Employee Relations Business Partner (ERBP)

The Paper Store

Full-time

Acton, MA, USA (Remote)

About the job

TPS Group Holdings (TPS), a family of brands including The Paper Store, Uncharted, and Gifts & More, is all about transforming daily routines into joyful escapes that inspire and surprise. Our mission is to connect with every customer through carefully chosen products, immersive shopping experiences, and service that goes the extra mile—creating spaces that spark joy with every visit.

Position Overview

The Employee Relations Business Partner (ERBP) strengthens leadership capability, supports healthy team environments, and ensures a consistent, values-driven employee experience across TPS.

In this role your time will be spent partnering with Store Team Leaders, District Managers, and Regional Managers on employee relations matters, coaching, and people practices across the store organization.

This position follows a hybrid schedule: 3 days onsite in Acton and/or in stores, and 2 days working remote if desired, with store visits incorporated regularly based on business needs.

This role is intentionally designed to grow into a broader People & Culture Business Partner scope over time, based on business needs and demonstrated performance.

What You’ll Do

Employee Relations

  • Manage a wide range of employee relations matters, including investigations, conflict resolution, corrective action, and policy interpretation.
  • Provide clear, consistent, and values-aligned guidance to store and corporate leaders.
  • Identify trends and recommend proactive solutions that strengthen culture and reduce risk.
  • Partner with Senior People & Culture leadership and legal partner as needed—on escalated or highly sensitive cases.
  • Conduct regular store visits to build relationships, observe team dynamics, and proactively support leaders.
  • Serve as a trusted advisor on people strategy, decision-making, and organizational effectiveness.
  • Maintain a balanced, pragmatic approach aligned with the realities of a fast-paced retail environment.

Coaching & Support

  • Partner with leaders to build capability in communication, performance management, decision‑making, and people leadership.
  • Support the development and onboarding of new leaders by providing guidance on key employee relations practices and expectations.
  • Help embed TPS culture and leadership behaviors consistently across stores and teams.

Culture & Change Enablement

  • Champion People & Culture initiatives and ensure consistent rollout and adoption across stores and corporate teams.
  • Partner cross-functionally to support communication, engagement, and change efforts that strengthen the employee experience.
  • Influence learning, development, and organizational strategies based on ER insights and store visits.

Who You Are

  • 5–7 years of strong employee relations experience, ideally in multi‑site environments (retail, hospitality, or distribution).
  • Pragmatic and balanced, offering grounded, real‑world guidance that supports leaders in fast‑paced environments.
  • Expertise in investigations, conflict resolution, leader coaching, and navigating complex people matters with sound judgment.
  • Strong influencer and communicator, able to build credibility and partner effectively across all levels.
  • Professional, solutions‑oriented, and skilled at problem-solving in a dynamic, fast-moving setting.
  • Preferred certifications: SHRM‑CP/SCP, PHR/SPHR; Strong plus: AWI Certificate Holder, HRCI ER Credential, or Cornell ILR coursework.
  • Based in Acton, MA, with the ability to travel regularly to stores (occasional overnight travel).

What Success Looks Like

  • Employee relations matters are managed proactively, efficiently, consistently, and with strong judgment.
  • Store and corporate leaders feel supported, equipped, and confident navigating people situations.
  • People & Culture initiatives are adopted effectively across the organization, especially within the field.
  • Leadership capability and organizational culture grow stronger across TPS stores and teams.

TPS Group Holdings is an equal-opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, veteran status, or any other classification protected by state, local or federal law.

This range reflects what the company reasonably expects to pay for this position at this location at the time of this posting.