Vice President Human Resources

Judge Direct Placement is seeking a Vice President of Human Resources to lead the modernization and strategic advancement of its people function. Reporting directly to ownership and serving as a member of the executive leadership team, this individual will assess the organization's current human resources capabilities and lead their evolution into a function that actively supports operational performance and sustained growth.

This is a transformation-oriented role. The successful candidate will bring a proven ability to evaluate, restructure, and elevate the HR function within a hands-on manufacturing environment, balancing immediate operational needs against the long-term development of talent, systems, and culture.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership and Organizational Development

• Develop and execute a comprehensive human resources strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Advise ownership and operational leadership on organizational design, workforce planning, and change management. Lead HR through periods of growth, restructuring, or operational transition.

Talent Acquisition and Retention

• Establish a proactive talent strategy spanning hourly, skilled trades, technical, and salaried positions.
• Reduce turnover and time-to-fill through improved sourcing, onboarding, and total rewards.
• Develop sustainable pipelines for critical and difficult-to-fill roles.

Systems, Process, and Analytics

• Lead the implementation or modernization of HRIS, payroll integration, and people analytics.
• Replace inconsistent or manual practices with scalable, data-informed processes that operate effectively across multiple shifts and facilities.

Culture, Performance, and Leadership Development

• Establish and strengthen performance management, leadership development, and accountability frameworks.
• Develop the capabilities of frontline supervisors and plant management.
• Advance a safety-first, high-performance culture across all levels of the organization.

Employee and Labor Relations

• Oversee employee relations across a multi-shift, multi-site workforce.
• Manage labor relations, collective bargaining, and grievance processes where applicable, or lead positive employee relations strategy in non-union environments, particularly through periods of organizational change.

Compliance and Risk Management

• Ensure full compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment law, including FLSA, FMLA, ADA, EEOC, and OSHA-related requirements.
• Partner with environmental health and safety leadership to support safety programs and oversee workers' compensation and leave administration.

Team Leadership

• Assess, develop, and where appropriate restructure the human resources team, including plant-level generalists, to ensure the function is properly resourced and aligned to business needs.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related discipline is required. A Master's degree or MBA is preferred.
• Minimum of twelve to fifteen years of progressive human resources experience is required, including at least five years in a senior leadership capacity.
• Experience within manufacturing, industrial, or distribution environments is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrate a clear record of leading human resources transformation, turnaround, or function buildout rather than steady-state management alone.
• Experience modernizing systems, processes, and culture within an operating environment is essential.
• Multi-site leadership and experience supporting a large hourly workforce are required.
• Labor relations and change management experience are strongly preferred.
• SHRM-SCP or SPHR certification is preferred.