2024

HR Manager Job Description Example: Roles and Responsibilities

A human resources manager provides the HR department with crucial leadership and guidance on an everyday basis. The role is critical for the organization to ensure consistently efficient task management and effective task execution. Therefore, the importance of the position needs to be highlighted within an HR manager job description so that the organization can locate suitable candidates.

The right individual for an human resources manager position needs to have strong leadership abilities. They have to supervise and communicate with different personnel across the hierarchy of the organization’s human resources department and need solid communication skills.

Looking for such skills begins by formulating a detailed job description that outlines all requirements effectively. By advertising an intelligently crafted job description, an organization ensures that only the best individuals apply for the position.

In addition, an organization establishes a lot about its HR department, culture, and overall employee experience through the job description. Therefore, a thoughtful HR manager job description tells potential employees that your team is detail-oriented, while a poorly written job description tells candidates that your team lacks organization.

This article will give an overview of what human resources managers oversee, the right keywords and phrases to include in the job description, and how to pen down the proper requirements.

The Human Resources Manager Role

An HR manager organizes and coordinates the organization’s critical human resources functions such as payroll processing, employee training and development, labor laws regulation, and recruiting processes. Depending on the size of your team and whether your human resources manager will need to coordinate with other team members or not, you would require more or less experience within the HR manager job description.

The human resources manager’s role varies depending on the company’s size and organizational structure. In larger companies, human resource managers tend to supervise other HR specialists focused on each function of the human resource management field. On the other hand, HR managers in smaller companies work on projects and manage others more directly.

However, in every role, an HR manager should be a talented and skilled professional who helps your company succeed.

If you’re interested in getting a more in-depth view of the role and learning more about human resources management, check out our HR Certification Courses at HR University.

Want to become a HR Manager

HR Manager Job Description Example

The focus of a practical human resources manager job description is to communicate all that an individual needs to know about the following aspect:

  • organization’s mission
  • organization’s culture
  • job responsibilities
  • job requirements
  • candidate’s expected background
  • employee incentive programs and benefits
  • the human resources manager’s salary

The first step in putting together the job description is to understand your company’s needs and what a human resources manager will need to address. For example, a rapidly-growing company that will need to hire several new team members soon needs a human resources manager with extensive recruiting and staffing experience. Therefore, you need to ensure your job description highlights all the skills and education human resources managers in your organization must have.

Regardless, here is an example of the HR manager job description:

“As a human resources manager, you will oversee the important decisions within the HR department regarding aspects such as employee relations, human resources software, and business management. Additionally, the HR manager has to monitor the HR department’s practical efficiency and formulate strategies to improve it. The role requires the suitable candidate to possess significant leadership and management experience, with extensive technical knowledge about the human resources field”.

Human Resources Manager Job Duties Example

Since they overlook all the main workings within the human resources department, it is hardly surprising that the HR manager’s duties touch on all primary human resources functions.

Here are the example job duties that an HR manager must have, categorized according to the broader human resources field they belong to.

Compensation & Benefits Administration

  • Develop an employment payment plan based on local, state, and federal data
  • Create an employee benefits package for different employee groups, including remote and on-site employees
  • Use HR software such as BambooHR and Gusto to streamline payroll and employee benefits administration
  • Prepare payroll budgets and implement pay structure revisions
  • Help form attractive employee compensation and benefits program

Staffing & Recruiting

  • Maintain the work structure by updating job requirements and job descriptions for all positions
  • Support the organization’s staff by establishing screening and interviewing processes
  • Counsel hiring managers on candidate selection
  • Conduct and analyze exit interviews and make actionable recommendations based on data

Labor Law & Regulations

  • Ensure legal compliance by monitoring and implementing applicable human resource federal and state requirements and conducting investigations
  • Represent the organization at hearings when necessary
  • Develop and implement HR strategies and initiatives aligned with the overall business strategy
  • Enforce management guidelines by preparing, updating, and recommending human resource policies and procedures
  • Retain historical human resource records by designing a filing and retrieval system and keeping past and current records
  • Help organization achieve better employee relations

Training & Development

  • Create and manage a performance appraisal system that drives effective development
  • Assess training needs to apply and monitor training programs within the human resources department
  • Design training programs based on practical methods that include new learning technologies and training facilitators
  • Arrange seminars, workshops, and conferences based on each department’s needs
  • Organize a comprehensive new employee orientation and engage new staff onboarding
  • Plan training sessions for sensitive subjects such as diversity and sexual harassment

Employee Wellness & Safety

  • Nurture a positive working environment
  • Implement workplace safety procedures and execute best practices to manage risk
  • Schedule and conduct job evaluations and take action to improve employee’s experience
  • Bridge management and employee relations by addressing demands, grievances, or other issues

HR Manager Job Qualifications Example

After you have the job responsibilities ready, it will be easier to understand the qualifications you should demand from potential candidates for the human resources manager role.

Below are the qualifications companies expect from potential HR managers:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, or similar field
  • 5+ years of experience driving results in the human resources field
  • 3+ years of experience in labor relations and compliance
  • 2+ years of experience in compensation and employee benefit programs administration
  • 2+ years of experience managing other HR professionals
  • PHR/SPHR certification preferred
  • Demonstrable experience with human resources metrics and knowledge of HR systems and databases
  • Ability to develop and manage interpersonal relationships at all levels of the company

Remember that the amount of experience and specific areas of expertise you should require depends on how many responsibilities you plan to allocate to your HR manager.

Conclusion

The efficiency of an organization’s human resources department depends significantly on what the human resources managers accomplish. Most human resources managers have to stay in constant communication with higher-ups and junior personnel to ensure effectiveness.

However, many human resources managers work more strategically and, after they assess worker productivity, organize a training and development program that makes the HR department more self-sufficient.

If you spend time putting together a well-written job description, you will spend less time screening through unqualified resumes or even interviewing the wrong people. Therefore, it is crucial to formulate a suitable HR manager job description.

The more specific you get with the role responsibilities and qualification requirements, the bigger your chances to find the perfect fit sooner for your human resources departments.

Use these job duties and qualifications examples as an inspiration to put together a fantastic HR manager job description and get ready to review some great profiles of HR manager applicants.


If you are new to Human Resources and are looking to break into a HR role, we recommend taking our HR Management Certification Course, where you will learn how to build your skillset in human resources, build your human resources network, craft a great HR resume, and create a successful job search strategy.

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Josh Fechter
Josh Fechter is the founder of HR.University. He's a certified HR professional and has managed global teams across 5 different continents including their benefits and payroll. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.