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The differences between human resources business partners and senior human resources specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a human resources business partner and a senior human resources specialist. Additionally, a human resources business partner has an average salary of $86,363, which is higher than the $63,956 average annual salary of a senior human resources specialist.
The top three skills for a human resources business partner include employee engagement, HRBP and succession planning. The most important skills for a senior human resources specialist are payroll, customer service, and HRIS.
| Human Resources Business Partner | Senior Human Resources Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $86,363 | $63,956 |
| Hourly rate | $41.52 | $30.75 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 103,520 | 46,316 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Human resource (HR) business partners' primary job is to ensure that business objectives are aligned with the management and employees within an organization. They typically focus more on developing HR strategy than implementing the company policies. They often work with individual business units, and their work is related to the company's current and future success. HR business partners are also responsible for providing performance management guidance, developing contract terms for new employees, transfers, and promotions, and providing advice on business units.
A senior human resources specialist is responsible for monitoring the human resources operations of an organization, managing employment processes and policies, and handling staffing needs and concerns. Senior human resources specialists design training and programs to maintain staff's efficiency and maximize the employees' productivity to support business functional operations. They also coordinate with management leaders to identify their hiring needs, evaluating their specifications for recruitment. A senior human resources specialist reviews the company's policies and guidelines regularly, adjusting procedures according to state regulations and business requirements.
Human resources business partners and senior human resources specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Human Resources Business Partner | Senior Human Resources Specialist | |
| Average salary | $86,363 | $63,956 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $119,000 | Between $45,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Ropes & Gray | Edwards Lifesciences |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a human resources business partner and a senior human resources specialist in terms of educational background:
| Human Resources Business Partner | Senior Human Resources Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between human resources business partners' and senior human resources specialists' demographics:
| Human Resources Business Partner | Senior Human Resources Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.1% Female, 71.9% | Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 7.7% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 18% | 9% |