The Market HR Director operates across a high-complexity market environment. This role functions as a senior strategic advisor to the Market President, Market Team, and General Managers and is expected to shape talent and organizational health decisions — not just respond to them. The Director diagnoses systemic workforce challenges, brings a disciplined point of view to senior business conversations, and manages the full market HR portfolio with the sophistication and business credibility expected of a senior HR Business Partner.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES
Talent Selection
- Own the talent selection standard for the market — the Market President looks to the Director to define what a disciplined hiring process looks like and hold it
- Lead GM-level interview processes in close partnership with the Market President; provide a structured, evidence-based talent assessment with a clear recommendation
- Conduct market-wide staffing reviews on a regular cadence; anticipate critical role vacancies 60–90 days before they become crises
- Analyze early turnover patterns across the full market portfolio — distinguish root causes at the hiring, onboarding, and leader effectiveness levels and route corrective action accordingly
- Serve as the strategic partner to the Talent Acquisition COE on market-level workforce planning; bring demand forecasts, brand-level talent trends, and local market intelligence
- Identify systemic gaps in GM and Department Manager pipeline depth and bring a recommendation to the Market President and VP, Human Resources
Talent Development
- Maintain a sophisticated, current talent map of every GM and key Department Manager in the market — strengths, gaps, development needs, succession readiness, and flight risk
- Operate with a coaching-first philosophy at all times: build GM and leader capability, do not substitute for it
- Drive the internal succession agenda with discipline — present succession bench depth to the Market President quarterly and close identified gaps through COE partnership
- Lead and facilitate quarterly talent calibration reviews with the Market President and VP, Human Resources; own the narrative, the data, and the recommended actions
- Partner with the Talent Development COE to co-design market-specific capability solutions — bring field intelligence the COE cannot see from the center
- Identify high-potential associates across the market, advocate for their development, and track progress against development commitments
- Listening Strategy
- Own the organizational health narrative for the market — synthesize listening data, ER case patterns, turnover, and business performance into an integrated market health assessment
- Arrive at every listening debrief with the Market President prepared with an interpretive point of view, a root cause hypothesis, and a recommended response — not a data summary
- Coach GMs to own their team's listening response; the Director's role is to equip and hold accountable, not to step in
- Identify cross-store patterns and systemic themes; escalate market-level organizational health risks to the VP, Human Resources with a recommendation and a sense of urgency
- Serve as the market-level point of contact for the ER Team on case trends; surface emerging systemic ER risk proactively before it is visible in formal reporting
Business Performance
- Operate as a genuine strategic partner to the Market President — attend P&L reviews, understand the business deeply, and bring an independent people-strategy perspective to every business conversation
- Connect market-level workforce data to financial outcomes with specificity: identify which people trends are costing the market the most and prioritize accordingly
- Redirect the Market President's focus when people decisions are being driven by urgency rather than strategy; push back with data, offer alternatives, and hold the HR perspective without deferring
- Develop and present the market's Organizational Health Score and people analytics to senior leadership on a regular cadence
- Frame all HR work — across all four pillars — in the language of business outcomes; every recommendation connects to a market or store-level result
EMPLOYEE RELATIONS SCOPE
All HRBPs handle Green-tier ER cases independently and may handle lower-acuity Yellow-tier cases with appropriate judgment. Higher-acuity Yellow, Orange, and Red-tier cases are escalated to and managed by the centralized ER Team, with the HRBP serving as the market-level partner — providing context, maintaining associate relationships, and ensuring continuity throughout the investigation process. HRBPs do not conduct formal investigations on elevated-tier matters; they are the bridge between the associate, the store, and the ER Team.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field required
- 6–9 years of progressive HR experience with meaningful business partner exposure at the market or regional level
- PHR or SHRM-CP required; SPHR or SHRM-SCP strongly preferred
- Workday or comparable HRIS proficiency required; experience with HR reporting tools or dashboards preferred
- Solid command of multi-state employment law; comfortable advising leaders on workforce risk without Legal present
- Retail, automotive, or high-volume multi-site experience a plus
CORE COMPETENCIES
- Business Acumen — Fluently connects workforce strategy to market P&L performance; is a credible voice in business reviews and brings an independent point of view to the Market President
- Coaching Over Doing — Models and enforces the coaching-over-doing standard across the market; pushes back when leaders look to HR to do the work that belongs to them
- Diagnostic Thinking — Synthesizes signals across multiple data streams — listening data, ER trends, turnover, performance — into a coherent market health narrative with a specific point of view
- COE Partnership — Leverages Talent Development, Talent Acquisition, HR Operations, and Total Rewards as expert partners; routes work to the right COE rather than working around them
- Execution & Follow-Through — Manages a high-complexity, high-volume portfolio without dropping detail; builds systems to stay ahead of the work rather than reacting to it
- Integrity & Discretion — Handles sensitive associate information with unwavering confidentiality; never compromises associate trust or the integrity of the HR function
Exciting Benefits and Perks Await You:
Competitive compensation and 401k matching
Enjoy a healthy work-life balance with insurance plans (health, dental, vision) and maternity benefits.
Associate purchase and discount programs for new and pre-owned vehicles, services, parts, collision, accessories, and AutoGear
Access amazing deals and discounts through YouDecide, a website with offers from top providers and retailers
Join our DRVPNK mission to raise and donate millions of dollars to cancer research and treatment, partnering with cancer charities nationwide
AutoNation is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States, offering innovative products, exceptional services, and comprehensive solutions, empowering our customers to make the best decisions for their needs. With a network of dealerships nationwide strengthened by a recognized brand, we offer a wide variety of new and used vehicles, customer financing, parts, and provide expert maintenance and repair services. Through DRV PNK, we have raised over $40 million for cancer-related causes, demonstrating our commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of our Associates, Customers, and the communities we serve.
AutoNation is committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment in our workplace and the services we provide. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds who are passionate about making a positive impact. Even if you do not meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. Join our team and help us foster a culture of belonging while contributing to our revolutionary work in the automotive industry. We value innovation, teamwork, and a commitment to making a positive impact in the world.