Sr HR Manager

A Place Where People Matter.

Start your career journey with Univar Solutions! Here you can make an impact on the world around you and accelerate your career in areas that energize and excite you. 

Job Function: Human Resources

Job Title: Sr HR Manager

Reports To: Sr Director, Human Resources – I&S North America

Primary Purpose:

The Senior Human Resources Manager, Ingredients & Specialties serves as a strategic HR Business Partner to the leadership teams and employee population of the Product Management, Global Fulfilment, Customer Solutions, Innovation, and Sales Transformation teams within the North American I&S organization. Reporting to the Senior Director, Human Resources, North America, this role is responsible for aligning talent, organizational, and workforce strategies with business priorities to accelerate growth and strengthen organizational capability.

This position offers a unique opportunity to sit at the intersection of business strategy and people strategy. In addition to providing HR partnership to leadership teams, the role will lead and support high-impact initiatives including organizational design, business transformation, workforce planning, mergers and acquisitions, integrations, leadership development, and scalable HR solutions that enable long-term success.

The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced, evolving environments, enjoys solving complex organizational challenges, and is energized by building the people capabilities that drive business performance.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Business Partnership (25%)

• Serve as a trusted advisor to Director-level leaders across the Ingredients & Specialties organization.

• Partner with business leaders to align talent strategies with growth objectives, organizational priorities, and workforce needs.

• Influence organizational and talent decisions by providing thoughtful insights, data-driven recommendations, and strategic HR expertise.

• Identify people-related risks and opportunities and develop proactive solutions that support business performance.

Organizational Design & Business Transformation (20%)

• Lead organizational design initiatives that improve effectiveness, scalability, and alignment to business strategy.

• Support divisionalization and organizational transformation efforts across the I&S business.

• Facilitate workforce planning activities to ensure the organization has the capabilities needed for future growth.

• Partner with leaders to evaluate organizational structures, spans of control, role clarity, and team effectiveness.

• Drive change management activities that enable successful implementation of business and organizational changes.

Mergers, Acquisitions & Integrations (10%)

• Support HR due diligence efforts for acquisition opportunities.

• Partner with business and HR leaders to execute employee integration plans, including organizational design, talent assessment, communication planning, onboarding, and culture integration.

• Identify workforce-related risks and opportunities associated with acquisitions and organizational transitions.

• Help ensure a positive employee experience throughout periods of transformation and change.

Talent & Leadership Development (15%)

• Lead talent review and succession planning activities for critical leadership and key talent populations.

• Provide coaching and consultation to leaders on performance management, career development, employee engagement, and leadership effectiveness.

• Partner with Talent Management and Learning teams to build strong leadership pipelines and accelerate talent development.

• Help leaders create high-performing teams that support both current business objectives and future growth.

Strategic HR Projects & Scalable Solutions (15%)

• Lead enterprise and business-specific HR projects that support organizational growth and operational excellence.

• Design scalable HR processes and programs that improve consistency, efficiency, and employee experience.

• Partner across HR Centers of Excellence to implement talent acquisition, total rewards, performance management, talent management, and inclusion initiatives.

• Drive continuous improvement efforts that simplify processes and strengthen organizational effectiveness.

Employee Relations & Risk Management (15%)

• Provide guidance on employee relations matters, performance concerns, policy interpretation, investigations, and compliance.

• Partner with legal and labor relations teams as needed to address complex employee issues.

• Ensure HR practices are compliant with applicable regulations and aligned with company values and policies.

Education/Experience/Training/Certifications – Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, Psychology, or a related field.

• 8+ years of progressive Human Resources experience with demonstrated growth in responsibility and scope.

• HR Business Partner experience supporting senior leaders in commercial, sales, marketing, operations, corporate, or business-facing functions.

• Experience leading strategic HR initiatives, organizational design efforts, workforce planning, or change management programs.

• Demonstrated ability to influence leaders and drive outcomes in a complex, matrixed environment.

• Strong business acumen with the ability to connect people strategies to business performance.

Education/Experience/Training/Certifications – Desired:

• Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, integrations, or large-scale business transformation initiatives.

• Experience in specialty chemicals, ingredients, industrial distribution, manufacturing, or related industries.

• Experience partnering with commercial organizations and revenue-generating functions.

• SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CHRL, or equivalent HR certification.

• Exposure to both US and Canadian employment practices

Key Stakeholders:

• I&S NA Directors

• I&S Commercial, Ops, Marketing, Innovation, and Sales Teams in NA

• NA HR Team

• HR COE’s

• Direct Support in People Strategy and Initiatives

• Collaboration

Univar Solutions is a leading, global distributor of chemicals and ingredients essential to the safety, health, and wellbeing of our daily lives from life-saving medicines and vitamins to hand sanitizers and industrial materials used for cleaning, construction, and more. Our global team of more than 9,500 employees support our vision to redefine distribution and be the most valued chemical and ingredient distributor on the planet!

We offer a Total Rewards package that includes market aligned pay and incentives as well as a diverse benefits offering to support our employees’ physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing .

Univar Solutions supports sustainable solutions for the world around us so that we can do our part to help keep our communities healthy, fed, clean, and safe! 

We are committed to a diverse workforce and a culture of inclusion. Together, we are building a culture that acknowledges the unique experiences, perspectives and expertise of individuals and provides the development and growth opportunities to empower us to redefine our industry. 

Univar Solutions is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or other protected classification. We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the hiring process, please contact us at View email address on us.fitly.work .

Univar Solutions does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or staffing firms (collectively Recruiting Firms). Recruiting Firms must enter into a Master Services Agreement (MSA) with Univar Solutions prior to submitting any information relating to a potential candidate. All searches must be initiated by Univar Solutions' Talent Acquisition team and candidates must be submitted via Applicant Tracking System (ATS) by approved vendors who have been expressly requested to make a submission for a specific job opening. No placement fees will be paid to any firm unless the aforementioned conditions have been met. Contacting our hiring managers directly is prohibited.