Description
As a People Business Partner at Sage, you work alongside the leaders who move the business forward, helping them build stronger teams, steer through change, and turn ambitious plans into results that hold up. You bring a clear point of view, a steady presence, and the kind of judgment leaders come to rely on. You tend to see what is coming before it arrives, and you are usually already thinking about what to do about it.
What you will own
- Leading change that sticks. Guiding transformation, workforce planning, restructuring, and cross-functional projects with clear goals, visible sponsorship, disciplined communication, collaborator alignment, and enough structure to keep the right people moving together without slowing the work down.
- Being the voice leaders rely on. Partnering with senior leaders as they set direction, offering clear guidance, candid input, and the kind of decision-focused meeting leadership that helps teams align quickly and leave with shared ownership of next steps.
- Building teams that perform. Shaping talent, performance, engagement, and organizational design so people do their best work, teams pull in the same direction, and the business can grow without losing its footing.
- Letting the evidence lead. Turning people metrics, patterns, and trends into choices you can defend, outcomes you can measure, and practical answers leaders can act on.
- Solving the problems that do not come with a playbook. Spotting risk, gaps, and openings early, asking better questions, testing practical options, and bringing creative, sound answers before small issues grow into large ones.
- Connecting the wider system. Working hand in hand with global P&C teams and Centers of Excellence while navigating complex employee relations, performance, and compliance matters toward outcomes that are fair, sound, scalable, and right for the business.
You will thrive here if
- You meet leaders where they are. No two leaders are alike, and you adjust your approach to their style, context, pressure points, and readiness without losing your authenticity or lowering the bar.
- You can translate without diluting. You know how to turn people strategy, policy, data, and change into language that makes sense to the leader in front of you, whether they need the headline, the risk, the options, or the next practical step.
- You say what needs saying in a way it can be heard. You give leaders the straight version, even when an easier answer is sitting right there, and you know when to challenge, when to coach, and when to create space for them to get there.
- You trust your own read. You are comfortable taking a position and standing behind it, and you bring original thinking instead of reaching for the default playbook.
- You know the edge of what you know. When you are not certain, you say so and go find the answer, because getting it right matters more to you than appearing to have it all figured out.
- You move with the business. Fast pace, shifting ground, more questions than answers? That tends to be where you do some of your best work, because you can bring enough structure, judgment, and calm to help leaders keep moving.
What you bring
Strategic Influence and Change Leadership
- A track record of becoming the trusted voice behind business leaders in complex or global organizations.
- Real experience guiding transformation and change, not just watching it happen around you.
- A practical change-management toolkit: clear case for change, stakeholder mapping, sponsor alignment, communication cadence, manager enablement, adoption tracking, and reinforcement after launch.
- The ability to shape thinking and direction at senior levels through influence rather than authority.
Business and People Expertise
- Deep command of modern people practices, including organizational design, talent strategy, and workforce planning.
- A history of translating business strategy into results-driven people plans.
- Sound judgment in employee relations and the complex, human realities of organizational life.
Data and Insight
- Genuine comfort with data, and the skill to turn it into recommendations people can act on.
- Experience using metrics to prove what is working and improve what is not.
Project Management and Meeting Leadership
- The ability to organize complex work into clear plans, owners, achievements, and follow-through that keep projects moving.
- Confidence leading meetings that have purpose, pace, and outcomes, especially when the room includes senior leaders or competing points of view.
- Strong facilitation skills that help groups focus, make decisions, resolve ambiguity, and leave knowing what happens next.
Agility and Execution
- A calm, solution-first approach when priorities shift and the ground keeps moving.
- The ability to hold competing demands and still deliver with both quality and pace.
- Creative problem-solving that combines curiosity, data, business context, and good judgment to move from ambiguity to a workable path forward.
- A naturally collaborative style that connects easily across teams and geographies.
Leadership and Trust
- Communication that engages, earns trust, and works at every level of the organization.
- Emotional intelligence and balanced judgment, especially when the pressure is on.
- A real commitment to inclusive practice and to building a culture of accountability, performance, and belonging.
If you read this and thought, “that is the job I have been waiting for”, we wish to hear from you!
If you have a disability and you need any support during the application process, please contact hr.resume@sagepub.com. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.
Pay Transparency & Benefits Package:
Sage Publishing is committed to being an inclusive employer where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect. Sage is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.
Compensation at Sage is influenced by several factors, including but not limited to skill set, nature and level of experience, qualifications, and other relevant considerations. Please note that the compensation details listed in U.S. role postings reflect the base salary only and do not include bonuses or benefits. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range and additional aspects of the compensation/benefits package for this position during the hiring process. If your desired salary falls outside of this range, we hope you'll still apply as there may be other positions that better align.
In addition to compensation, Sage offers a highly competitive and comprehensive PPO medical, dental, and vision care benefits package with Sage covering most of the premium costs. Unique program benefits that support a healthy life, a company-sponsored anniversary trip every 5 years, a 401(k)-matching program of 100% up to 5% of pay, and other significant meaningful benefits. In alignment with our value for education, Sage offers financial support for bachelor's and graduate-level degree programs as well as learning for personal interest.
Sage offers freedom and autonomy in your day-to-day with hybrid or remote work, depending on the role. Join the nearly 2,000 Sage employees worldwide who deliver products and services that serve to fulfill our noble goal of education and dissemination of knowledge globally. We’d love to meet you!
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
Sage Publishing is committed to being an inclusive employer where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marriage and partnership status, pregnancy and parental responsibilities, race, religion and belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
We believe that diversity is a cornerstone of a vibrant culture. We want Sage to be an organization where the most talented staff and high-potential staff are recruited, have the opportunity to grow, and want to work. We strive to achieve a better representation of diverse talent at all levels, including leadership, across our workforce.
Department: People & Culture
Role: People Business Partner
Locations: Thousand Oaks, United States, Washington D.C., United States, New Rochelle, NY
Yearly salary: $110,000 - $120,000
Remote Status: Hybrid
Employment Type: Full-time
Employment Level: Mid-level
