Senior Director, HR Business Partner

IDC

Senior Director, HR Business Partner

US--

Job ID: 2026-6866
# of Openings: 1
Category: Human Resources
IDC

Overview

About the Role & Team

The organization is in active transformation — processes are being built, systems are being evaluated, and data is still maturing. You will walk into ambiguity and be expected to create order, build credibility fast, and deliver results across a complex, globally distributed commercial organization.

 

You will serve as the primary HR partner to the CRO and CMO, advising on everything from talent assessment and org design to performance coaching and critical hiring decisions. The commercial organization spans the US, Europe, Middle East, China, and Japan — meaning you will regularly navigate different employment frameworks, cultural norms, and local HR partners across time zones. One day you may be calibrating a talent review of the entire sales leadership team; the next you are in the room advising the CRO on exactly who is a keeper, who is coachable, and who needs to move on. You will do all of this while simultaneously managing the spreadsheet.

What makes this role different

• You are building, not maintaining. Policies, programs, and processes are being defined — often by you.
• Limited process maturity, evolving data, and ongoing transformation activity are the baseline.
• HR has a seat at the table — and is expected to challenge
• Talent quality and performance accountability are the primary agenda for the next 12–24 months.
• Speed and judgment matter more than perfection. Know when to move fast and when to slow down.

What You’ll Do

Strategic Advisory & Org Effectiveness

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the CRO and CMO on all people matters — org design, talent, team dynamics, and culture.
• Act as thought partner on the talent and organizational structure needed to support business transformation and execute the business plan.
• Partner with the Chief People Officer and serve as an active, contributing member of the HR Leadership Team (HRLT) — breaking down silos, sharing best practices, and building a more unified, strategically aligned people function.
• Bring the commercial perspective into HRLT discussions, connecting what is happening in sales and marketing to enterprise-wide HR priorities and decisions.
• Anticipate future workforce needs, assess emerging trends, and proactively develop programs to support strategic objectives.

Talent Assessment, Performance & High-Performance Culture

• Conduct rigorous, objective talent assessment across the commercial organization — building a clear and honest picture of who the top performers are, who is coachable, and who is a systemic underperformer. Help leaders act on those distinctions.
• Identify and develop high-potential talent; build succession pipelines for key commercial leadership roles.
• Lead leadership assessment initiatives in partnership with the CPO, using structured frameworks to evaluate readiness and development needs at the director level and above.
• Build and sustain a high-performance culture — one where expectations are explicit, accountability is consistent, and the performance bar is raised continuously across the organization.
• Coach senior leaders through difficult performance conversations with candor and rigor. Manage PIPs, address underperformance early, and support termination decisions when results and impact are below requirements
• Support organizational transformation by helping shape high-performing teams through restructuring, and culture change.
• Drive job architecture and leveling alignment within the commercial functions as part of the broader transformation.

Recruiting & Talent Acquisition Partnership

• Act as a true talent advisor on commercial hiring — partnering with TA on candidate assessment, interview calibration, and offer decisions for critical roles.
• Drive talent mapping for key commercial positions, helping build pipeline before roles open.
• Own interview calibration across the sales and marketing hiring process — ensuring interviewers evaluate against a consistent, objective bar.
• Proactively flag hiring risks, including when the organization is about to make a mistake. Bring candid, evidence-based perspective to hiring decisions and help raise the overall quality of commercial hires.

Employee Engagement & Relations

• Use engagement surveys and pulse tools to take the organization's temperature, synthesize findings, and translate data into actionable plans.
• Hold leaders accountable to engagement outcomes, sharing results transparently and tracking progress over time.
• Quickly and amicably resolve employee relations issues, communicating proactively to prevent escalation.
• Manage communications around changes to sales compensation plans, addressing employee concerns clearly and empathetically.

Team Leadership & HR Development

• Develop and lead the broader HR team supporting sales and marketing, ensuring team members are set up to deliver on their goals.
• Model a collaborative, solutions-oriented HR approach that elevates the function's credibility across the business.
• Work without a net when needed — filling gaps, owning execution, and managing up and across simultaneously.

What You Bring

• Proven track record of objectively assessing talent in a commercial organization — distinguishing top performers from coachable performers from systemic underperformers — and helping leaders act on those distinctions with speed and conviction.
• Experience managing the full performance cycle: from early coaching conversations and expectation-setting through formal PIPs and, when necessary, supporting exits. Has helped shift organizational norms toward genuine accountability.
• Direct experience as a talent advisor in commercial hiring — candidate assessment, interview design and calibration, and raising the bar on hiring quality.
• 10+ years of progressive HR experience across the full HR function — generalist breadth with business partner depth.
• Direct experience supporting commercial leaders in sales or revenue-generating functions.
• Located in Eastern or Central time zone.
• Global:
  • Meaningful experience supporting employees and leaders across international markets — particularly Europe (employment law, GDPR), Middle East, China, and Japan. Knows enough to navigate local nuance, partner with regional HR, and avoid costly missteps.
  • Proven success driving change in complex, ambiguous environments — large-scale organizational transformation.
• Strongly Preferred:
  • Has operated in a fast-paced, PE-backed environment where urgency is the norm, resources are constrained, and the pace of change is unrelenting.
  • Experience operating as part of an HR Leadership Team (HRLT) — understands the dual accountability of serving a business unit while contributing to the broader HR agenda.
  • Experience with job architecture, hierarchy alignment, and org design at scale.
  • Strong working knowledge of how each HR function (TA, Talent Development, Comp, ER, HRIS) interacts with and serves the business.
• Education:
  • Bachelor's degree required.
  • Advanced degree or HR certification (SHRM-SCP, SPHR) a plus.

The difference between a good candidate and a great one

• You've built a process from scratch because there wasn't one — and you're proud of it.
• You've told a CRO or CMO something they didn't want to hear — and they thanked you for it later.
• You've sat in a talent review and said out loud that a high-profile leader isn't performing — and backed it up.
• You've managed a messy ER situation, a PIP, a comp redesign, and an engagement plan in the same quarter.
• You've navigated a workforce issue in Europe, China, or Japan — and you know it's not the same as the US.
• You know what a well-run HR function looks like — and you can describe exactly how to get there from here.

Why This Role Stands Out
At IDC, your work helps shape how the world understands technology and where it goes next. You collaborate with curious, high-caliber colleagues who value rigor, integrity, and shared success. As the premier global provider of trusted technology intelligence, IDC equips business and technology leaders with the evidence they need to make confident decisions. Our insights inform strategy, investment, and innovation across industries and regions.

 

Recognized by IIAR as Analyst Firm of the Year for five consecutive years, IDC sets the standard for credibility and impact. With more than 1,000 analysts worldwide and a truly global perspective, we combine deep expertise with practical relevance. Here, your ideas matter, your voice is heard, and your contributions provide the insights leaders rely on every day. It is meaningful work, backed by a culture that supports growth, collaboration, and long-term career development with a globally respected brand.

What We Offer

• 15 vacation days (prorated based on start date)
• 12 company-paid holidays
• 6 paid sick days (prorated based on start date; may vary by state)
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 2 floating holidays (prorated based on start date)
• 1 volunteer day
• 401(k) company match (IDC matches 3% on the first 6% of employee contributions)
• Company-paid short-term disability
• Company-paid life insurance
  
• Company-paid parental leave
  

Compensation Transparency

At IDC, we are committed to fair and equitable pay practices. Employees are compensated equitably for their work, aligned with their skills and experience. Salary and incentive structures are determined through a rigorous process that considers experience, education, certifications, role-specific requirements, internal equity, and verified U.S. market data from an independent third-party partner.

The expected total annual compensation, depending on location and experience, is between $165,000 – $250,000, inclusive of base salary and variable compensation.

Equal Opportunity Employer

IDC is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified persons. Employment eligibility verification required. We participate in E-Verify.

 

IDC is currently able to employ remote workers in the following states: Arizona (AZ), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Washington D.C. (DC), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Kansas (KS), Massachusetts (MA), Maryland (MD), Maine (ME), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Missouri (MO), Mississippi (MS), North Carolina (NC), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY), Ohio (OH), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), South Carolina (SC), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Utah (UT), Virginia (VA), Vermont (VT), Washington (WA), and Wisconsin (WI).

 

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Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

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