About this Associate People Operations Business Partner role at Knix
We’re looking for an Associate HR Business Partner who will support Western Canada and is energized by supporting high-performing, people-first retail teams. In this role, you will work closely with District Managers, store leaders and hourly team members to support day-to-day HR needs while helping scale initiatives that keep pace with a fast-moving retail environment.
You will support the full employee lifecycle across our stores by delivering HR programs, coaching leaders, addressing employee concerns, supporting onboarding and development, and ensuring a consistent and positive experience for our retail teams. Key focus areas include performance and coaching, employee relations, staffing and workforce planning, HR program deployment, retail compliance and employee engagement.
As a core member of the People Team, you will partner with Retail Operations, People Operations, and Talent Acquisition to drive business goals while ensuring our retail employees feel supported, empowered, and set up for success every day.
About You:
You are a hands-on, approachable HR professional with a people-first mindset and a passion for supporting hourly retail employees and leaders.
You build trust quickly and collaborate effectively with store leaders, retail associates, and cross-functional teams.
You thrive in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment and can shift priorities based on business needs.
You enjoy working on the ground—with stores, with leaders, and with associates—to understand challenges and create practical, scalable solutions.
You are proactive and resourceful, with strong coaching and listening skills that help leaders develop their teams and navigate employee situations confidently.
You are excited about building repeatable processes, tools, and resources as our retail network expands.
You bring strong judgment, discretion, and a collaborative approach to problem solving.
The Opportunity:
Serve as the primary People partner for assigned retail stores, building trusted relationships with District Managers, store leaders, and team members.
Coach and support retail leaders across performance management, delivering feedback, communication skills, employee development, team dynamics, and day to day people decisions.
Support employee relations matters including conflict resolution, policy interpretation, performance concerns, and workplace issues, escalating more complex or higher risk matters when appropriate.
Support investigations and maintain clear and appropriate documentation.
Help ensure employment practices across assigned stores comply with applicable legislation and align with Knix policies and practices.
Partner with Retail leaders on retention, development, and talent movement across the retail network.
Partner with Talent Acquisition and Retail Operations to support hiring, onboarding, and integration of retail team members.
Deliver People, learning, performance, engagement, feedback, and recognition programs across stores, helping ensure they are practical and accessible for our retail teams.
Gather feedback from stores and bring forward themes, opportunities, and recommendations that can strengthen People programs and the broader retail employee experience.
Use workforce data, employee feedback, and store trends to identify patterns and opportunities across areas such as turnover, retention, attendance, engagement, and staffing.
Partner with fellow Business Partners and the broader People Team to create consistency across stores while recognizing the unique needs of different teams and markets.
Support organizational changes and People initiatives by helping leaders communicate effectively and navigate their teams through change.
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Business, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. CHRP/CHRL designation (or in progress) is an asset.
Minimum of 3 years of HR experience, with at least 1–2 years supporting retail or hourly employee groups.
Strong understanding of employment legislation in Canada (multi-jurisdiction experience is an asset).
Experience supporting employee relations, store-level coaching, onboarding, performance conversations, and HR program delivery.
Proven ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and maintain confidentiality.
Comfortable working in a fast-paced retail environment with agility, resilience, and a continuous improvement mindset.
Solid foundational knowledge of HR practices including performance management, employee relations, engagement, workforce planning, and change management.
