Saks Global Director, People Business Partner

About Saks Global

Saks Global is a multi-brand luxury retail organization that includes Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks OFF 5TH. The group combines a curated portfolio of leading luxury maisons with omnichannel capabilities, advanced customer data and technology to deliver personalized experiences across stores and e-commerce.

Role & Responsibilities

• Act as the senior People representative on-site for Bergdorf Goodman stores, translating enterprise people strategy into operational, store-level plans and decisions.
• Advise and influence senior store leadership across Men’s and Women’s stores; serve as a deputy to the AVP, People Business Partner when required.
• Independently manage complex employee relations matters, ensuring fair, timely resolution and consistent application of HR policy across departments.
• Administer union contract obligations and day-to-day CBA interpretation, handle grievances, lead step meetings and support arbitration preparation in partnership with Legal and ER.
• Design and implement people strategies to attract, retain and motivate top sellers, collaborating with Compensation to create recognition and performance frameworks.
• Lead talent management processes including succession planning, talent reviews and leadership development; partner with L&D and Centers of Excellence to deploy programs into stores.
• Manage, coach and develop a team of People Business Partners (approximately three), setting priorities and fostering a high-performance, collaborative culture.
• Ensure operational excellence across onboarding, offboarding, leave administration and workforce data; partner with TA, Compensation, ER and Analytics for integrated delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, or related field.
• 8–10+ years of progressive HR experience, including 3–4 years in a people manager or lead role.
• Demonstrated experience working in a union environment with CBA administration, grievance handling and labor relations support.
• Proven track record independently managing complex employee relations cases with discretion and sound judgment.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to influence senior leaders across a matrixed retail organization.
• Experience supporting retail, luxury, hospitality, or other high-volume client-facing environments.
• Ability to operate autonomously, prioritize competing demands and escalate appropriately.

Skills

Experience

Requires 8–10+ years of progressive human resources experience with at least 3–4 years in a managerial or lead capacity; substantial hands-on experience in employee and labor relations within a unionized, high-volume retail or luxury environment.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, or a related discipline.

Workplace

Benefits

Medical insurance; dental insurance; vision insurance; 401(k) retirement plan; basic life insurance; supplemental life insurance; disability insurance; voluntary benefits (critical illness, hospital and accident insurance); employee discount.

Culture

Saks Global operates in a fast-paced, client-centric luxury retail environment that expects excellence and professional discretion. The workplace emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, development opportunities across brands and a data-informed approach to customer and talent strategies.

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.