HR manager job description template: authority, headcount thresholds, team size and certifications

"HR manager" can mean the first HR hire at a 60-person company, the HR lead at one plant of a manufacturer, or the manager of four generalists at a regional headquarters. The work, the authority and the legal exposure differ a lot, yet most postings list the same functions: recruiting, onboarding, benefits, compliance, employee relations, performance management. The things a strong candidate looks for are narrower: how many employees in how many states, which decisions they make alone, who they report to, how many people they manage, and which programs exist or need building. Below is a copy-ready HR manager job description template, the headcount, certification and classification lines with sources, screening questions and scorecard rows, and common mistakes. For a role that carries out HR work rather than leading it, see the HR generalist job description template.

Name the seat and the authority

Then write down the facts: total employees and their split by state, the share of hourly staff, any union contracts, the HR team size and systems, who handles payroll and benefits, and what the HR manager can decide alone, such as approving leave, issuing final warnings or recommending terminations.

The HR manager job description template

HR Manager, [Company / Site / Division]
[Company], [city] — [On-site / Hybrid: days / Remote within: states]
Pay: $[min]–$[max] per year, plus [bonus, if any]. [Benefits summary,
if required.] [Exempt, after review.]

SUMMARY
You will lead HR for about [N] employees in [N states / sites],
[N]% of them hourly. You will [be our first HR hire / manage a team
of N] and report to [title]. Your first year's priorities are
[e.g. a consistent leave process, manager training, a performance
review cycle]. You will make the final call on [leave decisions,
policy interpretation, final warnings] and recommend terminations to
[title].

WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Advise managers on performance, discipline and terminations, and
  investigate complaints.
- Run [leave, accommodation and return-to-work] processes.
- Own policies and the handbook, and keep them current for [states].
- [Manage and develop [N] HR staff.]
- Oversee [benefits enrollment / payroll inputs / HRIS data] with
  [provider].
- [Prepare required reports, such as EEO-1, with [team].]
- Report HR measures, such as turnover and time to fill, to
  leadership.

YOU MUST HAVE
- Led HR for a workforce of comparable size and type.
- Investigated workplace complaints and documented conclusions.
- Advised on terminations and discipline that held up to review.
- Run leave and accommodation cases from request to return.
- [Team seats: managed HR staff.]

NICE TO HAVE
- SHRM-SCP, SHRM-CP, SPHR or PHR.
- Experience with [HRIS], [union environments], [multi-state].
If you meet the must-haves and none of these, please apply.

FIXED CONDITIONS
- [Travel between sites: N%.] [Occasional evening or shift
  visits.]

HOW WE HIRE
[Recruiter screen; conversation with [title]; a case discussion
about an employee relations situation; meeting two managers.]

[EEO STATEMENT]
For adjustments in the application or interviews, contact [address].

Headcount thresholds, certifications and classification

Thresholds the candidate should know. FMLA covers private employers with 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks in the current or previous calendar year (DOL). EEO-1 Component 1 reports are required of private employers with 100 or more employees and of federal contractors with 50 or more employees that meet certain criteria (EEOC; see EEO-1 reporting requirements). Putting your headcount in the summary tells candidates which programs they will own. A company approaching 50 or 100 employees needs someone who has run these programs before, and it is worth asking.

Certifications. SHRM-SCP is for strategic HR work and requires at least three years of strategic-level HR duties, or three years holding the SHRM-CP while moving into such work; SHRM-CP has no degree or experience requirement (SHRM). HRCI's SPHR requires four years of professional HR experience with a master's degree, five with a bachelor's or seven without a degree (HRCI SPHR), and the PHR one, two or four years (HRCI PHR). BLS notes that certification is voluntary for HR managers (BLS, last modified August 27, 2026). "SHRM-SCP, SPHR or equivalent experience" is a fair line for a senior seat.

Exempt or nonexempt. The executive exemption requires a salary of at least $684 a week, management as the primary duty, customarily and regularly directing two or more full-time employees or the equivalent, and authority to hire or fire or recommendations given particular weight (DOL Fact Sheet 17B). A solo HR manager who supervises no one is usually reviewed under the administrative exemption instead; the regulation says HR managers who formulate, interpret or implement employment policies generally meet its duties test (29 CFR 541.203(e)).

Pay and EEO. Post the approved range and check pay transparency laws by state; an HR posting that misses one is an awkward start. BLS publishes wages for human resources managers in the profile above, which also lists five years or more of related experience as typical. This page does not quote figures. Close with your EEO statement and an accommodation contact.

From must-haves to screening questions and scorecard rows

The full first call is in HR manager screening questions, and the later rounds are in the interview guide for HR roles. After the hire, the 30-60-90 day plan for HR managers turns the summary's priorities into first-quarter goals.

Common mistakes in HR manager job descriptions

Every HR function, no priorities

Listing twelve functions hides what matters this year. Name two or three priorities in the summary.

Unclear authority

"Partner with leadership" can mean anything. Say what the HR manager decides and what they recommend.

No headcount or states

Fifty employees in one state and 400 across nine are different jobs. Put both numbers in the first paragraph.

Requiring a credential instead of experience

A required SPHR screens out capable HR leaders who never sat the exam. Prefer it; screen for decisions made.

Hiding the hard parts

If there is a backlog of investigations, a union campaign or a recent layoff, an experienced candidate will find out. Mention it in the first conversation, if not the posting.

Before you publish

• Headcount, states, hourly share and HR team size are in the summary.
• Decision authority and first-year priorities are stated.
• Certifications are preferred and matched to the level.
• Classification is reviewed against the executive and administrative tests.
• An approved pay range, the EEO statement and an accommodation contact close the posting.