Director, Human Resources

At Vericel Corporation, we are pioneers in advanced cell therapies for sports medicine and severe burn care, transforming patient lives through cutting-edge regenerative medicine. Our commitment to innovation, patient-centered focus, and scientific excellence drives us to develop groundbreaking treatments including MACI (knee cartilage repair), Epicel and Nexobrid (burn care). Newly Created HR Director Role Supporting Commercial & Medical Growth As Vericel continues to expand, we are excited to add a newly created HR Director position to support our growing Commercial and Medical Affairs organizations. This role reflects our business momentum and our commitment to investing in strong, strategic HR partnership as we scale. This is an opportunity to shape talent strategy, strengthen leadership capability, and support high-performing, field-facing teams during an exciting period of growth. Position Summary The HR Director serves as a strategic advisor and trusted partner to employees and leaders across our sales, marketing and medical office functions. In this role, you will align talent strategies with business priorities to drive innovation, performance, and scalable growth. Your focus will be on building high-performing teams and creating a high-impact culture. The HR Director will lead organizational design, talent planning, performance management, leadership & employee development, succession planning, workforce strategy, and team effectiveness initiatives. This role requires deep experience supporting sales and marketing organizations and a strong understanding of data-driven talent practices, including the application of AI-enabled tools to improve organizational outcomes. Schedule This position is in-office from Monday – Thursday in our new Burlington, MA location, with flexibility to work remotely on Fridays. Key Responsibilities Strategic Business Partnership Serve as a thought partner to sales, marketing, and medical office leaders. Translate business strategy into actionable talent and organizational plans. Provide counsel on leadership effectiveness, team dynamics, and organizational health. Organizational Design & Workforce Planning Lead organizational design initiatives aligned with growth strategy and market changes. Evaluate span of control, role clarity, structure effectiveness, and capability gaps. Develop workforce plans to support product adoption and commercialization strategy. Lead workforce planning initiatives that proactively address talent needs and risk mitigation. Talent Strategy & Succession Planning Develop and execute talent strategies to attract, retain, and develop high-performing teams. Champion the talent agenda by assessing pipelines, identifying gaps, and developing future leaders. Design and implement succession plans, coaching frameworks, and targeted development programs. Define and operationalize talent review process, including high potential identification frameworks using data, assessments, and manager input. Performance Management Lead the transformation of performance management into a dynamic, actionable real-time feedback culture. Enhance goal-setting frameworks and performance management processes that drive accountability and pragmatic innovation. Partner with leaders to calibrate performance, ensure fairness, and differentiate performance effectively. Train, coach & support leaders on performance feedback, difficult conversations, and accountability. Leadership Development & Training Lead training programs (leadership, team dynamics, performance management, other). Build a learning environment that supports technical upskilling, leadership development, high potential acceleration, and career mobility. Assess capability opportunities within sales, marketing, and medical teams to design and implement targeted leadership and skill development programs. Promote a culture of continuous learning and professional growth. Team Dynamics & Organizational Health Diagnose team effectiveness and improve cross-functional collaboration opportunities. Facilitate team interventions to improve trust, communication, and accountability. Address conflict resolution and executive coaching needs. Use engagement data and qualitative insights to strengthen culture and retention. AI & Data-Driven Talent Practices Leverage AI-enabled HR technologies to inform workforce planning, predictive retention analytics, performance insights, and talent acquisition strategies. Partner with HR Operations and Talent Acquisition to optimize systems and digital tools supporting commercial teams. HR Team Collaboration Design and implement enterprise-wide talent, engagement, rewards and learning strategies. Create accelerated development journeys for high potential talent, integrating stretch assignments, training, mentorship, and visibility opportunities. Lead change initiatives; ensure effective communication and stakeholder alignment during transformations; Support leaders in navigating ambiguity and organizational change. Qualifications Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years progressive HR experience, including significant HRBP experience supporting commercial organizations in a growth-oriented environment (biotech, pharma, medical device, or related industry preferred). Strong experience in performance management, succession planning, and leadership development. Demonstrated ability to coach senior leaders and influence without authority. Experience leveraging HR analytics and AI-enabled tools to inform talent decisions. Strong business acumen with understanding of revenue models, territory management, and commercialization strategy. Excellent executive presence, communication skills, and facilitation capability. Demonstrated expertise in workforce planning, organizational development, and change leadership. Strong background in talent acquisition, employee development, engagement, and retention. Proven business acumen and ability to influence at all organizational levels, including executive leadership. Ability to operate independently and prioritize in a fast-paced, evolving environment. Experience designing and implementing talent strategies that support business scale, especially in growth-stage or transforming organizations. Why Vericel? Cutting-Edge Science: Work with a leading regenerative medicine product that is transforming patient care. Career Growth: Be a part of a growing organization with opportunities to expand your impact. Collaborative Culture: Work alongside a team of dedicated professionals who are passionate about improving lives. The salary range Vericel reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for this position at the time of this posting is $200,000 to $225,000 annually. The actual salary offered will be determined based on factors such as the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and skills. Bonus, incentive pay, equity and benefits may be provided in addition to the base compensation listed above. In accordance with Massachusetts law, Vericel provides the pay range that it reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for a particular and specific employment position at the time of posting or offer. This range is subject to change based on business needs, market conditions, and individual qualifications. Employees and applicants may request the pay range for their position or for a position to which they are applying. Retaliation for making such a request is strictly prohibited. EEO Statement All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or protected veteran status and will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. Vericel Corporation is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Vericel Corporation is VEVRAA federal contractor and desires priority referrals of protected veterans for job openings at all locations within the state. #J-18808-Ljbffr