Human Resources Business Partner

Human Resources Business Partner

Reports to: Vice President

Location: Stamford, Connecticut, USA

This is a unique opportunity to become a part of a well-established, internationally-loved 40 year-old business - at the ground floor. But wait a minute — how is that possible?

With over 160 bakeries across Canada and 500 through Australia and New Zealand, COBS Bread and Bakers Delight is the world’s largest bakery franchise. We are now planning our expansion into the Northeastern United States. This is where you come in.

We are looking for a Human Resources Business Partner to join our close-knit start up COBS USA Team and who is passionate about providing exceptional HR support and services to our stakeholders and support team members in alignment with strategic business objectives. The HR Business Partner will play a key role in building a high performing team, as well as payroll and benefit coordination, compensation, people management, developing policies, procedures and company standards to ensure compliance. If you’re passionate about being part of a start up with an awesome family-owned company whose passion is bread and giving back – then apply for this ‘roll’!

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Recruiting top talent to support the business and developing strategies that contribute to building COBS Bread as an ‘Employer of Choice’
• Develop job postings and descriptions, conduct interviews, reference checks, and letter of offers for corporate roles
• Organize recruitment fairs as requested and build relationships with employment agencies and educational institutions to sustain a good source of candidates for future COBS opportunities
• Provide leadership, support and coaching to managers, employees and stakeholders in all Human Resources related matters such as performance management employee relations, and employee development.
• Collaborate with the Canadian HR team in the planning, implementation, execution and roll-out of HR programs, training and processes, as required in the USA
• Continuous improvement of HR processes and procedures; recommend new policies and procedures to effect company improvements, and compliance with legislation; update and communicate changes to maintain compliance with federal and state regulations concerning employment.
• Oversee employee orientation and onboarding process within the organization Administer group benefits and 401k retirement plan and procedures such as benefit renewals negotiation, eligibility, enrolment, terminations with the insurance providers
• Assist in benchmarking positions against market to ensure competitive compensation
• Maintains and processes all Unemployment Notices of Entitlement and potential charges in a timely, efficient manner. Attends unemployment hearings when necessary.
• Reports, maintains and monitors all workers' compensation case files; follows-up on open cases.
• Respond to requests, enquiries, and concerns in a timely and solution-oriented manner; conduct investigations as required
• Develop and maintain HR data bases and online intranet portal
• Administer and advise managers on the performance management and long service programs
• General HR management and administration, including payroll and benefits coordination and processing, and monitoring assigned payroll activities and program components to ensure accurate record keeping
• Experience coordinating and supporting foreign workers with visa application is preferred
• Other projects and duties as relevant to the role

Requirements

What You Bring to the Table

• 5-7 years of Human Resources experience in a generalist role, ideally in both a corporate and franchise setting
• Degree in Human Resources or relevant field
• Demonstrated ability to provide beneficial recommendations to solve HR related issues related to regulations, laws and policies, and employee relations.
• Experience with workplace investigation, research and analysis of data while staying up-to-date with labour legislation in federal and state law
• Proactive work approach demonstrating a high level of initiative, critical thinking and analytical skills with a strong focus on problem solving
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written, with all levels of the organization
• Proficient in SharePoint and MS Office such as Teams, Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint and be comfortable with other computer systems
• A commitment to confidentiality, staff privacy, integrity and exceptional customer service
• Ability to manage competing priorities while meeting tight deadlines and resiliency to change
• Excellent Attention to detail, time management and organizational skills Experience in the retail or hospitality industry preferred
• A PHR designation or working towards it would be an asset

Benefits

What’s in it for You

• A flexible work arrangement
• Competitive salary, company bonus plan and vacation plan
• A great Medical and Dental Group Benefits plan
• 401k retirement plan and company matching
• Paid sick and personal leave days
• Subsidized wellness program, and paid days for mental health and volunteer time
• Work within a dynamic, driven, high-achieving, close-knit and fun-loving team
• High level of autonomy and responsibility
• Be part of rapidly growing company with a product you can be genuinely proud of!

More About COBS Bread

COBS Bread is a unique, well-loved bakery business. Everything we sell at our bakeries is baked fresh that day. At the end of the day, leftover products are donated to local charities. The brand is well-established with more than 160 locations across Canada and plans to continue growing fast to become a household name across North America.

The company’s success can be attributed to the quality of our product, the development of our people, and our warm and friendly customer service—in addition to a business model where giving back to the community every day is built-in. (In Canada in 2022, we donated over a retail value of over $70 million in bread to local charities.)

We thank all applicants for their interest in COBS Bread but would like to advise that only applicants shortlisted for interview will be contacted.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, affectional preference, disability, age, marital status, familial status, status regarding public assistance, military or veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

Accessibility

Accommodation is available upon request for applicants and employees with disabilities. If you are contacted for a job opportunity, please advise us of any accommodations needed to ensure you have access to a fair and equitable process. Any information received relating to accommodation will be addressed confidentially.