Director, Business HR

American Electric Power•Tulsa, OK

About The Position

The Business HR Director is the senior employee partner to executive leadership, accountable for translating business strategy into workforce and talent outcomes. This role owns the Business HR agenda for their organization and delivers results through a combination of direct leadership, cross-functional partnership, and effective use of specialized HR expertise. The role ensures consistent, compliant, and high-impact employee practices while remaining deeply attuned to business operations, growth goals, and culture.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, or a related field.
Minimum of 7 years experience in human resources or experience working with business leaders on talent, diversity, performance management and organizational effectiveness.
Strong executive presence with exceptional leadership, communication, and influencing skills.
Experience partnering closely with executive teams
Strategic thinker with the ability to align employee strategy with business outcomes.
High ethical standards and demonstrated ability to handle confidential and sensitive matters with discretion.
Proven experience building and scaling HR infrastructure in growing, complex, or fast-paced organizations.

Nice To Haves

Professional HR certification (e.g., SHRM-SCP, SPHR).
Expertise in employment law, regulatory compliance, and HR best practices.
Proficiency in HRIS platforms and Microsoft Office Suite; experience with Workday preferred.

Responsibilities

Owns workforce planning, staffing priorities, and capacity decisions aligned to business strategy and financial constraints.
Uses workforce data and dashboards to inform leadership decisions and scenario planning.
Owns succession planning for critical roles and targeted development of leaders and high-potential talent.
Ensures leadership readiness for current and future business needs.
Accountable for culture and engagement outcomes; drives action planning using employee feedback and engagement insights.
Partners with leaders to improve retention, engagement, and team effectiveness.
Owns business-specific onboarding strategies that accelerate time to productivity and reinforce company culture.
Leads the labor strategy and partners with labor manager on activities such as union relationships, negotiations, grievances, and arbitration.
Owns pay outcomes, local market start rates, and leadership decision-making related to compensation.
Ensures fair, competitive, and performance-aligned compensation practices.
Leads organizational design, role clarity, and change management initiatives related to growth, restructuring, or transformation.
Sets hiring priorities, approves offers, and leads senior or critical leadership hires.
Partners with recruiting resources or external firms to ensure high-quality talent outcomes.