U.S Director, Human Resources

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

This position leads the strategic and operational human resources function across Lotte Chemical USA Corporation and its affiliates, joint-ventures, and assigns (“Company”). This position serves as a confidant and collaborative advisor to leadership on people, employment, and compliance programs including implications of decisions in a complex, matrixed, multi-employer environment that includes a foreign-based parent company, multiple U.S. entities, controlled-group companies, and a 50/50 joint venture. This is a working role leading the function, handling corporate duties, serving as a member of the leadership team, assessing all things HR, and performing its own day-to-day work.

Essential Job Functions

• Leads, plans, develops, organizes, implements, directs, and evaluates entire Human Resources function for the Company
• Serves as solution-focused business partner to executives and operations leadership; advises on business, employment, compliance, and risks of key decisions and programs
• Translates strategic and tactical business plans into HR strategic and operational plans
• Participates as member of leadership teams; assists leadership as strategic partner with particular emphasis on people impact
• Navigates highly matrixed, multi-entity environment; builds trust; aligns HR practices across partners and leadership
• Ensures aligned, consistent HR delivery and sound business processes across corporate and site operations; assesses and recommends HR service/delivery and staffing model
• Partners with business on organizational design, workforce planning, succession planning, and skills assessment; recommends structures and staffing levels
• Serves as change agent; partners with executives and operations leadership to shape vision and guide effective change-management programs
• Interprets and advises executives and leadership on talent management, culture, leadership development, and performance management; directs HR team in talent acquisition and staffing
• Evaluates Company culture; provides recommendations and implements plans to achieve desired culture
• Leads, develops, and mentors HR team in cutting edge and progressive HR programs; invests in growth of HR staff
• Sets standards to measure HR function and other critical departments; ensures staff, processes, and infrastructure sustain empowered employee environment
• Partners with leaders to build a positive, engaging work environment and a fair, responsive approach to employee relations
• Oversees all areas of HR including, but not limited to, benefits, compensation, incentive compensation, retirement, employee relations, talent acquisition, employee development, performance management, salary administration, engagement, and payroll; develops progressive and proactive compensation and benefits programs
• Provides guidance on employment law and regulatory compliance as one component of balanced HR advice; partners with outside employment law counsel as necessary
• Leads controlled-group efforts; coordinates government reporting and multiple audits; prepares, reviews and approves related documentation
• Establishes short- and long-range departmental goals, objectives, policies, and operating procedures; formalizes and documents HR processes and delegations of authority; standardizes solutions to deliver business results
• Evaluates and recommends HR outsourcing opportunities and technology solutions to improve processes, data integrity, and analytics
• Develops and manages annual HR and labor budgets; manages internal communications and verifies all Company-wide employee messages
• Oversees administrative functions as appropriate
• Abides by all safety procedures and practices applicable to location and position; participates in appropriate safety training; demonstrates commitment to and support of EHSS principles and values; champions safety
• Performs other duties assigned by management that generally fall within the expected scope of this position.

Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. This description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; it does not proscribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

Experience & KSA’s Required

• 15+ years overall HR experience; 7+ years in management roles
• Broad working generalist experience across all areas of HR including, but not limited to, employee relations, total rewards (compensation, benefits, and retirement), talent management, performance management, and HR operations
• Understanding of interdependency of all areas of HR; ability to pivot quickly
• Proven ability to advise both executive and operations leadership as a balanced, business-first partner; able to explain decision parameters and risk across options and compliance, business, and employment implications
• Excellent business acumen; strong understanding of strategic planning, resource allocation, and coordination of people and resources
• Foundational data fluency and a data-driven mindset; experience leading HR data, reporting, and dashboarding efforts that inform operational strategy and decision-making
• Experience in small-to-midsized, complex, matrixed, multi-entity environments; controlled-group administration; multi-employer benefit and retirement plan participation; government reporting and non-discrimination testing and audits
• Knowledge of employment law and regulatory compliance, employee relations, and the antitrust and competitive sensitivities that arise in a joint-venture relationship.
• Experience operating within or alongside a joint venture and/or foreign-parent owned companies; cross-cultural effectiveness
• Experience developing and managing HR and multi-departmental labor budgets; excellent understanding of burden rates and ability to calculate them
• Ability to handle high stress environment; strong analytical ability; independent thinker; decisive.
• Multi-tasker; strong flexibility skills; facilitation skills; good listener
• Critical ability to maintain confidentiality in a complex organizational/entity structure.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written; ability to clearly communicate to all levels in the organization.
• Excellent computer skills including Microsoft Office Suite; excellent Excel skills required; ability to lead and control all areas of a sophisticated HR database system (HRIS)
• Fluent in English language including reading, writing, and speaking at a minimum of high school level; proven professional writing skills; proper grammar usage required. Korean fluency helpful

Education Requirement

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Business or related field
• Master’s Degree in Human Resources, Business, MBA, or related area highly desired
• Quality/Continuous Improvement/Lean certification and/or experience in ISO environment helpful
• Sr. HR certification helpful

Competencies

All Company Core and Leadership Competencies

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This employee generally works in an office environment, away from extremes of cold or heat. Limited to no exposure to noise and vibrations other than normal daily office sounds. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. The employee should not have regular exposure to fumes, odors, toxic conditions, dust or poor ventilation.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk, sit, speak and hear. The employee is required to stand, use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; the employee may be required, on occasion, to climb or balance, stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to twenty-five (25) pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Employee may be required to travel by air, rail, car, bus, or other mode of land transportation.