HR Strategist Job Description

An HR Strategist sets the overall direction for the HR function in an organization. They are primarily responsible for making sure everything in the HR department is aligned with the company vision and facilitating the organization’s business development and growth. The role takes a top-down of what the organization needs going forward and makes plans to ensure that the organization is ready from an HR standpoint.

The HR Strategist examines the organization’s business plans, taking into account the projected growth, to determine future staffing, hierarchical, and remuneration needs. They then build HR plans, which address management structures, learning and development needs, remuneration options, and organizational development.

An HR Strategist needs both expert knowledge of HR and the ability to think beyond the day-to-day HR function. By definition, the role also demands the ability to instigate, drive, and implement change.  

A successful HR Strategist can turn the HR function from a reactive to a proactive one and can significantly enhance an organization’s ability to scale successfully.

Similar Job Titles:

HR Specialist, HR Consultant, Human Resources Specialist, HR Manager

What Does an HR Strategist Typically Do?

An HR Strategist plans the medium- and long-term future of the HR function. The specific tasks involved in this will include:

1. Auditing current HR success
2. Analyzing and understanding the organizational medium and long-term business plans
3. Synthesizing the HR vision based on the organization’s plans
4. Developing strategic directions for the HR function
5. Formulating tactical plans to achieve the strategies
6. Presenting the plans to management for approval
7. Driving the implementation of the plans and monitoring results

Auditing Current HR Success

HR performance measurement is a difficult task and must be approached using metrics that are clear, tangible, and directly linked to HR’s activities.

To that end, an HR Strategist develops metrics to measure the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of the tasks performed by the HR department and tracks these metrics continuously. This position requires data analysis skills and statistical understanding to trend, forecast, and set targets against the data.

An HR Strategist also employs tools such as employee satisfaction surveys to generate less empirical information, all of which is added to the empirical metrics to give a clear view of the HR department’s performance, trends, and opportunities for improvement.

Analyzing and Understanding the Organizational Medium and Long-Term Business Plans

An HR Strategist must know the strategic direction of the organization as a whole, particularly in relation to growth plans, which may affect staffing levels, management structures, remuneration models, or learning and development requirements.

This position involves working with the departmental plans in the organization to determine what implication they may have on HR requirements. The implications may relate to a requirement for recruitment, additional training, different compensation structures, or new policies and procedures.

Synthesizing the HR Vision Based on the Organization’s Plans

The vision for the HR department is developed from the departmental business plans and should reflect both the current and projected hiring needs of the organization. An HR Strategist ensures the HR vision is clear, concise, understandable, and inspiring for all the HR team members.

An HR Strategist becomes the custodian of the HR vision and reminds the team of its importance constantly.

Developing Strategic Directions for the HR Function

Based on the vision above, an HR Strategist must determine the best strategies for achieving the set goals while ensuring these are aligned with the organization’s vision.

Strategies may involve shifting the focus of the team, realigning compensation and benefits packages to better suit the organization, intensifying training activities across the organization, or driving recruitment activities in response to planned business growth. 

Whatever strategies are decided upon, an HR Strategist communicates them to the HR team and ensures they are understood and accepted. The HR Strategist must also monitor the implementation of the strategies to ensure their effectiveness, as well as suggest changes and improvements when necessary.

Formulating Tactical Plans To Achieve the Strategies

Tactical action plans involve actions, timelines, and responsibilities, all of which must be aligned to the agreed HR strategies.

An HR Strategist develops the tactical action plans using project planning and management skills to ensure all the tactics are aligned, achievable, and timed.

Presenting the Plans to Management for Approval

An HR Strategist presents the full strategic and tactical plans to senior management to gain approval as, potentially, the whole organization could benefit from the changes and developments proposed.

The presentation should clearly demonstrate the link between HR’s proposed activities and the goals of the organization. A successful HR Strategist will link HR’s performance metrics to success measures used by the rest of the organization to demonstrate HR’s alignment with the organization’s direction.

Driving the Implementation of the Plans and Monitoring Results

An HR Strategist may be tasked with implementing and project managing the plan in collaboration with HR management. 

Even if not directly involved with the plan implementation, an HR Strategist monitors results constantly to determine whether the plan is working. If performance gaps are apparent, an HR Strategist revisits the plan and adjusts it as necessary to correct any issues.

Roles an HR Strategist Typically Collaborates With

An HR Strategist will be closely linked to the following roles:

Collaborative Roles
Benefits Manager	Payroll Manager	HR Operations Manager
Human Resources Project Manager	Compensation and Benefits Manager	HR and Administration Manager

HR Strategist Salary

An HR Strategist can typically expect to earn between $65,000 and $119,000 per annum in the U.S. The median is around $90,752.  

What Is the HR Strategist Pay Difference by Location?

Average salaries for an HR Strategist differ by location as follows:

City	Average Salary
San Francisco, CA	$113,440
Seattle, WA	$99,228
Denver, CO	$91,777
Austin, TX	$89,254
Washington, DC	$101,025
Milwaukee, WI	$89,816
Boston, MA	$102,250
New York, NY	$109,174

What Is the HR Strategist Pay Difference by Experience Level?

Depending on experience, pay will vary as follows:

Experience Level	Average Salary
< 1 year	$87,291
1–4 years	$89,734
5–9 years	$94,456
10–19 years	$94,456
20+ years	$94,456

HR Strategist Job Description Template

[Company Name] is looking to expand our organization and is looking for a forward-thinking HR Strategist to help direct our journey to success.

As the HR Strategist with [Company Name], you will make sure our organization is ready for scaling. Working closely with HR management and all departmental heads, you will be the custodian of the HR vision. You will develop, implement, and track HR plans that will affect the culture, structure, and success of [Company Name] in the foreseeable future.

HR Strategist Responsibilities

The HR Strategist’s tasks will include but are not limited to:

• Understanding our medium- and long-term growth plans
• Formulating an HR vision, deciding on a strategic HR direction, and building plans to achieve your goals
• Achieving buy-in and active support across the organization
• Implementing and driving change processes
• Monitoring and reporting on results

Required Skill Set

The HR Strategist should possess the following qualifications, skills, and attributes:

• At least ten years’ experience in a senior HR role
• In-depth knowledge of global HR developments
• Strategic planning expertise
• Change management expertise
• Vision, big-picture thinking, and a willingness to instigate change
• Collaborative skills and ability to work with multiple stakeholders
• Excellent communication skills

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