Senior Manager, Human Resources Business Partner

The Wine Group (TWG) is a leading producer of award-winning wines and alcoholic beverages across 120+ brands. With operations in California, New York and Australia, TWG is an innovator in developing and marketing brands beloved by consumers globally, including Cupcake, Franzia, Benziger, Imagery, Tribute, Chloe, Meiomi, Cooks, 7 Deadly, Cooper & Thief, and more. We produce our products using sustainable practices to create delicious beverages that people can feel good about. Visit us at www.thewinegroup.com.

JOB SUMMARY

The mission of TWG’s Human Resources Team is to ensure our organization has the talent and organizational capability to win. Reporting to the HRBP Senior Director – Corporate & Commercial, the Senior Manager, Human Resources Business Partner serves as a strategic partner to leaders across TWG’s Sonoma County locations, Marketing, IT, and Legal.

This role translates business priorities into integrated people strategies that build talent, strengthen leadership and organizational capabilities, and improve business performance. Working closely with business leaders, the role anticipates workforce needs, shapes organizational solutions, and leads talent, succession, development, and change priorities for assigned client groups.

The Senior Manager provides strategic counsel and practical leadership across organizational effectiveness, workforce planning, talent development, performance management, employee engagement, and employee relations. In partnership with HR Centers of Excellence and the broader HR team, this role brings business needs into the design of people solutions and implementation within assigned client groups.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

This individual contributor role serves as a strategic partner to client group leaders, translating business priorities into integrated people plans that build talent, strengthen leadership and organizational capabilities, and improve business performance. The role combines strategic counsel, leader coaching, and accountability for delivering HR programs and people initiatives.

This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement (minimum of 3 days onsite) and requires regular travel between the Pleasanton office and the Glen Ellen locations. The preferred candidate will live within reasonable commuting distance of the North Bay region.  Essential functions of the role include:

Business & Workforce Strategy

• Develop a deep understanding of client group strategy, financial impacts, and operating priorities, and translate them into integrated people plans that drive business performance.
• Partner with leaders on workforce planning to anticipate headcount, critical skills, and capability needs, shaping people plans that align organizational structure, talent, and capabilities with long-term business goals.
• Use people data, workforce analytics, and business metrics to diagnose trends, anticipate talent risks, guide workforce decisions, and evaluate the impact of people plans and initiatives.
• Lead the execution of core HR processes and programs within assigned client groups, partnering with HR Centers of Excellence and the broader HR team to align solutions with business needs, ensure consistency, and evaluate effectiveness.

Organizational Effectiveness

• Partner with HR leadership and client groups to assess organizational structures, spans and layers, roles, and reporting relationships that enable effective execution of business strategy.
• Clarify roles, accountabilities, decision rights, and ways of working to improve collaboration and team effectiveness across functions.
• Translate employee feedback, engagement data, and workforce insights into focused people and culture actions that strengthen inclusion, engagement, retention, and the employee experience, with clear accountability for progress.
• Lead employee relations matters for assigned client groups, including complex workplace concerns, investigations, performance issues, and corrective action; identify underlying themes and partner with leaders to strengthen management practices.
• Provide strategic and practical counsel to leaders on company policies, employment practices, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements, applying sound judgment to balance business needs, employee experience, and risk, and escalating complex matters as appropriate.

Talent & Succession 

• Lead talent reviews and succession planning for assigned client groups, highlighting critical roles, high-potential talent, and capability gaps with clear development and mitigation plans.
• Partner with team members and leaders to implement individual development plans, stretch assignments, and targeted learning that strengthen talent pipelines and bench readiness.
• Guide client groups through performance management and calibration, and partner with Total Rewards to advise on compensation changes, annual merit reviews, and promotions, aligning decisions with talent priorities, internal equity, and retention needs.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition and hiring leaders on position requirements, selection, and onboarding, aligning hiring priorities with critical skills, capability gaps, and long-term talent needs.

Leadership Effectiveness

• Serve as a trusted coach and advisor to managers on team effectiveness, performance, communication, and day-to-day people matters.
• Build manager capability so leaders can lead teams, hold accountability conversations, and address people challenges independently and consistently.
• Reinforce TWG’s leadership expectations and framework through coaching, feedback, and leader development opportunities.
• Facilitate leadership team effectiveness, helping leaders align on priorities, strengthen trust, and model the behaviors that drive engagement and results.

Change & Transformation

• Lead the people-related aspects of organizational change, restructuring, and transformation initiatives, from impact assessment through implementation and evaluation.
• Assess change readiness and stakeholder impact, and develop change, communication, and engagement plans that help employees understand and navigate business changes.
• Equip leaders with talking points, tools, and coaching to lead their teams through change with clarity, empathy, and accountability.
• Lead assigned HR projects, communications, and initiatives from planning through implementation and evaluation, aligning stakeholders, establishing clear accountability, and ensuring timely delivery and a positive employee and manager experience.

OTHER FUNCTIONS

• Work is performed in office, tasting room, winery, and occasional outdoor environments. Regular travel between the Pleasanton office and Sonoma County locations is required, with additional regional travel as business needs require.
• Participate in HR team initiatives and complete other related duties as assigned by the business or Human Resources leadership.
• This job description reflects the general nature and level of work performed and does not include every duty or responsibility that may be assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field.
• Minimum of ten plus years of progressive Human Resources experience, including at least five years supporting a client group in an HR Business Partner capacity.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as a trusted strategic partner to business leaders, influence decisions without direct reporting authority, and provide effective HR counsel and coaching to employees, people managers, and senior leaders.
• Demonstrated experience applying core HR practices, including employee relations, performance management, workforce planning, talent development, compensation, employee engagement, and organizational change, with the ability to lead talent reviews, succession planning, and capability-building initiatives.
• Strong working knowledge of California employment practices, and the ability to apply company policies and employment requirements consistently; experience supporting hourly, customer-facing, retail, hospitality, or similar workforces is preferred.
• Strong business acumen and judgment, with the ability to anticipate business and people needs, navigate ambiguity, and translate insights into integrated people plans and clear, actionable recommendations.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to adapt communication for different audiences.
• Ability to use people data and business metrics to identify trends, support decisions, and evaluate the effectiveness of HR programs and actions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and Teams; experience with Dayforce or a comparable HRIS is preferred.
• Must maintain a clean driving record and meet minimum state insurance requirements.
• The business may change, add to, or otherwise modify the duties and responsibilities of this role at any time, as necessary, to meet business needs.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Work is performed primarily in office, tasting room, and winery environments, with occasional outdoor exposure and varying equipment and noise levels.
• Ability to work in a hybrid capacity and travel weekly between the Pleasanton office and the Benziger and Imagery locations in Glen Ellen. 
• Regular day travel between other TWG locations is expected. Occasional overnight travel may be required based on business needs.

COMPENSATION

• Hiring Salary Range Posted: $145,000 – $180,000
• Actual compensation will be based on factors such as experience; skills, knowledge, and abilities; education; and other position related factors. 

At The Wine Group, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristic protected by law.

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NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES

Please note that we do not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of a signed Recruitment Services Agreement, we will not consider, or agree to, payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee. In the event that a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed agreement, we explicitly reserve the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency.