Associate HR Manager

About Rewards Network 

Celebrating our 40th year, Rewards Network has helped restaurants increase their revenue, traffic, and customer engagement through our innovative financial, marketing services, and premier dining rewards programs. We connect diners to fantastic restaurant experiences by offering unique card-linked offers.  Our offers leverage advanced technology and powerful data analytics, providing value to our restaurants, diners, and strategic partners' loyalty programs.

Our Culture 

At Rewards Network, you will find a passionate and diverse group of professionals that enjoy working collaboratively, solving problems, and taking ownership of not only their own careers and success, but the success and continued growth of the organization. We take pride in partnering with the world's most powerful loyalty programs to bring full price paying customers and better ways to access working capital options to local restaurants. We offer a challenging and rewarding environment where you can maximize your potential.

Job Overview

The Associate Human Resources Manager is the day-to-day resource for sales and corporate leaders on a range of people matters, initiatives, and processes. Key responsibilities of this role include performance management processes, employee relations, employee engagement, facilitating training sessions, compensation administration, and other key elements of the employee lifecycle. This role will identify trends and partner with colleagues to recommend and/or implement new or enhanced processes or programs. 

This is a hybrid role, with a regular in-office presence at our downtown office 2-3 days per week. 

What you’ll bring to the table: (Responsibilities)  

• Partner with managers to address employee performance gaps or other issues, providing guidance and support on effective management and coaching best practices. 
• Work closely with the sales organization to monitor sales performance, gather actionable insights, and partner with learning & development to strengthen individual and team performance. 
• Manage and resolve employee relations issues promptly, providing high levels of support to all employees and ensuring compliance and proper handling. 
• Develop and implement employee communications, policies, program overviews, management job aides, training materials, toolkits, and other content. 
• Guide leaders through key talent decisions, ranging from team and job structure, development plans, compensation decisions, talent reviews, and other areas. 
• Manage compensation programs and processes to ensure market competitiveness, internal equity, and effectiveness, including expense allowances, compensation reviews, and bonus program administration. 
• In collaboration with learning & development, supports the delivery of presentations, training sessions, workshops, and other content to drive professional growth and high job performance. 
• Champion a positive employee experience and leverage expertise to recommend and/or implement culture-building opportunities and company programs; measures employee engagement and other sentiments to inform action plans. 
• Coordinates with HR colleagues to ensure appropriate back-up support for key processes throughout the employment lifecycle, including employee on/offboarding, training delivery, HRIS system maintenance, LOA, benefits administration, and other areas as needed. 
• Provide oversight and ensure compliance with federal and state employment laws, HR best practices, and internal policies and procedures. 

Do you have the right mix of ingredients: (Requirements)

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Human Resources, or related field
• 5+ years of HR experience, including hands-on experience in employee relations, performance management, and/or in an HRBP or similar role 
• Experience supporting an outside field sales organization a plus
• HR certification (PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP) preferred
• Experience in the financial services, technology, or fintech industry a plus
• Ability to build strong and collaborative relationships with employees at all levels of the organization.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, presentation skills, and a strong ability to lead training sessions or facilitate learning workshops or discussion groups.
• Business acumen and a demonstrated ability to understand business goals and recommend new approaches, policies, and procedures to improve organizational effectiveness.
• Proven track record of successfully implementing performance management and talent management initiatives and strategies.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with proven success taking a data-driven approach to decision-making.
• Ability to influence decisions and demonstrate exceptional judgement and discretion when working with sensitive and confidential information.
• Project and time management skills, strong ability to prioritize and multi-task, and able to adjust to shifting needs or priorities.
• Proven ability to work both independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• Extremely detail oriented and an ability to develop error-free work products that have broad visibility.
• In-depth knowledge of HR best practices and federal and state employment regulations; stays up to date on evolving law or anticipated changes.
• Experience leveraging HR systems, including reporting or data insights, creating learning plans, or troubleshooting issues; experience with ADP Workforce Now or Culture Amp a plus
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office including Excel (formulas, vlookup and pivot tables), Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook; exposure to O365 preferred.

What you’ll love about us: 

Competitive base salary and comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

• Competitive Paid Time Off and company holidays
• Generous dining reimbursement when you dine with our restaurant clients. 
• 401(k) plan with a company match
• Two medical plan options- Standard PPO or High Deductible Health Plan (HSA with company match for HDHP participants)
• Partnership with Rx n Go, offering certain prescriptions for free.
• Two dental plan options and a vision plan
• Flexible Spending Accounts and a pre-tax commuter benefit program
• Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance Plans
• Short Term and Long Term disability 
• Company-paid life insurance and AD&D insurance, supplemental employee, spouse, and child life insurance 
• Employee Life Assistance Program
• Hybrid working space in our state of the art office downtown located by the Metra and Ogilvie train stations.

Rewards Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). We encourage and strongly support workplace diversity.