People Strategy Director

MadTree Brewing Company•Cincinnati, OH

2d•$115,000 - $13,000•Onsite

About The Position

The People Strategy Director is the strategic architect and people operations leader at MadTree. You own Strategic Priority #3 — "Acknowledge, Inspire, Empower to Thrive" — and serve as a key partner to the VP of Experience & Impact and VP of Revenue, in shaping culture, building scalable infrastructure, and connecting people strategy to business outcomes. You lead a small, high-impact team (HR Manager + PT PS Coordinator) with clear role delineation: the Director owns strategy, complex employee relations, executive partnerships, and organizational development; the HR Manager owns operational HR execution and day-to-day employee support; the PS Coordinator supports administrative functions and logistics. You maintain hands-on involvement where the stakes are highest while enabling your team to operate independently in their lanes. Your success is measured by culture health (engagement, retention, manager capability), operational excellence (compliance, systems, process consistency), and strategic impact (workforce planning, talent development, organizational effectiveness).

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, or equivalent experience
7–10+ years of progressive leadership experience (HR/people strategy, director-level experience)
Demonstrated track record of culture transformation and measurable organizational impact
Experience building and leading teams; strong coaching and development skills
Business acumen and comfort connecting people strategy to financial and operational outcomes
Strong foundation in employment law and compliance across complex, multi-industry environments
Change management experience — you've led people through it, not just designed the plan
Experience with HRIS implementation and optimization (Rippling highly preferred)
Executive presence and communication skills; comfortable in the room with senior leadership
Ability to travel regularly across Cincinnati-area locations; occasional evening/weekend availability
Excellent communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills
Must be at least 21 years of age
Ability to regularly sit, stand, and walk
Ability to frequently talk and hear
Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
Vision abilities required include close and distance vision

Nice To Haves

Multi-unit hospitality experience in non-franchise operations
Experience leading HR infrastructure buildout for new location openings, including pre-opening recruiting and HRIS configuration
Familiarity with multi-location HRIS architecture (Rippling preferred) and the ability to structure a new location correctly from day one
Dual-industry HR experience (hourly/tipped hospitality + salaried production/corporate teams)
Manufacturing or production environment experience
HR certification (SPHR, SHRM-SCP)
Coaching certification or significant coaching training
B-Corp or mission-driven organization experience
Self-funded health plan experience (stop-loss, TPA management)
Data visualization or people analytics capabilities