Vice President Human Resources

Our client, a rapidly growing, private equity-backed industrial manufacturer, is seeking a Vice President of Human Resources to serve as the organization’s senior HR executive. With more than 1,500 employees and approximately $1.7 billion in revenue, the company is experiencing significant growth through both organic expansion and an active M&A strategy. As the organization continues to pursue growth opportunities in North America and internationally, it is investing in the leadership, systems, and infrastructure needed to support its next phase.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the Vice President of Human Resources will partner closely with the executive leadership team to develop and execute the company’s people strategy. This executive will lead an approximately 20-person HR organization, including two North American Vice Presidents and HR site leaders in Europe. This role will report onsite, so local presence is required.

This is an opportunity for an experienced HR executive to have a meaningful impact on a growing organization, combining strategic leadership with hands-on execution in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and executive leadership team on human capital strategy, organizational effectiveness, and workforce priorities.
• Lead and develop a national HR organization of approximately 20 professionals, fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee labor relations across a multi-union workforce, including collective bargaining negotiations and long-term relationships with three distinct unions.
• Lead organizational development, talent acquisition, total rewards, benefits, HR operations, and workforce planning.
• Harmonize employee benefits, policies, and HR practices across North America while maintaining appropriate compliance and regional flexibility.
• Partner with finance and operations to identify measurable efficiencies and cost savings through workforce planning, benefits optimization, and process improvements.
• Play a key leadership role in future acquisitions, including integration of employees, policies, compensation programs, benefits, and HR systems.
• Strengthen HR infrastructure, systems, analytics, and governance to support continued growth and operational excellence.
• Provide executive coaching and leadership development while reinforcing a culture of accountability, humility, and hands-on execution.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and international employment and benefits regulations.
• Promote a safe, inclusive, and high-performance workplace across the organization’s global operations.

Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will be an experienced, energetic HR executive who has led people functions within complex, multi-site manufacturing and/or distribution environments. This individual will bring significant labor relations expertise, strong operational acumen, and experience supporting organizations through growth and transformation. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable developing enterprise-level strategy and rolling up their sleeves to execute. This is a highly collaborative, “player-coach” environment where leadership is measured by tangible business outcomes and the ability to work effectively across corporate offices, plants, warehouses, and regional locations.

Candidates should be comfortable traveling as needed to support labor negotiations, acquisitions and integrations, leadership initiatives, and employee engagement across company locations.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive HR leadership experience.
• Significant experience leading HR within multi-site, unionized environments.
• Manufacturing and/or distribution industry experience required.
• Proven experience negotiating collective bargaining agreements and maintaining constructive union relationships.
• Strong knowledge of HR operations, benefits administration, workforce planning, and employment compliance.
• Experience standardizing and scaling HR programs across multiple locations or regions.
• Demonstrated experience supporting M&A integrations and building scalable HR infrastructure.
• International HR experience strongly preferred.
• Spanish language proficiency strongly preferred.
• Legal background is a plus.
• Hands-on, collaborative, low-ego leadership style.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field required; advanced degree preferred.

Compensation & Career Opportunity

The targeted base salary for this position is $250,000–$275,000, plus a 20% target annual bonus and comprehensive benefits.

This executive will have the opportunity to lead a global HR organization during a period of significant growth and transformation, shape the company’s evolving people strategy and culture, and build the HR infrastructure necessary to support continued organic expansion and M&A activity.