Human Resources Manager Jobs in Houston, TX
Human resources managers in Houston earned a 2025 median of about $142,000 a year, with energy companies in Spring and downtown and the Texas Medical Center's hospital systems doing much of the hiring. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring, what it pays, and how to qualify.
Current human resources manager Openings in Houston, TX
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Human Resources Manager Work in Houston
HR leadership jobs in Houston cluster where the big headquarters are. ExxonMobil's campus in Spring off the North Freeway, Chevron, CenterPoint Energy downtown and Sysco's corporate offices in west Houston all hire HR business partners and managers for large, often global, workforces. The second engine is health care: Houston Methodist, MD Anderson and the other Texas Medical Center institutions run hospitals from Willowbrook to the Med Center, and every campus needs HR staff for recruiting, employee relations and compliance.
Houston HR work is shaped by the energy cycle and by shift-based health care. Energy-sector HR managers handle hiring surges, reorganizations and mergers, while hospital HR teams staff around-the-clock nursing and support units.
Top Houston Employers Hiring Human Resources Managers
These employers had Houston-area HR leadership postings or HR job families on their own careers sites this year:
- ExxonMobil - hires HR business partners and HR advisors in organizational design and staffing at its Spring campus north of Houston.
- Chevron - the energy major posted a senior HR manager role in Houston this month.
- Houston Methodist - hires senior HR generalists who lead employee relations and talent acquisition at hospitals such as Houston Methodist Willowbrook.
- Sysco - the foodservice distributor's Houston headquarters hires HR business partners plus learning, talent development and compensation leaders.
- CenterPoint Energy - the downtown-based utility hires senior HR business partners for its Houston workforce.
- MD Anderson Cancer Center - the Texas Medical Center cancer hospital lists Houston HR openings such as leadership development and physician recruiter roles.
Human Resources Manager Salaries in Houston
- Entry level: about $70,000 to $95,000 a year for senior HR generalists and first-time HR business partners.
- Experienced: roughly $110,000 to $160,000 a year for HR managers and HR business partners at large employers.
- Senior: about $180,000 to $225,000 or more for senior HR managers and HR directors.
These are estimates based on federal wage data for the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro: the 2025 median for HR managers was $142,110 a year, slightly above the Texas median, and HR specialists earned a median of $72,550. Employer size and industry move pay the most, along with certification, the size of the workforce you support and bonus eligibility.
How to Become a Human Resources Manager in Houston
Texas does not license HR managers, so no state credential is required. Employers instead look for a bachelor's degree, several years of HR experience and, increasingly, professional certification. The Society for Human Resource Management issues the SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP, and the HR Certification Institute issues the PHR and SPHR; the senior credentials require years of HR experience. Local programs include the University of Houston Bauer College of Business MS in HR Leadership and HR management certificate on the main campus, the University of Houston-Downtown BBA in Human Resource Management, and the University of Houston-Clear Lake online MA in Human Resource Management. HR Houston, the local SHRM chapter, runs networking and education events. HR managers here also work closely with the Texas Workforce Commission, which enforces the Texas Payday Law and runs unemployment tax.
What the Job Involves
Human resources managers run the people side of an organization. Daily work includes advising managers on employee relations and discipline, overseeing recruiting and onboarding, managing compensation and benefits cycles, investigating complaints, keeping policies compliant with employment law, and tracking HR data such as turnover and time to fill. Senior roles add workforce planning and reorganization work with executives.
Skills Employers Look For
- Employee relations and investigations
- Knowledge of federal employment law and Texas payday and unemployment rules
- HRIS experience such as Workday, SAP SuccessFactors or Oracle HCM
- Compensation, benefits and performance management
- Data analysis and HR reporting
- Coaching and influencing senior leaders
- SHRM or HRCI certification
Career Path and Advancement
Most Houston HR managers start as HR coordinators, recruiters or generalists, often inside a hospital system or a large corporate office, and move up to senior generalist and HR business partner. Specialties such as compensation, talent development and HR systems are common side paths at the energy companies. The senior track leads to HR director, vice president of HR and chief people officer, roles concentrated at Houston's corporate headquarters.
Related Careers in Houston
If HR leadership interests you, these Houston guides cover related office careers:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to be an HR manager in Texas?
No. Texas has no state license for HR managers. Employers rely on degrees, experience and voluntary certifications such as the SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR and SPHR instead.
How much do HR managers make in Houston?
The 2025 median for HR managers in the Houston metro was about $142,110 a year. The bottom 10 percent earned under about $88,000, and the top 10 percent earned more than about $224,000.
Which HR certification is best for Houston jobs?
Both SHRM and HRCI credentials are widely recognized. The SHRM-CP has no HR experience requirement, while the PHR needs at least one year of professional HR experience with a master's degree, two with a bachelor's or four with no degree. Senior roles often call for the SHRM-SCP or SPHR.
How long does it take to become an HR manager?
It usually takes several years. A typical path is a bachelor's degree, two to four years as a coordinator, recruiter or generalist, then a senior generalist or HR business partner role before moving into management.
Where are HR manager jobs located in Houston?
The largest concentrations are downtown, the ExxonMobil campus in Spring, west Houston and the Texas Medical Center. Some corporate HR roles are hybrid; Sysco's Houston HR business partner posting, for example, calls for three office days a week.
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