VP of HR – Human Resources

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States | On-site

Our client is seeking a strategic HR leader to modernize its U.S. people operations and strengthen the connection between talent strategy and business performance. In this role, you will lead HR transformation across systems, workforce planning, compliance, talent, and culture while partnering with U.S. operations and headquarters.

Role Purpose & Mandate

The Vice President, Human Resources will develop the HR function into a strategic business partner that grows people and the business. As a member of the executive leadership team, the VP owns the people strategy for all U.S. business operations, is accountable for its results, and supports the President & CEO’s people-first agenda.

Company has grown through the integration of plants that historically operated with their own practices. HR has on-site presence at every plant and the function is currently largely administrative and reactive, with active coordination between corporate and plant HR but mostly limited to transactional elements. At the same time, the business faces high turnover at some locations, the retirement of long-tenured employees, and the demands of 24/7 operations.

The mandate has three parts:

Keep the foundation solid: Run accurate, compliant, efficient HR operations (benefits, labor relations, policies, and employment law compliance across union and non-union sites) with the VP personally accessible to the team and the business.
Build new capabilities: Create a small, dedicated team for effective recruiting and people development, covering onboarding, performance management, training, career paths, succession, and knowledge transfer.

Strategize how HR works: Build one HR function with common standards across corporate and plants, digitalize HR processes and data, and shift HR time from administration to partnering with plant and business leaders.

The role is hands-on. The VP personally handles corporate HR matters, serves on the Compliance Committee, and ensures the corporate office backs up plant HR when needed. At the same time, the VP will design the new structure (together with the CEO), hire and coach the team, and lead critical recruiting, negotiations, and change initiatives while the function matures. The VP also aligns practices with Group HR standards and draws on best practices from other group operations.

Key Responsibilities

HR Strategy & Transformation

Assess the current HR function and define a multi-year HR strategy, operating model, and roadmap tied to business objectives, coordinated with and approved by the CEO.
Optimize and redesign the HR organization, roles, and service standards where necessary; set priorities and accountability for the team, and delegate effectively so the VP has capacity for strategic work.
Act as a proactive advisor to business leaders: give clear guidance on the feasibility, limitations, and implications of their initiatives, bringing recommendations rather than waiting for direction.
Partner with the CEO and executive team on workforce planning, organizational design, succession, and change management.
Evaluate HR initiatives from a financial perspective in partnership with Finance, considering their impact on labor cost, benefits, workforce planning, and collective agreements.
Report people metrics and progress to the executive team.

Corporate–Plant Alignment & Culture

Lead plant and corporate HR as one team with a common strategy, staying accessible and responsive to direct reports and business leaders at every location.
Standardize HR policies, processes, training, and employee relations practices across sites, while taking local needs and input into account.
Build a one-company culture with consistent ways of working across plants that historically operated independently.
Help operations leaders adopt a people-first mindset alongside productivity, keeping HR visible and present at the plants.

Talent Acquisition

Build and lead a Talent Acquisition process that owns recruiting end-to-end, from workforce plan to onboarding, including a corporate recruiter for salaried positions with a company-wide view of talent.
Keep hourly recruiting at plant level, supported by common tools, standards, and training for plant HR and hiring managers.
Set a consistent selection process: structured interviews, competency-based scorecards, and hiring manager training.
Build pipelines for hard-to-fill roles (maintenance, electrical, kiln and process operators, quarry, engineers) through partnerships with local universities, technical schools, veterans’ programs, internships, and apprenticeships.
Strengthen the employer brand and its subsidiaries in each plant community, highlighting career paths and benefits, in partnership with Corporate Communication.
Personally lead recruiting for executive, leadership, and critical positions in partnership with the CEO.

People Development, Retention & Succession

Build and lead a small People Development team, establishing Training & Development as a recognized resource for the business.
Redesign onboarding so new hires understand the company’s operations, culture, and expectations, reaching full productivity faster and staying longer.
Develop standardized training and mentoring programs for technical skills, safety leadership, front-line supervisors, and future managers.
Define career paths with competencies required to progress and individual development plans, building on the existing path from hourly roles into front-line supervision.
Run talent reviews and succession plans for plant manager, department head, and executive roles.
Put structured knowledge-transfer practices in place ahead of the retirement of long-tenured employees.
Design and roll out a performance management process with clear goals, regular feedback, and calibrated reviews.
Analyze turnover drivers by location and lead retention plans, prioritizing high-turnover plants.

Engagement, Well-Being & Total Rewards

Drive employee engagement and communication through regular, consistent practices (town halls, company-wide events in partnership with Corporate Communication, and cross-functional committees).
Promote employee well-being and work-life balance suited to 24/7 operations, working with operations to address overtime and fatigue.
Oversee compensation structures, job grading, market benchmarking, merit planning, and the Management Incentive Program.
Oversee health, welfare, and retirement programs, including Benefits Committee and plan governance; review retirement plan strategy and evaluate how benefits/well-being programs can be formalized and better communicated.
Support accurate, timely payroll across all entities and states (payroll function sits under CFO).

Labor & Employee Relations

Direct the labor relations program, in part through the Labor Relations & Stakeholder Engagement Coordination Manager: interpretation and consistent application of collective bargaining agreements, grievance/arbitration procedures, trend reporting, and monitoring contract compliance.
Take a direct, strategic role in collective bargaining: lead contract negotiation strategy and preparation with plant management, aligning wage increases, 401(k) contributions, and other economic terms with financial objectives.
Oversee implementation of the Stakeholder Engagement Policy at U.S. plants with plant management.
Serve as primary HR contact for corporate office employees and executive team; guide complex employee relations matters and investigations.

HR Operations, Systems & Data

Lead the digitalization of HR: integrated HR data in Oracle R12, iCIMS, Kronos, and related tools; employee/manager self-service; automated workflows, SharePoint, and Claude adoption.
Standardize HR processes and documents across all sites and entities.
Build reliable HR reporting and dashboards covering headcount, turnover, time to fill, training hours, overtime, absenteeism, and labor costs.
Own HR data governance and confidentiality.

Compliance & Governance

Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment/labor laws (EEO, FLSA, timekeeping, audits, risk mitigation) in partnership with Legal.
Serve on the Compliance Committee with Legal and Director of Internal Audit; lead resolution of workplace conduct complaints, ensuring proper investigation, documentation, and escalation.
Support a strong safety culture by building safety leadership into hiring, training, and performance expectations.

Priorities & Success Measures

Success is establishing a functioning recruiting, development, and retention engine within 24 months, on top of error-free HR operations and an aligned HR team across corporate and plant locations.

First 6 Months: Listen and learn across all locations; assess function, systems, and turnover drivers; present high-level strategy to CEO; hire Talent Acquisition & People Development leads; fix critical compliance/data gaps.
Months 6 to 12: Launch standard recruiting and university pipelines; relaunch onboarding; roll out performance management for salaried staff; complete initial talent reviews; align HR policies; begin HR digitalization.
Months 12 to 24: Extend development plans; launch supervisor/mentoring programs; deliver employee self-service and HR dashboards; run second engagement survey; benchmark practices against industry peers.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Industrial/Labor Relations, or related field required. Master’s degree, law degree, and/or SPHR / SHRM-SCP preferred.
15+ years of progressively responsible HR experience, including at least 5 years in senior HR leadership within a multi-site organization.
Experience in construction materials, process manufacturing, 24/7 heavy industrial, or building materials environments is a plus.
Proven track record of transforming an HR function from transactional to strategic, including building teams, establishing processes, and aligning corporate/site HR.
Hands-on experience building talent acquisition, onboarding, and development programs (performance management, training, mentoring, career paths, succession).
Experience leading collective bargaining, grievance, and arbitration strategy in a unionized, multi-site environment.
Experience leading total rewards (retirement plans, payroll, employee relations, HR operations) and advising executive leadership.
Experience in an international group or subsidiary of a foreign parent company is a plus.

Knowledge & Skills

Expert knowledge of employment and labor law, including NLRA, FLSA, FMLA, ADA, ERISA, and EEO.
Skilled in interpreting labor contracts, resolving disputes, and negotiating wages, benefits, and policies.
Solid financial acumen: understands the cost impact of compensation, benefits, retirement plans, collective agreements, and workforce decisions.
Solid knowledge of organizational design, compensation, incentive and benefit program design, and governance.
Working knowledge of HR technology and data governance (iCIMS, Oracle EBS R12, Kronos); experience leading HR digitalization.
Comfortable using HR data and analytics to drive decision-making.
Excellent written and spoken English; Spanish fluency is a plus.

Leadership Profile & Behaviors

Approachable and accessible: Down-to-earth and people-oriented; available to employees, plant leaders, and HR team; listens effectively.
Friendly but firm: Direct and decisive; able to challenge existing practices, hold people accountable, and drive initiatives to completion.
Hands-on and pragmatic: Willing to execute while building the team; balances day-to-day demands with long-term strategic goals.
Empowering: Delegates effectively and develops a strong, remote team without micromanaging.
Collaborative and open: Works closely with business leaders, gathers input across sites, and welcomes diverse perspectives.
Flexible with ambiguity: Operates comfortably in gray areas and adapts quickly to competing priorities.
Resilient and positive: Leads change with patience, optimism, and a sense of humor; earns trust on plant floors and executive boardrooms.
Integrity and discretion: High level of fairness and rigor; maintains strict confidentiality with employee, labor, and executive information.
Passion for growth: Genuine desire to develop people and elevate HR into a trusted business partner.

Work Environment & Other Requirements

Primary setting: Corporate office with frequent computer/phone use and extended sitting.
Travel: Regular travel to U.S. plants, terminals, and operations; occasional international travel.
On-site conditions: Periodic exposure to active manufacturing environments (dust, noise, heat, cold); mandatory adherence to site safety rules and PPE requirements (hard hat, safety glasses, hearing protection, hi-vis clothing).

Equal Opportunity Employer — All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

This job description outlines the main duties of the position. It is not exhaustive, and duties may change as business needs require.