HR Business Partner

About the role

Be essential at Cars Commerce At Cars Commerce, we're fanatical about simplifying everything about car buying and selling. We do right by our customers and consumers to better connect the industry with simplified and tierless technology to enhance, measure and drive local automotive retail.

Whether through our No.1 most recognized marketplace, Cars.com, our industry-leading digital experience, Dealer Inspire, our trade and appraisal technology, AccuTrade, our reputation-based digital wholesale auction marketplace, Dealerclub, or our new Cars Commerce Media Network, Cars Commerce is essential for success in the automotive industry. No one ever travels alone here: at its core, Cars Commerce is collaboration.

In fact, it's built into the very fabric of our shared values. We like to say we Rise Together - putting people at the center of what we do, from consumer to customer to community. Life at Cars Commerce makes it easy when we share the ethos to be Open to All, encouraging open-minded communication because we know diverse thinking yields better outcomes.

But critical to our success is Caring to Challenge and Taking Ownership, fueling a competitive spirit in a respectful environment where we think about tomorrow but act today. At our foundation, we have integrity, Doing the Right Thing, even when it's hard. It's our shared commitment to these values that makes Cars Commerce a place where growth becomes not only possible, but downright unavoidable. But don't take our word for it.

We are proud to be named one of Built In's 2026 Best Places to Work in Chicago and across the U.S. Ready to make your mark? Join a team that's driving real change in the automotive industry. We are seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to serve as a strategic advisor to VP-level leaders, driving talent strategy, organizational design, and culture transformation across a distributed workforce of 300+ employees.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: Strategic Business Partnership: Act as a trusted advisor to VP-level executives, aligning business goals with people strategies, headcount planning, and total rewards decisions. Organizational Design & Workforce Planning: Lead org design initiatives, span-of-control analyses, and proactive headcount planning to scale teams efficiently in a high-growth environment.

Culture Transformation & Engagement: Contribute to and execute strategies that strengthen company culture, drive employee engagement, and boost retention across fully remote and hybrid teams. Leadership Coaching & Development: Coach people managers and executives on performance management, leadership effectiveness, succession planning, and navigating complex team dynamics.

Employee Relations & Compliance: Manage employee relations issues with empathy and rigor, ensuring fair, consistent, and compliant practices. Cross-Functional HR Collaboration: Partner closely with Talent Acquisition on hiring strategies, Compensation on leveling/pay decisions, and People Ops on seamless HR processes.

ABOUT YOU: Experience: 5-7+ years of progressive HR experience, with a focus as an HRBP in marketplace, tech, or tech-adjacent industries. Client Scale: Proven track record supporting client groups of 300+ employees in distributed/remote environments. Executive Presence: Demonstrated success coaching and advising VP-level leaders.

Core HR Expertise: Hands-on experience in organizational design, headcount planning, employee relations, performance management, and compensation strategy. Preferred: HRIS: Experience with Workday strongly preferred. Experience navigating global mobility/immigration cases and vendor/outsourcing management. Proven track record executing large-scale culture transformation initiatives.

Experience supporting technical, engineering and/or product business units. In the spirit of pay transparency, we are excited to share the base salary range for this position. In addition to base salary, some roles are eligible for our bonus and/or equity programs, depending on level and role. Regular full-time positions are eligible for our comprehensive benefits package.

If you are hired at Cars Commerce, your final base salary compensation will be determined based on factors such as skills and/or experience. If the salary range is close to what you're seeking, then we encourage you to apply and learn more about the total compensation package for this position.

Salary Range $93,100.00-114,050.00 Our Comprehensive Benefits Package includes: Medical, Dental & Vision Healthcare Plans New Hire Stipend for Home Office Set-Up Generous PTO Paid Holidays, Floating Holiday, Volunteer Day, Recharge Day Learn more about our Benefits, Perks, & Culture on our LinkedIn Life Pages! For US-based Positions: Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

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