People Partner - Boston, Chicago, and DC Area

You will:

• Provide strategic business partnership to leaders within your business and/or market with a clear focus on performance management, change management, leadership development, and conflict resolution.
• Perform routine cafe visits to work directly with the cafe team members in order to assess People-related focus areas and drive employee engagement through People initiatives.
• Use your insights and learnings from cafe experiences, observations, feedback, and learnings to provide crucial feedback to the business to shape the direction of People and Operations work. 
• Partner, investigate, and help resolve employee relations matters and investigations, including workplace conflicts or allegations of policy and/or legal violations; work to ensure issues are properly identified, reported, investigated, and resolved.
• Contribute to the development of People programs and processes such as succession planning, learning and development, recognition programs, and DEI&B.
• Build collaborative working relationships with the broader People function to roll out company-wide programs. Evaluate and recommend best practices in the application of HR processes, systems, and policies.
• Participate and lead cross-functional teams to complete assigned People projects on time, to specifications, and with accuracy and efficiency.
• Evaluate and recommend best practices in the application of HR processes, systems, and policies.
• Facilitate learning and development programs for Blue Bottle Coffee.
• Maintain an awareness of People principles, practices, and the related regulations in the US with specific emphasis on the geographies assigned to the position.
• Help maintain a consistent team member experience across union and non-union cafes while honoring all legal and contractual obligations.

You are:

• Able to combine great people intuition, business judgment, and discretion in your decision-making.
• A deeply empathetic listener who people naturally trust and seek out for help or another perspective.
• Someone who inherently believes in the potential within people, but also recognizes problems and doesn’t shy away from difficult conversations to help them grow and succeed.
• Collaborative and able to build trust-based relationships with executives, leaders, and employees.
• A clear and effective communicator in both conversation and written word.
• Adept at recommendations to effectively resolve problems or issues, using judgment that is consistent with Blue Bottle culture as well as standards, practices, and/or employment law.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, able to prioritize while not letting anything drop.
• Comfortable with ambiguity, rapidly changing environments, and building from scratch.
• Confident working with Google Suite and meeting both virtually and in-person. 
• A resident within a commutable distance to one of the three areas it supports: Boston, Chicago, or Washington, DC. 

You have:

• Must have at least 6 years experience as an HR generalist/Business Partner (ideally in consumer retail, food/beverage, hospitality, and/or production facilities) and/or regional multi-unit business leadership experience.
• Strong grasp of US and state-specific risk, safety, labor/employment law and practices both in and out of union environments, especially as they relate to non-exempt workforce.
• Broad familiarity with general HR disciplines and best practices (i.e., the full employee life-cycle, training, compensation/benefits, organizational development) and ability to apply practices with judgment to state-specific situations.
• Specific experience with employee relations and navigating difficult situations and conversations.
• Superb judgment and integrity, including excellent decision-making skills and a bias to action.
• Experience working in unionized environments is strongly preferred.
• Last but not least, a deep love for great coffee, food, and exceptional customer experience.

The following is a list of the physical activity requirements and environmental factors related to this role. Blue Bottle is committed to partnering with all candidates and employees to ensure reasonable accommodations are made to meet the following:

• Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. 
• Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, and having the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication. 
• Making substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
• Close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal and written documentation.
• Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. This role requires a mix of sedentary work and active on-site engagement in cafe environments. Occasionally, walking, climbing stairs, and standing occur in this role.
• Environment: This role is protected within a building, but may be exposed to mild changes in temperature with heating or air conditioning. 

Travel:

• This is a hybrid role based in the Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, or Washington, DC area. This role must reside in one of these metro areas and require travel up to 30% to the other two markets to provide in-person support, build relationships, and ensure consistency in people practices across all locations. Additional walking, stooping, sitting, and mobility may be required. Exposure to outside environmental elements may be experienced due to travel through airports, airplanes, and in between facilities. 

A few benefits we offer:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage for eligible employees starting on your first day
• Best-in-class coffee training and continuing education
• Free membership into the Specialty Coffee Association of America and discounts on events (including Expos and Championships)
• 401(k) plan
• Paid time off & paid volunteer hours
• 50% discount on all products, both online and in-cafe; this includes food, beverages, whole-bean coffee, and merchandise
• Flexible spending account & commuter benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Additional benefits information

Compensation:

• This position has a minimum salary of $84,000. This salary is a good-faith estimate for this position. The final salary offer will be determined after reviewing relevant factors, which include a candidate's qualifications and experience, where appropriate.