initiatives.
• Support employee engagement, recognition programs, organizational development, and culture-building initiatives.

Compliance

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws while balancing operational needs, employee experience, and organizational risk.
• Maintain compliance with collective bargaining agreements, airport badging requirements, I-9 documentation, personnel records, and company policies.
• Audit HR practices and documentation across assigned operations to proactively identify and mitigate compliance risks.
• Partner with Leave Administration and Operations to support ADA accommodations, FMLA, workers' compensation, and other leave-related processes.

Analytics

• Analyze workforce metrics, turnover, retention, engagement, absenteeism, overtime, labor costs, and employee relations trends to identify business opportunities.
• Utilize workforce analytics to support staffing decisions, workforce planning, succession planning, and operational performance.
• Develop and present people metrics to operational leadership, recommending data-driven solutions that improve employee experience and business results.
• Forecast workforce needs using labor trends, recruiting data, turnover metrics, and operational forecasts.

Technology Skills

• Demonstrated proficiency using Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS), including SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, UKG, ADP, Oracle HCM, or similar enterprise platforms.
• Experience utilizing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), onboarding platforms, Learning Management Systems (LMS), and workforce reporting tools.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel (pivot tables, reporting, and data analysis), PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint.
• Experience creating workforce reports, dashboards, and HR metrics to support operational decision-making.
• Ability to quickly learn and effectively utilize new HR technologies and business applications.

What Success Looks Like in Year One

• Operations leaders view you as a trusted business partner and involve HR early in operational and people decisions.
• Employee and labor relations matters are addressed proactively, investigated thoroughly, and resolved with timely, well-documented outcomes.
• General Managers demonstrate improved leadership capability through coaching and development.
• Turnover, open position aging, and employee relations trends improve against established benchmarks.
• Union relationships remain productive, with grievances resolved at the lowest appropriate step whenever possible.
• Workforce planning, succession planning, and talent development processes become embedded within the operation.
• HR is recognized as a strategic contributor to operational performance and business results.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 7–10 years of progressive Human Resources experience, including 3–5 years supporting multi-unit operations as an HR Business Partner, HR Manager, Senior HR Generalist, or HR Leader.
• Demonstrated experience supporting unionized workforces, including grievance administration and collective bargaining agreement interpretation.
• Demonstrated success independently conducting complex workplace investigations and preparing employment recommendations.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws with demonstrated ability to apply legal requirements while balancing operational needs and organizational risk.
• Demonstrated business acumen with the ability to influence operational leaders, build credibility, exercise sound judgment, and manage competing priorities independently.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with experience preparing investigations, executive communications, employment documentation, and presentations.
• Ability to work primarily on-site in Seattle with approximately 20% travel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting airport, hospitality, restaurant, retail, logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, distribution, or other high-volume operational environments.
• Experience partnering directly with Operations leadership to drive engagement, retention, workforce planning, organizational development, and succession planning.
• Professional certification such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR.