About ETS
ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization enabling lifelong learners worldwide to be future-ready. For more than 75 years, we've been advancing the science of measurement to build benchmarks for fair and valid skill assessment across cultures and borders. Our worldwide impact extends through our renowned assessments including TOEFL®, TOEIC®, GRE® and Praxis® tests, serving millions of learners in more than 200 countries and territories. Through strategic acquisitions, we've expanded our global capabilities: PSI strengthens our workforce assessment solutions, while Edusoft, Kira Talent, Pipplet, Vericant, and Wheebox enhance our educational technology and assessment platforms across critical markets worldwide.Through ETS Research Institute and ETS Solutions, we're partnering with educational institutions, governments, and organizations globally to promote skill proficiency, empower upward mobility, and unlock opportunities for everyone, everywhere. With offices and partners across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, we deliver nearly 50 million tests annually. Join us in our journey of measuring progress to power human progress worldwide.
Position Summary
The Associate People Business Partner (HRBP)
supports the alignment and execution of people strategies and initiatives that contribute to divisional goals and the broader organisational mission. This role partners with divisional leaders and the wider People Team to help build organisational capability, support performance, and foster a culture of inclusion and continuous improvement. The role also focuses on fostering employee discipline and engagement while guiding team leaders and managers through complex employee relations and performance situations.Operating with a collaborative mindset, the Associate HRBP works closely with teams across People Operations, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, HRIS, Talent Management, and Learning to deliver integrated and scalable people solutions. This role plays a key part in ensuring divisional needs are met and aligned with enterprise-wide priorities. Partnering with our wider Business Partner team to support their divisional function areas. The Associate HRBP also supports compliance with employment laws and contributes to the team’s vision of enabling a self-service and partnership-led model.
Primary Responsibilities
- Support divisional leaders in aligning people practices with business goals and the broader organisational mission, contributing to performance and long-term success.
- Provide guidance to managers on team dynamics, performance management, and employee engagement, with support from senior HRBPs where needed.
- Manage and triage a high volume of employee relations cases, escalating complex issues to senior HRBPs or legal as appropriate.
- Conduct initial investigations into employee complaints or concerns, ensuring timely and fair resolution in line with company policies.
- Provide guidance to managers on handling sensitive employee matters such as conduct, grievances, and performance concerns.
- Maintain accurate documentation of employee relations cases and ensure follow-through on agreed actions.
- Support proactive ER initiatives such as training, policy awareness, and early intervention strategies to reduce risk and improve employee experience for the area you support but in line with global policies where possible.
- Partner with People Operations to ensure consistent application of policies and procedures across the division. Balancing both global with regional needs.
- Act as a point of contact for employees and managers, helping to foster effective communication, resolve day-to-day issues, and promote a positive work environment
- Support divisional managers and employees with all employee relations matters for this function. Partnering with the HRBPs to ensure they are updated on all operational activity.
- Ensure smooth execution of core People processes including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and employee relations, in collaboration with relevant People Team colleagues.
- Work with local People Operations experts to ensure compliance with employment laws and internal policies.
- Work with People Operations to review processes and workflows to ensure they are efficient and aligned where possible.
- Observe and raise people-related matters that may impact divisional goals, offer thoughtful input and collaborating with senior HRBPs to advise the business.
- Partner with People Operations, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, HRIS, Talent Management, and Learning to support the delivery of integrated and scalable people solutions.
- Assist with the delivery of workforce planning, succession planning, and talent development initiatives, contributing insights and coordination support in partnership with the HRBP teams.
- Help drive employee engagement by supporting DEI efforts and promoting a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Use people data and analytics to identify trends and support the development of people strategies and initiatives.
- Support organisational change efforts by coordinating communication, stakeholder engagement, and change readiness activities
Qualifications
- 4-7 years of progressive HR experience, ideally within a global or matrixed organisation.
- Solid experience managing employee relations matters, including investigations, conflict resolution, and case documentation.
- Working knowledge of employment law and HR best practices, particularly in India
- Global experience or knowledge is desirable
- Ability to build trust and collaborate effectively across different levels of the organisation.
- Experience working with or alongside HR centres of excellence.
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field
Knowledge/Skills
- Basic Financial Acumen: Ability to understand key financial concepts such as budgets and cost drivers to support HR-related decisions and conversations.
- Business Context Awareness: Developing understanding of market trends and business priorities to help align people practices with divisional needs.
- HR Data Literacy: Ability to interpret workforce data and contribute to reporting and insights that inform people decisions.
- Issue Identification & Escalation: Recognising patterns and potential root causes in employee or team challenges, and escalating appropriately for resolution.
- Commercial Awareness: Growing understanding of how the business operates and how HR can support operational effectiveness.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Working effectively with colleagues across HR and the business to support integrated solutions.
- Change Support: Supporting change initiatives by coordinating communications, gathering feedback, and helping teams prepare for transitions.
- Prioritisation & Organisation: Managing multiple tasks and requests, distinguishing between urgent operational needs and longer-term initiatives.
- Problem Solving: Contributing to the framing of people-related challenges and supporting the development of practical solutions.
- Stakeholder Support: Building relationships with managers and employees to understand needs and provide responsive HR support.
- Communication & Enablement: Assisting in the delivery of HR communications and training to support policy awareness and process adoption.
- Continuous Improvement Mindset: Identifying opportunities to improve HR processes and employee experience through feedback and observation.
- Project Coordination: Supporting HR projects and programmes through planning, tracking, and coordination.
- Process Design Support: Contributing to the development and documentation of scalable HR processes and tools.
- Proven ability to manage sensitive employee situations calmly and objectively.
- Strong sense of fairness and bias awareness in decision-making
Education And Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organisational Psychology, or a related field; postgraduate HR qualification or MBA is a plus.
- 4+ years of progressive HR experience, ideally within a global or matrixed organisation, with
- Solid experience supporting employee relations cases, including investigations, conflict resolution, and policy application for large frontline or support teams
- Should have worked in high-compliance, high-volume, or service delivery setups where workforce planning, attrition management, and engagement in rotational shifts are critical.
- Experience in coordination with operations leadership and handling real-time people issues (e.g., absenteeism, discipline, scheduling conflicts).
- Strong working knowledge of India employment legislation, including statutory compliance, labour laws, and regional HR practices.
- Exposure to supporting cross-cultural teams or working within international environments.
- Ability to build trust and collaborate effectively across different levels of the organisation.
- Experience partnering with HR centres of excellence such as Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, HR Operations, HRIS, and Learning & Development.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to support and influence managers and employees. Strong judgment, empathy, and the ability to maintain balance between people advocacy and organizational priorities.
ETS is mission driven and action oriented
- We are passionate about hiring innovative thinkers who believe in the promise of education and lifelong learning.
- We are energized by cultivating growth, innovation, and continuous transformation for the next generation of rising professionals as leaders. Â In support of this ETS offers multiple Business Resource Groups (BRG) for you to learn and advance your career growth!
- As a not-for-profit organization we will encourage you to lean in to your passion for volunteering. Â At ETS you may qualify for up to an additional 8 hours of PTO for volunteer work on causes that are important to you!
ETS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law. We believe in creating a work environment where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.
