Senior Director, HR Retail Stores

Serving the needs of all families with young children, Carter’s Inc. is the largest North American apparel retailer exclusively for babies and young children, encompassing Carter’s, OshKosh B’gosh, Skip*Hop and Little Planet brands. Meaningful work, constant learning, genuine people, and a community guided by core values that promote inclusion and innovation is in everything we do. There are many reasons to build your career at Carter's.

HOW YOU’LL MAKE AN IMPACT:
The Senior Director, HR Retail Stores leads the people strategy for a specialty retail organization with approximately 1,000 store locations, supporting ~9,000 employees geographically dispersed across North America. This role partners closely with Field and Operations leadership to build strong leaders, high-performing teams, and an engaged workforce that supports operational excellence and sustainable growth.

As a key member of the Field leadership team, this leader shapes the talent strategy for the retail organization and serves as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on workforce, organizational, and leadership matters. The Senior Director leads a team of Regional Human Resource Managers and ensures alignment between field operations and enterprise HR programs.

Strategic HR Leadership & Business Partnership

• Serve as a strategic advisor to Field and Operations leadership on workforce planning, organizational design, leadership effectiveness, and change management.
• Translate business priorities into scalable people strategies that strengthen leadership capability, operational performance, and organizational effectiveness.
• Lead and develop a team of Regional Human Resource Managers supporting field operations across multiple regions.
• Partner with enterprise HR Centers of Excellence to ensure effective execution of company-wide programs and initiatives across the retail network.
• Use HR data and insights to guide decision-making, identify workforce trends, and support business performance.

Talent Strategy & Organizational Capability

• Lead the talent strategy for the field organization, including workforce planning, succession planning, leadership development, and high-potential talent identification.
• Oversee core enterprise talent processes including performance management, talent reviews, compensation planning, and learning and development programs within the retail organization.
• Partner with senior leaders to assess organizational health and implement strategies that strengthen leadership capability, engagement, and performance.
• Support the development of strong internal talent pipelines and career pathways for retail leaders.

Employee Relations & Risk Management

• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex employee relations matters, investigations, and sensitive workforce issues.
• Guide HR partners and field leaders on employee relations, policy interpretation, and performance management.
• Partner with Legal and Compliance to ensure adherence to federal, state, provincial, and local employment laws while mitigating organizational risk.
• Continuously evaluate HR policies, tools, and practices to support a dynamic, multi-site retail workforce.

Employee Experience & Engagement

• Champion initiatives that strengthen company culture, employee engagement, and leadership accountability across the retail network.
• Partner with field leadership to foster inclusive, high-engagement work environments that support retention and strong team performance.
• Collaborate with HR Business Partners, Operations, Legal, and enterprise support teams to improve field support and operational effectiveness.
• Ensure consistent, scalable delivery of HR programs, processes, and communications across the retail field organization.

WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU:
Must Have:

• Ability to travel up to 30%
• 10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience
• Minimum of 5 years leading field-based HR business partners
• Experience supporting multi-site retail or field-based organizations
• Strong business acumen with the ability to align people strategies with operational and financial objectives
• Deep knowledge of employment law, employee relations investigations, and performance management practices
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and lead through change in fast-paced environments
   

Preferred:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field
• Experience scaling HR practices in high-growth and/or transformational environments

MAKE A CAREER AT CARTER’S: 

• Career Development: Success starts from within, and we have several paths from which you can choose to enhance your career evolution. From Carter’s University to Toastmasters to mentorship programs and more, we encourage you to utilize these tools to elevate your professional prowess. 

Carters is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.