Associate HR Business Partner

Associate HR Business Partner

About Us

Hickory partners with craftsmen and business owners who build their reputations one job, one hard-earned milestone at a time. Our company is named for one of the strongest trees in nature, known for its toughness and resilience.

That strength is our symbol and our promise to the Hickory family of brands.

The Role

We're hiring two Associate HRBPs — and we're posting them together on purpose. These two seats are conjoined by design: one focused on Total Rewards & Culture, the other on Performance & Organizational Design. They are different jobs with different muscles, but they share one mission and one rhythm. You'll be joined at the hip with your counterpart. Where one ends, the other begins.

We believe the People function works best when it operates as a unit, not a set of silos. If that resonates, read on — and tell us which track fits you (or pitch us on why both do).

Both roles are based at our main office in the Bronx, New York, with regular travel across the tri-state area to our brand locations.

A Day in the Life

You're diving head-first to solve the problem in front of you — a payroll discrepancy, a manager who needs coaching before a hard conversation, a comp band that no longer reflects the market — and an hour later you're skyrocketing up to the 30,000-foot view, asking what this tells us about how we're built and where we're headed. That oscillation between the weeds and the horizon is the job.

Which Track For You?

Track 1 — Associate HRBP, Total Rewards & Culture

You own the systems and rituals that make people feel they’re paid competitively, supported holistically, and genuinely recognized. This track is for someone who finds satisfaction in payroll precision, benefits stewardship, and the harder-to-measure work of building a culture people don't want to leave.

You'll:

• Own end-to-end payroll partnership and accuracy — you're the person who catches the error before anyone else does.
• Administer and continuously improve our benefits programs (health, dental, vision, 401(k)) — including open enrollment, vendor management, and employee education.
• Build and run our reward and recognition programs — from spot bonuses to milestone moments to the small rituals that make people feel seen.
• Partner with finance and leadership on compensation reviews, market benchmarking, and pay equity analysis.
• Translate Hickory's values into programs, traditions, and moments people actually remember.

You probably have: Comfort with numbers and systems. A curiosity about how compensation philosophy shapes behavior. A bias toward getting the details right.

Track 2 — Associate HRBP, Performance & Organizational Design

You own how performance is measured, how teams are structured, and how people grow — and you serve as the trusted partner managers turn to when employee relations issues arise. This track is for someone who thinks in org charts, performance signals, and career ladders, and who can also navigate a sensitive investigation with discretion and rigor.

You'll:

• Own and continuously refine our performance management cycle — goal-setting, check-ins, calibration, and reviews.
• Partner with leaders on organizational design: spans of control, reporting structures, role clarity, and accountability.
• Lead employee relations matters — intake, investigation, documentation, and resolution — with discretion, fairness, and a steady hand.
• Drive compliance across employment law, policy, and required training (federal, state, and local) — and keep us audit-ready.
• Build career frameworks and competency models that give people a clear line of sight to growth.
• Coach and develop managers — especially first-time managers — through performance conversations, development plans, and the hard moments.
• Lead workforce planning conversations: what roles do we need, where, and when?

You probably have: Structured thinking. The ability to look at a messy org and see the architecture underneath. Comfort sitting in the discomfort of a hard performance or ER conversation, and the judgment to know when to escalate.

Shared Across Both Tracks

Regardless of which track you join, you'll:

• Use data to tell the story. HR data lags business data — your job is to close that gap.

• Travel within the tri-state area to be present with our teams, not just visible from HQ.

• Operate as a true partner to your counterpart Associate HRBP. The two of you are a unit.

Qualifications

Experience: 2 - 5 years in HR with meaningful exposure to either total rewards (comp, benefits, payroll) or performance management, employee relations, and org design. Generalists with deep curiosity in one of these domains are encouraged to apply.

Grit & Determination: Experience matters, but how you handle the unknown matters more. We're looking for people who run toward ambiguity, not away from it.

Partnership: You'll closely partner with your Associate HRBP counterpart, and trusted by managers across our brands. Natural partnership instincts are non-negotiable.

Mobility: Valid driver's license and willingness to travel regularly within the tri-state area.

Education: Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Competitive salary
• Significant and explosive career growth at a startup
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• PTO
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match

This job description is intended to outline the general nature and level of work associated with this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Responsibilities may evolve, and Hickory reserves the right to modify work assignments, responsibilities, and schedules as business needs change.

New York, NY: $65,000 - $80,000 for Associate HRBP

Hickory is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.