Senior HR Business Partner

Title: Senior HR Business Partner

Department: Human Resources

Reports to: VP of People

Position Type: Salary

Location: Chicago - Support Office (Hybrid role in-office Mon, Tues, Thurs)

Company Overview:

State of Play Hospitality is a rapidly growing international operator of technology-enabled, premium social entertainment concepts. Since launching its first concept, Bounce, in London in 2012, State of Play has gone on to launch and operate several more industry-leading experiential concepts in the US and UK including Flight Club and Hijingo. Operating in multiple cities across the US and UK, all of its concepts offer an elevated food and beverage experience alongside highly immersive, tech-enhanced takes on long-established, much-loved activities. Learn more at StateOfPlay.com.

Position Summary:

We are seeking a dynamic, business-minded Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) to serve as a trusted advisor and partner to our Operations leadership team. As our organization continues to grow across multiple states, markets, and complex regulatory environments, this role will be instrumental in building the leadership capabilities, people practices, and organizational infrastructure necessary to support sustainable business performance.

The HR Business Partner will work closely with the VP of People and operational leaders to understand business priorities, anticipate workforce needs, strengthen leadership effectiveness, and develop people strategies that enable teams to perform at their best. This individual will bring a proactive, solutions-oriented approach to navigating organizational challenges, balancing operational realities with employee experience, sound people practices, and responsible risk management.

Operating within a geographically dispersed, multi-jurisdictional organization, the HRBP will also provide experienced guidance on complex employee relations, employment practices, and regulatory compliance, ensuring consistency in organizational standards while addressing the unique requirements of each market.

This is not simply a role that responds to HR needs. It is a role that works alongside the VP of People and business leaders to build stronger teams, develop capable leaders, improve organizational performance, and position the business for continued growth.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Business Partnership & Operational Alignment

• Serve as a trusted People Team advisor to Operations leadership, developing a deep understanding of business objectives, operational performance, market dynamics, and organizational priorities.
• Partner with leaders to deliver people strategies aligned with business growth, workforce requirements, and operational goals.
• Proactively identify organizational challenges, talent risks, and opportunities to improve workforce effectiveness, translating insights into practical business solutions.
• Leverage people metrics, workforce trends, and operational insights to inform decisions, identify root causes, and recommend actionable improvements.

Leadership Development & Organizational Effectiveness

• Coach and advise operational leaders on leadership effectiveness, team performance, accountability, employee engagement, and organizational health.
• Partner with leaders to identify talent and leadership capability gaps, strengthen succession pipelines, and develop strategies for internal growth and advancement.
• Support performance management practices that reinforce clear expectations, meaningful feedback, coaching, accountability, and continuous development.
• Collaborate with the People Team to design, implement, and reinforce leadership development, talent management, and employee engagement initiatives.
• Equip managers with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to effectively lead their teams and independently navigate routine people matters.

Talent Strategy & Workforce Planning

• Identify trends in turnover, retention, employee engagement, internal mobility, and workforce stability, developing targeted strategies to address underlying business challenges.
• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition and operational leaders to support effective hiring, onboarding, and retention practices.
• Support talent reviews, succession planning, and high-potential employee development to strengthen leadership continuity and organizational bench strength.

Employee Relations & Leadership Advisory

• Serve as an escalation point for complex, sensitive, or high-risk employee relations matters, providing thoughtful guidance and recommending appropriate resolutions.
• Conduct or oversee workplace investigations involving employee complaints, misconduct, policy violations, and other significant employment concerns.
• Coach leaders through performance challenges, disciplinary actions, conflict resolution, and employment decisions, ensuring fairness, consistency, and sound judgment.
• Partner with appropriate internal and external resources on employment matters requiring specialized legal or regulatory expertise.
• Identify recurring employee relations trends and develop proactive interventions that address systemic issues and strengthen management practices.
• Promote a culture of trust, accountability, respectful communication, and consistent application of organizational values.

Multi-State Compliance & Risk Management

• Provide HR guidance across operations spanning multiple states and municipal and local jurisdictions, navigating the complexity of varying employment laws and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain working knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local employment requirements, partnering with the VP of People, legal counsel or subject matter experts as needed to address evolving obligations.
• In partnership with the HR Generalist team, guide operational leaders on compliant employment practices, including wage and hour considerations, leave administration, workplace accommodations, employee classifications, and employment actions.
• Partner with People Team colleagues to ensure policies, processes, and management practices are consistently implemented while accommodating jurisdiction-specific requirements.
• Identify potential employment risks, conduct targeted reviews of people practices, and recommend preventive measures or corrective actions.
• Support compliance education and practical manager guidance that helps operational leaders understand their responsibilities and make informed employment decisions.

People Team Partnership & Continuous Improvement

• Collaborate across the People Team to ensure HR programs, services, and practices effectively support the operational needs of the organization.
• Serve as a connection between Operations and the People Team, elevating business insights, identifying service gaps, and influencing priorities for people programs and initiatives.
• Contribute to the design, refinement, and scalability of people processes, systems, and policies as the organization grows.
• Support the implementation of enterprise-wide people initiatives, ensuring successful adoption and practical execution within field operations.
• Foster a proactive, service-oriented approach to HR that balances business partnership, employee advocacy, operational effectiveness, and organizational responsibility.

Qualifications:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 7+ years of progressive human resources experience, including meaningful experience in an HR Business Partner or comparable consultative HR leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience directly partnering with operational or business leaders to support performance, organizational effectiveness, and workforce strategy.
• Experience supporting geographically dispersed, multi-unit, or multi-state operations with complex employment practices and regulatory requirements.
• Strong working knowledge of federal employment laws and demonstrated ability to navigate varying state and local requirements.
• Experience managing complex employee relations matters, conducting workplace investigations, and advising leaders on sensitive employment decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret workforce data, identify business implications, and develop practical, measurable people solutions.
• Strong coaching, influencing, communication, and relationship-building skills, including the ability to constructively challenge and advise leaders at multiple organizational levels.
• Ability to balance strategic priorities with the practical, day-to-day realities of a fast-paced operational business.

Preferred:

• Experience supporting hospitality, multi-unit service, retail, or other geographically dispersed, labor-intensive operations.
• Experience supporting organizations through significant growth, organizational transformation, or operational expansion.
• Professional HR certification such as SHRM-SCP, SHRM-CP, SPHR, or PHR.
• Experience in leadership development, organizational design, succession planning, and workforce analytics.
• Experience working in a centralized People Team model supporting decentralized operations.

Critical Competencies:

Business Acumen: Understands how the business operates, what drives performance, and how people decisions influence financial and operational outcomes.

Strategic Thinking: Looks beyond immediate issues to anticipate organizational needs, recognize patterns, and develop sustainable solutions.

Consultative Partnership & Influence: Builds credibility through sound judgment, constructive challenge, and the ability to influence outcomes without relying on positional authority.

Leadership Coaching: Strengthens management capability by guiding leaders toward greater ownership, accountability, and effectiveness.

Analytical Problem-Solving: Uses data, business context, and critical thinking to identify root causes and recommend practical, thoughtful solutions.

Employment Risk & Compliance Judgment: Navigates complex employment considerations with appropriate expertise, consistency, and a clear understanding of business and employee implications.

Change Leadership: Supports leaders and teams through change, helping translate organizational priorities into effective execution.

Collaboration & Accountability: Works effectively across functions, maintains clear ownership of commitments, and builds trust through consistent follow-through.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Annual salary range of $105k-125k, dependent on experience.
• Eligibility to enroll in Medical, Dental, Vision and other insurance benefits.
• Paid Time Off, Sick Time, and Paid Holidays.
• Option to enroll in 401k, Medical FSA, Commuter benefits, etc.
• Employee Discount: 50% your total bill for you and up to five guests at any of our Flight Club and AceBounce venues.

The Company reserves the right in its absolute discretion to add to your duties or amend this job description at any time. In addition to the above duties, you will carry out such other duties as the Company reasonably directs from time to time.

Equal Opportunity Statement: State of Play Hospitality is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to their actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital or civil union status, age, national origin, disability, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, citizenship, veteran status, genetic information, gender, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law