OTB Group HR Business Partner
- Seniority
- Mid-Level
- Department
- Human Resources, People & Culture
- Industry
- Fashion, Apparel & Leather Goods
- Posted
- May 14, 2026
About OTB Group
OTB (Only The Brave) is an independent, multi-brand fashion group headquartered in Italy that manages a portfolio of internationally recognised designer maisons. The group combines entrepreneurial leadership with creative autonomy, supporting brand development across design, production and global retail while operating within the luxury fashion ecosystem.
OTB — HR Business Partner in Milan: strategic HR role supporting talent, performance and employee relations across the group's fashion brands.
Role & Responsibilities
- Act as the strategic HR partner to brand and functional leaders, aligning people priorities with business objectives and translating strategy into actionable HR plans.
- Drive talent management processes including performance management, succession planning, career pathing and leadership development for assigned population.
- Provide advisory support on employee relations, complex case management and disciplinary processes, ensuring fair outcomes and legal compliance under Italian and EU labour law.
- Design and implement organisational design and change management initiatives to support growth, restructuring and cross-brand integration projects.
- Partner with compensation & benefits, recruitment and learning teams to deliver effective workforce planning, market-aligned reward practices and targeted talent acquisition.
- Lead local HR projects and continuous-improvement initiatives; partner with global HR COE and leverage HRIS data to produce people analytics and workforce insights.
- Coach managers on people leadership, cultural initiatives and inclusion, acting as a trusted confidant and escalation point for workforce issues.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology or related field; advanced degree or HR certification (e.g., CIPD, HRCI) preferred.
- Minimum 5 years' progressive HR experience with at least 3 years in an HR Business Partner or senior advisory role, ideally within fashion, luxury retail or a fast-moving consumer-facing environment.
- Proven knowledge of Italian employment law and HR practices across multinational operations.
- Strong commercial acumen, political sensitivity and experience working in matrixed, multi-brand organisations.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills with demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and lead cross-functional projects.
Skills
Experience
At least 5 years of HR experience, including hands-on HR Business Partnering in an international, matrixed environment; prior exposure to fashion, retail or consumer luxury brands is strongly preferred.
Education
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology or equivalent. Postgraduate qualification or recognised HR certification is desirable.
Workplace
This position is based in Milan, Lombardy, Italy.
Culture
OTB fosters an entrepreneurial, creative culture that balances brand autonomy with group-level collaboration. The organisation values bold creativity, internationalism and pragmatic people leadership, offering an environment where HR professionals work closely with design and commercial teams across multiple maisons.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like OTB Group, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «People Business Partner», «Senior HR Advisor», «Talent & People Partner», «Organizational Development Partner», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.