Retail HR Program & Governance Manager

Your Role at Sephora: 

Ready for a career glow up? As Manager, Retail HR Programs & Governance, you’ll help Retail HR identify and address the policies, processes, tools, and ways of working that create barriers for the field. You’ll organize priorities, coordinate cross-functional stakeholders, and move practical solutions forward to improve clarity, consistency, and execution across Retail HR. You’ll be part of a collaborative team focused on strengthening the programs, resources, and routines that help field leaders and teams operate effectively. 

About the Team 

Retail HR operates in a complex, fast-moving environment where it is critical to understand where issues exist, create clarity, and build the foundational work needed for the organization to operate at full efficiency. The Manager, Retail HR Programs & Governance partners with Retail Operations, field leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders to identify where focus is needed most, align on practical solutions, and strengthen the policies, processes, tools, and routines that support consistent execution. 

Job Summary 

The Manager, Retail HR Programs & Governance helps Retail HR identify and execute the work that will remove barriers for the field. This role organizes priority gaps, coordinates stakeholders, and moves practical solutions forward across policies, processes, tools, leader guidance, and field enablement. 

In the near term, this role will focus on hands-on execution for high-priority Retail HR needs. The role will leverage data, field feedback, stakeholder input, and feedback mechanisms to understand top priorities and determine where Retail HR should focus first. As the role matures, it will help strengthen program governance, documentation, communication routines, and follow-through mechanisms. 

The ideal candidate is organized, collaborative, comfortable with ambiguity, and able to use leadership alignment to move important work forward. They communicate proactively and clearly so stakeholders understand what is happening, why it matters, what decisions are needed, and what actions come next. They are persistent in finding a path forward when work gets stuck, including providing practical interim guidance while longer-term processes are built and improved. 

What You’ll Do: 

Field Barrier Identification & Prioritization 

Identify Retail HR programs, policies, processes, tools, or ways of working that are unclear, hard to use, or need to be fixed. 

Use data, field feedback, stakeholder input, and feedback mechanisms to understand recurring themes and top priorities. 

Review urgency, risk, impact, dependencies, and capacity to decide what should be solved first. 

Define the issue, the goal, the decisions needed, and the next steps. 

Policy, Process & Foundational Solutions 

Create practical solutions for priority Retail HR policies, processes, tools, leader guidance, and field enablement needs. 

Draft and maintain SOPs, playbooks, toolkits, quick reference guides, templates, escalation frameworks, and process documentation. 

Develop clear materials, templates, and process guides when resources do not already exist or need to be improved. 

Keep key information organized, current, and easy to find. 

Program Coordination & Rhythm of Business 

Coordinate Retail HR programs and workstreams with clear owners, timelines, and deliverables. 

Maintain program roadmaps, trackers, calendars, status updates, and decision records for priority Retail HR work. 

Build routines that regularly assess barriers, align priorities to Retail HR’s rhythm of business, and evolve ways of working as the organization’s needs change. 

Track progress and open items so priority work keeps moving. 

Stakeholder Partnership & Communication 

Partner with Retail Operations, field leaders, HR Operations, Employee Relations, Legal, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, Communications, and other stakeholders as needed. 

Align partners on priorities, roles, handoffs, decisions, and next steps. 

Communicate progress, risks, decisions, and next steps proactively so stakeholders stay informed and prepared. 

Build trust and follow through to help move work forward without direct authority. 

Change Enablement & Continuous Improvement 

Support rollout plans for new or updated Retail HR programs, processes, tools, and ways of working, with a focus on helping teams understand and use them consistently. 

Create resources, guidance, and communication materials that help leaders and teams understand what is changing, why it matters, and how to apply it. 

Identify opportunities to simplify work, improve consistency, and make better use of technology and AI-enabled tools. 

Collect feedback after rollout to understand what is working, where teams need more support, and how guidance or tools should be improved. 

What You’ll Bring: 

Experience Required;

5+ years of progressive experience in HR, HR Operations, Program Management, project coordination, process improvement, policy/program support, or related disciplines. 

Experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives and projects. 

Demonstrated success driving outcomes through influence rather than direct authority. 

Experience developing, documenting, or supporting governance routines, operating procedures, process documentation, policies, programs, or organizational standards. 

Comfortable taking a hands-on approach to prioritize ambiguous work, draft materials, organize work, build tools, and support execution when processes or resources are not yet established. 

Strong project management, stakeholder management, facilitation, communication, and organizational skills. 

Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities, including executive-level communications. 

Proven ability to navigate ambiguity and manage competing priorities effectively. 

Preferred 

Experience supporting multi-unit retail, hospitality, field-based, or operationally complex organizations. 

Experience with program management governance, organizational effectiveness, change management, continuous improvement, or transformation initiatives. 

Experience developing SOPs, policy frameworks, knowledge management solutions, and operating models. 

Experience with AI enablement, automation, process improvement, or workforce technology solutions. 

Familiarity with Microsoft 365, Copilot, SharePoint, Smartsheet, Power BI, and project management platforms. 

PMP, Lean Six Sigma, Change Management, SHRM, or related certifications. 

Education 

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. 

Certification and Licenses 

PMP, Lean Six Sigma, Change Management, SHRM, or related certifications preferred. 

Competencies and Skills 

Prioritization & Judgment: Identifies what matters most, weighs urgency, risk, impact, and capacity, and helps Retail HR focus on the right work first. 

Program Execution: Organizes work, tracks progress, documents decisions, and keeps priorities moving forward. 

Problem Solving & Simplification: Breaks down complex or unclear issues and creates practical, easy-to-use solutions. 

Hands-On Ownership: Willing to jump in, draft materials, build tools, test solutions, and provide interim guidance when needed. 

Influence & Partnership: Builds trust, aligns stakeholders, and moves work forward without relying on direct authority. 

Adoption & Feedback: Helps teams use new tools and processes, gathers feedback, and improves guidance over time. 

Proactive Communication: Communicates early and clearly so stakeholders understand what is changing, why it matters, and what happens next. 

Continuous Improvement Mindset: Looks for better ways of working, including opportunities to simplify work and use technology or AI-enabled tools where appropriate. 

Working Conditions 

May require flexibility outside standard business hours when business needs require it. 

Travel requirements: Around 10%