Principal Associate, Horizontal HR Business Partner

Principal Associate, Horizontal HR Business Partner

The Auto HR and Commercial HR team drives a bold and exciting agenda within Capital One. Our HR Strategy, Talent & Horizontal team is an established organization that brings together the power of our Command Center, Horizontal Talent teams, Strategy, and Chief of Staff functions to unlock impact across both Financial Services and our Commercial Bank.

We are looking for a strategic Principal Associate to join our collaborative horizontal team to help us deliver on critical HR processes and talent cycles, while helping us integrate AI and automation into our DNA. In this role, you will not be operating in a silo; you will work closely alongside peer partners, sharing ownership of outcomes to enable our overall talent strategy and pioneer new, highly efficient ways of working together.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the broader horizontal team to identify operational pain points within the HRBP team and collaborate on the integration of high-impact AI use cases. You will help translate big-picture tech strategies into practical solutions that improve core HR processes.

• Contribute to the team's robust data tracking, analysis, and reporting for horizontal talent initiatives. You will leverage tools like Google Sheets, Looker, or Apps Script (or similar platforms) alongside your peers to automate workflows, analyze trends, and build customized reporting.

• Champion new ways of working by acting as a connector across our team and the business; bring HRBPs along as we adopt new technologies and ensure they are enabled to leverage these tools in their day-to-day consulting.

• Work alongside fellow horizontal partners and HRBPs to execute the semi-annual talent and performance management process, sharing responsibility for reporting and project management to ensure successful cycles.

• Co-manage and document localized playbooks and calendars for HR programs. Provide updates to partners and HRBPs on themes within their partner group, making data-driven recommendations to improve associate engagement, enablement, and inclusion.

• Leverage HR data systems such as Workday, People Data Hub, and Talent Development Tools to support HRBPs collectively.

Key Competencies for Success:

• Curiosity & Tech-Fluency: You are actively experimenting with Generative AI and emerging technologies. Enthusiasm, a growth mindset, and a willingness to test and learn matter more to us than deep technical depth or coding ability.

• Data Tracking & Storytelling: You possess a strong analytical mindset with the ability to manage complex datasets, build tracking mechanisms, and use data visualization (e.g., Sheets, Looker) to tell a clear story and drive action.

• Influence & Connector Mindset: You are respected by your peers as a go-to advisor. You naturally bridge teams and bring others along through change, preferring to collaborate rather than work in isolation.

• Credibility & Local Expertise: You excel at quickly diagnosing HR workflows, identifying operational pain points, and understanding team dynamics. This allows you to successfully embed yourself in the business and translate big-picture strategy into high-impact, on-the-ground use cases.

• Execution & Autonomy: Strong organizational skills, follow-through, and a proven track record of operating as an end-to-end owner of workstreams and project cycles.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or military experience.

• At least 3 years of client facing experience or at least 3 years of consulting experience or a combination of both.

• At least 3 years of experience in Human Resources.

• At least 2 year of experience with data management and reporting.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 3+ years of Project and/or Program Management experience.

• Experience utilizing data visualization or automation tools (e.g., Looker, Apps Script, advanced Google Sheets/Excel).

• Change management and design thinking experience.

• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills.

At this time, Capital One will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position.

The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Pleas