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HR Business Partner: tasks, salary and jobs
An HR Business Partner is not simply an HR specialist, but a strategic advisor to management. This role has evolved from traditional HR administration and aims to closely integrate HR processes with overarching business strategies. HR Business Partners play an active role in shaping the future of the company and make a significant contribution to value creation.
HR Business Partner: Overview
- Degree: Business administration, HR management or related degree programs, often supplemented by further training in strategic HR management.
- Hard skills: Strategic HR planning, change management, personnel development and HR analytics.
- Soft skills: strong communication skills, leadership qualities, negotiation skills and analytical thinking.
- Salary: The annual salary is usually between €75,000 and €120,000, depending on the industry and company size.
What does an HR Business Partner do? - The tasks in detail
The HR Business Partner acts as an interface between the HR department and management. Their role is to develop HR strategies and ensure that these are in line with the company's overarching objectives. The central tasks of an HR Business Partner include
- Strategic HR management: HR Business Partners work closely with senior management to develop HR strategies that support the long-term success of the company. They analyze HR key figures, identify trends and derive recommendations from them.
- Employee development: The HR Business Partner identifies potential within the company and promotes the further development of the workforce through targeted training and coaching measures.
- Sparring partner for managers: As a close advisor to managers, the HR Business Partner provides support with HR planning, succession planning and management development. They provide important data and key figures to enable well-founded personnel decisions.
- Change management: In times of corporate restructuring and digital transformation, the HR Business Partner plays a key role. They manage change and ensure that change processes run smoothly.
- Promoting the corporate culture: HR Business Partners work actively to shape and strengthen a positive corporate culture. At the same time, they communicate the company's values to the outside world by promoting employer branding.
HR Business Partner vs. HR Manager
The difference between an HR Business Partner and an HR Manager is the strategic orientation of the role. While the HR Manager is more operational and deals with the day-to-day business of the HR department, the HR Business Partner focuses on long-term strategic HR planning. HR Business Partners work on an equal footing with top management and are involved in strategic decision-making, while HR Managers tend to ensure the operational implementation of the HR strategy.
Training & career path to HR Business Partner
A solid education and extensive professional experience are required to become an HR Business Partner. The typical career path includes the following stages:
- Degree: a bachelor’s degree in business administration or HR management often forms the basis. Some HR Business Partners also have a master’s degree in HR management or related fields.
- Professional experience: Before being promoted to the role of HR Business Partner, several years of professional experience in the HR department, often as an HR manager or personnel officer, is usually required.
- Further training: Specialized training and certificates in areas such as change management, talent management or strategic HR management help to qualify for the role.
- Leadership experience: Experience in leading teams and working with senior management is another important building block on the way to becoming an HR Business Partner.
Salary of an HR Business Partner
The salary of an HR Business Partner varies depending on company size, industry and experience:
- Junior HR Business Partner: €60,000 - €75,000 gross per year.
- Senior HR Business Partner: €75,000 - €120,000 gross per year.
- Global HR Business Partner: Top salaries of up to €150,000 and more can be achieved in multinational companies or corporations.
Career prospects as an HR Business Partner
The profession of HR Business Partner offers excellent career prospects. Many HR Business Partners later rise to higher positions, such as Head of HR or Chief HR Officer (CHRO). In international companies in particular, the position of Global HR Business Partner can be an attractive advancement, as it is responsible for global HR strategies and works closely with international management.
With increasing experience and by building a network in management, opportunities also open up in executive coaching or HR consulting. Specialized roles in areas such as organizational development, talent management or employer branding also offer interesting development opportunities for experienced HR Business Partners.
Hard and soft skills of an HR Business Partner
A successful HR Business Partner needs a combination of sound specialist knowledge and strong interpersonal skills. The most important hard skills include:
- Strategic workforce planning: the HR Business Partner must be able to develop HR strategies that are aligned with business objectives.
- Change management: ability to manage and successfully implement change processes
- HR Analytics: Experience in analyzing HR data and deriving recommendations for management.
Essential soft skills include:
- Strong communication skills: as a sparring partner for management, the HR Business Partner must be able to communicate convincingly at all levels.
- Leadership qualities: In the role of HR Business Partner, it is important to support managers and act as a leader within the HR department themselves.
- Negotiation skills: The HR Business Partner must be able to mediate between the interests of management and the workforce and conduct negotiations successfully.
Current job vacancies for HR Business Partners
Are you ready for the next step in your career as an HR Business Partner? Discover exciting opportunities in our network and apply to leading companies looking for strategic HR experts. Get started now and take your career in HR to the next level!