Director Human Resources

IDEX•Wooster, OH

About The Position

The Human Resources Director for the Akron Brass Business Unit in Wooster, Ohio, serves as a strategic business partner and hands-on HR leader. The role works closely with site and business leadership to align people strategies with business objectives and strengthen organizational effectiveness, leadership capability, employee engagement, and performance. It requires strong employee and labor relations expertise, including the ability to lead in a unionized manufacturing environment. The Director is expected to operate as a business leader who leads HR, building credibility with employees on the shop floor and senior leadership. The role strengthens the leadership bench, improves organizational capability, and helps employees understand how their work connects to customers and business performance. It calls for sound judgment in knowing when to challenge, coach, or act.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in human resources, business, or a related discipline.
At least 5 years of progressive HR leadership experience in a business-facing environment.
Demonstrated employee and labor relations experience.
Experience supporting manufacturing, operations, or a similarly complex workforce.
Strong knowledge of employment practices and HR fundamentals.
Proven ability to coach and influence senior leaders.
Experience with talent management, succession planning, organizational development, and change leadership.
Strong communication, judgment, and problem-solving capabilities.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting a union-represented manufacturing workforce.
Direct experience with collective bargaining, grievance administration, and labor contract interpretation.
Experience leading HR for a manufacturing site or business unit.
Master's degree or relevant HR certification such as SHRM-SCP or SPHR.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted advisor to business and site leadership, connecting people priorities to business objectives.
Develop and execute HR strategies that support growth, organizational effectiveness, operational performance, and employee experience.
Use workforce insights and business acumen to identify organizational needs and recommend solutions.
Lead organizational change and help leaders communicate effectively and build employee commitment.
Strengthen the leadership pipeline through talent reviews, succession planning, development planning, and targeted recruiting.
Partner with leaders to assess organizational capability and ensure the business has the talent and structure needed to deliver its priorities.
Coach leaders on performance management, development, accountability, and building high-performing teams.
Build bench strength for critical roles and accelerate emerging-leader development.
Provide HR leadership for the site's union-represented workforce, including collective bargaining, contract administration, grievances, investigations, employee concerns, and interpretation of employment practices.
Balance employee advocacy with business needs while maintaining a respectful, productive workplace.
Foster accountability, inclusion, collaboration, continuous improvement, and employee engagement.
Strengthen leader communication and connection with salaried and hourly employees.
Identify organizational and cultural barriers and work with leaders to address root causes.
Champion a strong employee experience while maintaining high performance expectations.
Ensure consistent and effective execution of core HR processes and policies.
Partner across the broader Fire & Safety and IDEX HR organization to leverage enterprise capabilities, practices, and resources.
Use data and HR metrics to identify trends and guide business and talent decisions.