People + Culture Business Partner, Retail

Role: People + Culture Business Partner, Retail

Team: People + Culture Business Partner & Talent Strategy, Frontline Communities

Scope: Individual Contributor, P4

Focus: Retail & Frontline Communities

Year of Experience: 8+

Location Options: Hybrid – Reno, NV or Ventura, CA based | Remote in Approved States

As a People + Culture Business Partner (PCBP), Retail, you will advise Retail leaders on people strategy, employee experience, labor relations, and organizational effectiveness. You will bring advanced HR business partner experience, sound judgment, and a practical understanding of frontline retail environments to help teams deliver business results while upholding Patagonia’s culture, values, and commitment to justice and belonging.

This role supports Retail leaders, store teams, and frontline employees by shaping talent strategies, strengthening leadership capability, and helping create consistent, equitable practices across the Retail community.

What You’ll Do:

Strategic Advisory

• Advise Retail leaders on people strategy, workforce planning, talent strategy, organization design, succession planning, leadership development, and team effectiveness.

• Evaluate complex people matters by balancing business needs, employee experience, legal and labor obligations, operational realities, and Patagonia’s values.

• Use employee data, feedback loops, and workforce trends to identify risks, shape solutions, and connect people strategies to Retail business outcomes.

• Recommend practices, policies, and operating rhythms that improve consistency, fairness, engagement, and effectiveness across Retail.

Program Management

• Partner with People, Culture and Justice Centers of Expertise to adapt and implement programs that meet the needs of Retail leaders and frontline teams.

• Guide key talent processes, including goal setting, performance management, succession planning, talent reviews, compensation programs, and learning initiatives.

• Lead change management and communications for organizational changes that affect Retail teams.

• Determine practical approaches for new or evolving Retail people initiatives, adapting tools and programs for store environments.

Justice & Belonging

• Coach leaders on inclusive, equitable, and culturally aware people practices.

• Help managers uphold Patagonia’s justice and belonging commitments in daily leadership and decision-making.

• Partner with Retail leaders to identify and address barriers to belonging, access, and employee experience across store teams.

Employee and Labor Relations

• Partner with Employee and Labor Relations, Legal, and business leaders to resolve employee matters with objectivity, confidentiality, equity, and fairness.

• Apply prior union experience and labor relations judgment to support Retail leaders in unionized or union-adjacent environments.

• Coach leaders on compliant, respectful approaches to employee relations, conflict resolution, performance concerns, and workplace expectations.

• Help leaders understand and uphold collective bargaining obligations, labor law requirements, and agreed-upon workplace practices where applicable.

Leading Self Expectations

• Demonstrates self-awareness, humility, curiosity, accountability, and sound judgment.

• Builds trust through follow-through, clear communication, confidentiality, and respectful partnership.

• Stays grounded through ambiguity, change, conflict, and competing priorities.

• Models inclusive behavior, seeks feedback, and takes ownership for learning and growth.

Who You Are:

• Strategic, practical, and able to connect people work to Retail business priorities.

• An influential partner who builds trust, advises through complexity, and moves work forward.

• A clear communicator who uses data, judgment, and empathy to shape recommendations.

• Committed to inclusive practices, frontline employee experience, and saving our home planet.

Experience You Bring: 

• 8+ years of progressive HR experience, including Business Partner experience supporting frontline, retail, distribution, manufacturing, hospitality, or other operational employee populations.

• Prior union experience preferred, including experience supporting unionized or union-adjacent workforces, labor relations matters, or collective bargaining agreement administration.

• Demonstrated ability to assess complex people issues, determi