Human resources manager job description: Template and guide

If you needed to post an HR manager role this week, the first thing you’d look for is a comprehensive job description template you could use to quickly swap in your company and role details without starting from zero. 

That’s exactly the template we provide below. In this guide, we’ll go over the important context small business owners or time-strapped hiring teams need to get started, including an HR manager role description, salary data, and considerations for customizing and publishing your polished job post with ease. 

What does an HR manager do?

HR managers lead the people function for an organization. Core responsibilities include hiring, policy creation and adherence, employee development, and workforce and strategic planning. 

In practice, this means they touch the full life-cycle of the employee experience, from recruitment and onboarding to compensation and retention. HR managers must also be as comfortable dealing with the day-to-day demands of running a people org, like conflict resolution, as they are with HR strategies, like internal mobility planning and outlining hiring projections based on evolving needs. 

HR manager duties and responsibilities

Typical day-to-day responsibilities for HR managers include: 

• Hiring: Writing job descriptions, running phone screens, scheduling interviews, and extending and negotiating offers with candidates. 
• Onboarding: Supporting employees during the new-hire experience across the first 1–2 weeks, defining 30-60-90-day goals (and checking in throughout that time period), and intaking candidate paperwork and documents before submitting to the HRIS. 
• Employee relations: Receiving and actioning complaints, running investigations, mediating conflicts between employees, and structuring performance management flows with managers. 
• Compliance: Keeping personnel files up to date, tracking adherence to policies, and updating them as needed. 
• Workforce planning: Taking inventory of skills gaps, building plans to address them, and forecasting future headcount in conjunction with company leadership. 
• Recruiting strategy: Identifying and tracking the success of candidate sourcing channels, prioritizing hiring needs against competing demands, and designing competitive offer packages based on market data. 
• Advising leadership: Keeping a pulse on factors both internal and external to the organization impacting talent, and keeping leadership apprised. 

HR manager requirements and qualifications

HR manager qualifications boil down to two distinct groups: The must-have requirements that constitute the baseline needed for success, and the nice-to-haves that make a candidate particularly well-suited for the job. 

Over-index on the nice-to-haves, and you risk needlessly narrowing your applicant pool. But the inverse also applies; overly relaxed standards increase the chance of a poor-fit hire. 

Must-have qualifications usually include: 

• Several years of progressive HR experience with at least some team leadership
• Working knowledge of HR principles and employment law
• Hands-on familiarity with an HRIS 
• Solidly developed interpersonal communication skills
• Conflict resolution experience 

The nice-to-haves that many organizations also like to see are: 

• A bachelor’s degree in HR, business, psychology, or a related field
• HR certifications from professional and continuous education organizations like SHRM or HRCI
• Change management experience
• Backgrounds that align with a company’s specific industry

If a candidate lacks specific experience as an HR manager, look for titles on their resume that come from the typical feeder roles; examples include HR generalist, HR analyst, or recruiter. 

Human resources manager job description template

The block below contains everything you need for your HR manager job description. Simply copy and paste the text into your own document, swapping in relevant company and role details everywhere you see the prompt brackets. Sections are already laid out to reflect the order in which each section should appear in the job post. 

Job title: [Job title goes here; e.g., Human Resources Manager or HR Manager] Location: [City and State, or Remote or Hybrid, with office location] Schedule: [Full-time, part-time, exempt, etc. Standard hours; e.g., Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.] Reports to: [Title of hiring manager; e.g., Director of People Operations] Travel: [Percentage of time and purpose; e.g., up to 10%–25% for recruiting events and job fairs] 

About us

[Company name] is a [industry or category] company, based in [location] with [x number of] employees. We [one to two sentences describing the nature of the company, including what it does, who it serves, and why it stands out]. Our team values [two culture, mission, or identity-related points that describe what you take pride in or how you’re different]. 

About the role

As an [HR manager or other job title], you’ll lead our HR function, acting as the strategic link between employees and leadership. You’ll own hiring, recruiting, employee relations, policy, and compliance for a team of [number of employees] across [number of locations, if applicable]. The ideal candidate for this role is comfortable both running day-to-day HR operations and interfacing with company leadership to inform strategic workforce decisions as needed. 

What you will do

• Lead end-to-end recruiting efforts for [number] of open roles per [year, quarter, etc.], from initial intake through offer acceptance
• Own onboarding and the first 30, 60, and 90 days of the new-hire experience
• Investigate employee complaints and mediate workplace conflicts to resolution
• Maintain compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including [examples of specific regulations in your industry]
• Administer compensation and benefits programs, recommending adjustments based on market data, employee feedback, or other inputs, as needed
• Manage employee records and reporting in [HRIS system]
• Partner with functional leads on workforce planning and skill gap analysis
• Design and deliver training on [topics like harassment prevention]

What success looks like

In your first six months, you’ll [one or two input-based goals; e.g., own maintenance of all employee records or rebuild our internal communications newsletter]. In the first year, you’ll work to [example of an outcome-based goal; e.g., decrease our voluntary turnover by X% or successfully bring time to fill under Y days]. 

What you will bring to the role

‍Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, psychology, or a related field
• [Number of years] of HR or people operations–related experience, including [number] of years in a management or team lead capacity
• Working knowledge of employment law and compliance requirements in [industry, state, region, etc.]
• Demonstrated experience using HRIS platforms like [name of platforms]
• Demonstrated experience handling employee relations issues from front-to-back

Preferred:

• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification
• Experience at a company in [your industry] 

Compensation and benefits

[Salary range], based on experience [and region, if applicable], plus [bonus, equity, or other compensation if applicable]. 

We offer a competitive benefits package, including [health, dental, vision, or other medical] coverage, [retirement plan and match], [number] of days of PTO [or open PTO], as well as [any additional perks like PD budget, parental leave, etc.] 

How to apply

To apply, [submit/send] your resume [and cover letter, references, etc.] to [link to email address or job application portal] by [deadline to apply]. 

[Describe application review and contact process. Also, attach an EEO (equal opportunity employer) statement or any other accommodation language]. 

Salary and benefits for HR managers

According to BLS data, the median salary for HR managers in 2024 was around $140,000. The lowest 10% of earners made less than $84,000, while the top 10% made upwards of $239,000. 

The key factors driving variable compensation: 

• Location: HR managers based in high-cost-of-living metros, like New York City, San Francisco, and Boston, typically earn more than those living in less expensive areas. 
• Company size: Typically, HR managers working at large enterprises earn more than those working at small-to-medium-sized businesses. 
• Experience: Like other professions, HR managers in charge of more strategic functions or with larger responsibilities usually earn more than early-career professionals. 
• Industry: HR managers in certain industries earn more. According to the BLS, professional, scientific, and technical services pay more than industries like healthcare and social assistance or government. 

As full-time employees, HR managers can expect to receive a suite of competitive benefits, including health insurance, retirement plan contributions, PTO, and flexible working arrangements at some companies. Others might also receive growth-related perks, like bonuses. 

How to customize and post a human resources manager job description

Successfully customizing the job description template is a function of how well you align it to candidate expectations and search visibility best practices. 

Make sure all information is accurate, reflective of the role and your company, and descriptive enough to anticipate candidate questions. Use data from reputable sources like the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook to ensure your pay package is competitive. 

Before publishing, make sure to tailor the following elements to the specifics of the role and your company: 

• Job title
• Company overview
• Benefits
• Location
• Schedule
• Inclusive hiring and accommodation policies and statements

Reach the candidates who never see your posting

A good job description works on the people who read it. The problem is who reads it: candidates actively job hunting, in the window they happen to be looking. Most experienced HR managers aren’t in that group. They’re employed, doing the job, and not checking boards.

Juicebox reaches them anyway. Describe the role in plain language, and Juicebox searches more than 800 million profiles across 30+ data sources to surface matching candidates, then contacts them directly.

Frequently asked questions

What is a template for a human resources manager job description?

A template for an HR manager job description is a document you can use to structure your own job description, complete with placeholders to fill in with role and company-specific information. 

Templates cover the essential information for a job description, including the job title, company overview, location, salary and benefits information, and how to apply. 

What are the duties of an HR manager?

HR managers run the people and administrative side of organizations. Typical duties include hiring, talent acquisition, complaint investigation, conflict resolution, policy setting, workforce planning, and communicating internally to both leadership and team members. 

What qualifications does an HR manager need? 

According to the BLS, the typical entry-level education requirement to be an HR manager is a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. Other common qualifications include several years of work experience in a related field, certifications from professional organizations such as SHRM, and demonstrated knowledge of employment law, HR software, and leadership, as well as strong communication skills.