Research suggests the top three competencies for HR business partners are:
Business knowledge. Their ability to understand business imperatives makes business partners stand out from other HR roles. You want someone who comes in to have a business background or at least in-depth experience working with senior leadership teams.
Change management. After surveying a company’s departments, HR business partners frequently advocate for changes to programs, policies and procedures. Skill in managing the transition is critical.
Data fluency. Straddling the line between two data-driven groups (human resources and C-suite executives), business partners must be able to collect, analyze and interpret data, sharing findings across departments.