Vans: Associate HR Generalist

Now that you’ve found the job description, what’s next?

Vans is the original brand rooted in the authentic lifestyle of skateboarding. We are driven by our mission to inspire and empower everyone to live “Off The Wall” – embracing the youthful spirit of freedom, non-conformity, and relentless progression. Yesterday’s “Off The Wall” moment is today’s new normal, and at Vans, we believe in constantly outdoing ourselves. Together with our communities across the globe, our vision is to push culture forward because we believe that the pursuit of progression never ends. We are constantly inspired by the future generation of positive catalysts within our community.  

So, before we get to the job details, take a minute to learn a little more about us – our values and our culture. If you can see yourself working side-by-side with a team of people who think and live “Off the Wall,” Vans just may be the place for you.

To learn more about our values and our culture, visit Vans Careers or www.vans.com.

What will you do?

A day in the life of a Retail Human Resources Generalist at Vans looks a little like this.

The Human Resources Generalist serves as a key partner to the Retail HR team and the wider Vans retail organization, including store associates and field leadership. This role is responsible for executing essential HR processes and ensuring consistent adherence to company policies and programs. Through proactive support and coordination, the Generalist contributes to operational excellence, strengthens the employee experience, and fosters collaboration across cross-functional teams.

Let’s break down that day-in-the-life a bit more.

• HR Operations & Administration: Support the execution of core HR processes including employee lifecycle, performance documentation, and compliance tracking. Help maintain accurate employee records and assist with reporting and audits.

• Culture & Employee Engagement: Act as an advocate for the company’s culture and values, supporting leaders with fostering inclusive, high-performing teams. Support implementation of retail HR programs that promote employee engagement and retention strategies.

• Employee Experience: Serve as a point of contact for employee inquiries and concerns, then appropriately escalate to Employee Relations and/or HR Business Partners as needed. Help ensure relevant application of retail policies and procedures.

• Talent Development & Learning: Support HR Businesss Partners with facilitation of retail training and development initiatives. Assist with retail talent reviews and succession planning processes to build a pipeline of future leaders.

• Workforce Planning: Partner with HR Business Partners and field leaders to support retail staffing needs through identified headcount trends and execution of peak season strategies.

• HR Program Execution: Help ensure smooth adoption of new processes and organizational initiatives; including roll out of retail engagement surveys, recognition programs, and seasonal campaigns. Coordinate logistics with HR Business Partners for HR programs, training, and field communication.

• Change Management: Support HR Business Partners and field leaders with key change management efforts through reinforced messaging and effective communication to retail on HR updates, policy changes, and program launches.

• Continuous Improvement: Gather feedback from the field to provide insights to HR Business partners and leadership, contributing to the design and refinement of policies and programs.

What do you need to succeed?

We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundation skills you’ll need to succeed and excel. Additionally, while formal education in a related field is great to have, we are most interested in your 3+ years of HR experience, ideally in a multi-unit retail, hospitality, or customer-focused environment. Exposure to workforce planning, talent development, and HR program implementation preferred. This role requires up to 35% travel to retail locations within the assigned region.

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• Effective interpersonal and communication skills with