Head of Talent

Stepan Company•Northbrook, IL

About The Position

The Head of Talent is a strategic and operational HR executive responsible for shaping and executing an enterprise-wide talent strategy that drives operational excellence, innovation, and sustainable growth. This leader will oversee Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Performance Management, Organizational Effectiveness, and Transformation, ensuring the company attracts, develops, and retains the talent needed to deliver on business goals across multiple manufacturing sites and corporate functions. The ideal candidate is both a strategic architect and a hands-on leader who thrives in a dynamic manufacturing environment, balancing workforce transformation with the realities of a production-driven business. This role reports to the CHRO and is a key leader on the global HR leadership team.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive HR or Talent leadership experience, including at least 10 years in a senior enterprise-level talent role.
Potential successor for CHRO, HR Generalist experience preferred.
Proven success in a manufacturing or industrial operations environment, ideally in a multi-site, publicly traded company.
Proven track record of designing launching and scaling high impact programs across performance management, talent reviews, succession planning and skill-based strategies.
Demonstrated experience leading workforce transformation, talent development, and culture change.
Data-driven decision-maker with experience implementing HR analytics and talent technologies.
Strong executive presence and ability to influence across all levels—from the plant floor to Senior Management.
Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s in HR, Industrial/Organizational Development, or Business preferred.
Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

Responsibilities

Partner with the CHRO, Executive team, HR COE’s and HRBP’s to design and execute an integrated enterprise talent strategy aligned with company growth, productivity, and culture goals.
Develop a best-in-class Talent Center of Excellence (COE) covering talent acquisition, development, and performance, leveraging industry best practices
Serve as a key advisor to the executive leadership team on succession, leadership readiness, and workforce capability.
Lead enterprise recruiting strategy ensuring strong pipelines for critical roles including skilled trades, operations leaders, and engineering talent.
Develop and implement workforce planning processes to anticipate talent needs and align with production and expansion objectives.
Strengthen the employer brand to deliver a world-class candidate experience that reflects the company’s values and performance culture.
Develop and implement robust succession planning, leadership development, and early-career programs.
Partner with plant and operations leaders to enhance frontline leadership capability and workforce engagement.
Launch scalable learning and upskilling programs aligned with lean, safety, quality, and digital manufacturing initiatives.
Enhance the company’s performance management framework to promote clarity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Integrate business objectives and performance outcomes into goal setting, feedback, and reward processes.
Drive change leadership: lead company-wide change management and enablement with clear communications, manager/leader training, and executive storytelling to ensure high adoption and trust in the new performance process.
Utilize data and analytics to drive performance insights and inform talent decisions.
Lead organizational design, culture evolution, and change management initiatives that enable agility, capability, and modernization.
Partner with senior leaders to drive workforce transformation and process optimization to support growth and modernization objectives.
Leverage analytics to assess organizational health and measure transformation outcomes.