Part 3: Job Description & Competencies for HRBP, HREP, and COE

03 Feb 2026, Singapore: With reference to my previous article Part 2: Evolution of HR Partner Competency Model and Part 1: HR Partner Competency Model, listed below are the potential job description for the respective HRBP, HREP, and COE.

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1) HRBP – Human Resources Business Partner

Role Type: Strategic Partner (Business-facing)

Typical Titles: HRBP, People Partner, Strategic HR Partner, HR Director/VP (Business)

Role Purpose

To partner business leaders to drive workforce strategy, organizational effectiveness, leadership capability, and culture, ensuring people strategies directly enable business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

A. Strategic Workforce & Organization

• Partner business leaders on workforce planning, capacity modeling, and future skills needs
• Lead organizational design, restructuring, and change initiatives
• Translating business strategy into people and talent priorities

B. Talent & Leadership

• Lead succession planning and talent reviews
• Coach leaders on performance, leadership effectiveness, and employee engagement
• Partner on critical talent acquisition and retention strategies

C. Performance & Culture

• Drive performance management processes and outcomes
• Support culture transformation and engagement action plans
• Act as a change agent during mergers, restructures, digital transformations

D. Governance & Risk

• Ensure people practices align with corporate policies and local regulations
• Escalate complex ER matters and risk issues

Typical KPIs

• Business unit engagement scores
• Leadership bench strength & succession coverage
• Voluntary attrition (critical talent)
• Workforce productivity metrics
• Talent pipeline health

HRBP Competency Framework

Technical / Functional

• Strategic workforce planning
• Organization design & change management
• Talent management & succession
• Business acumen & financial literacy
• Labor law & ER fundamentals
• HR analytics & data-driven decision-making

Behavioral

• Strategic thinking
• Stakeholder influencing & consulting skills
• Executive presence
• Change leadership
• Coaching and facilitation

Leadership (for Senior HRBP)

• Enterprise mindset
• Courageous conversations
• Systems thinking
• Talent stewardship
• Ethical leadership

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2) HREP – Human Resources Employee Partner / HR Advisor

Role Type: Operational Partner (Employee & Manager-facing)

Typical Titles: HR Employee Partner, HR Advisor, People Advisor, HR Generalist

Role Purpose

To provide front-line HR advisory and operational support to employees and managers, ensuring policies are applied consistently and employee issues are managed effectively.

Key Responsibilities

A. Employee Relations & Case Management

• Handle grievances, disciplinary actions, investigations
• Provide guidance on policy interpretation and compliance
• Manage performance improvement plans (PIPs) and termination processes

B. Employee Lifecycle

• Onboarding, transfers, promotions, exits
• Support managers on employee lifecycle processes
• Coordinate with payroll, benefits, and HR systems

C. HR Advisory

• First-line advisory for managers on people issues
• Educate employees on policies and programs
• Support local engagement and well-being initiatives

D. Compliance & Documentation

• Maintain employee records and case documentation
• Ensure adherence to labor laws and corporate governance

 Typical KPIs

• Case resolution cycle time
• Employee satisfaction with HR services
• Compliance audit results
• Policy adherence metrics
• Manager satisfaction scores

HREP Competency Framework

Technical / Functional

• Employee relations & investigations
• Local labor law knowledge
• HR policies and procedures
• HR systems (Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle)
• Documentation & case management

Behavioral

• Empathy and interpersonal skills
• Conflict management
• Attention to detail
• Professional judgment and confidentiality
• Service orientation

Professional Maturity

• Ethical decision-making
• Risk awareness
• Stakeholder management at manager/supervisor level

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3) COE – HR Center of Excellence Specialist

Role Type: Functional Expert / Policy Owner

Typical Titles: Talent COE Lead, Rewards Specialist, Learning COE, Org Design Expert

Role Purpose

To design enterprise-wide HR frameworks, policies, tools, and programs and provide deep expertise to HRBPs and HREPs.

Key Responsibilities

A. Framework & Policy Design

• Develop global HR policies, frameworks, and standards
• Design talent, rewards, learning, and OD methodologies
• Ensure governance and global consistency

B. Program Development

• Design leadership development programs
• Build performance management systems
• Develop compensation structures and job architecture

C. Advisory & Governance

• Provide expert consultation to HRBPs and HREPs
• Monitor compliance and effectiveness of HR programs
• Conduct benchmarking and external market analysis

D. Innovation & Analytics

• Research emerging HR trends and best practices
• Build people analytics frameworks and dashboards
• Drive digital HR transformation and tools

Typical KPIs

• Adoption rate of HR frameworks
• Program effectiveness metrics
• External benchmark positioning
• Audit and governance outcomes
• Stakeholder satisfaction (HRBP feedback)

COE Competency Framework

Technical / Functional

• Deep domain expertise (Talent, Rewards, OD, Learning, ER, etc.)
• Policy design & governance
• Market benchmarking & analytics
• HR technology & digital tools
• Research and thought leadership

Behavioral

• Systems thinking
• Analytical and conceptual skills
• Consulting and influencing
• Stakeholder education & facilitation

Enterprise Leadership

• Global mindset
• Innovation and continuous improvement
• Governance and risk stewardship
• Thought leadership in HR domain

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Comparative Capability Depth (Consulting View)

Capability	HRBP	HREP	COE
Business Strategy	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐	⭐⭐
Employee Relations	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Policy Design	⭐	⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Change Management	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Data & Analytics	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stakeholder Influence	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

 Career Progression Path (Typical MNC)

• HREP → HRBP → HR Director / CHRO or
• HREP → COE Specialist → COE Lead / Global HR Expert

Executive Governance Principle Many companies codify this competency separation:

• HRBP = Strategic Consultant
• HREP = Employee Advocate & Operational Advisor
• COE = Architect & Policy Authority

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