Sr. Director, P&C Business Partner

AeroVironment•Herndon, VA

23h•$191,000 - $280,875•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr. Director, People & Culture (P&C) Business Partnerships is a key member of the P&C Leadership Team and a principal advisor to the Chief People Officer and executive leadership. This role is also a critical strategic partner to the Business Leadership Team, proactively shaping and enabling business strategy through people, culture, and organizational effectiveness. This role leads the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of AV’s people strategy to support business goals and a high-performance culture. It is a hands-on leadership role that partners with leaders and employees at all levels and across all functions. The Sr. Director will drive initiatives that: Elevate and humanize the employee experience and lifecycle Strengthen leadership and people-manager capability Improve engagement, retention, and organizational effectiveness Ensure empathetic, compliant, and consistent employee relations globally Equip and support the Business Leadership Team as trusted advisor, coach, and thought partner on all people, culture, and organizational topics The Sr. Director builds strong alliances across the organization, using data and insights to demonstrate the business impact of people strategies. They lead and develop a global team of Sr. P&C Managers, Business Partners, and Generalists, providing strategic direction, coaching, and P&C functional expertise.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Management, or related field, or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
15+ years of progressive HR/P&C experience.
10+ years of directly managing a team of senior P&C/HR leaders, preferably supporting multi-function organizations.
5+ years in a senior leadership role leading a global team of P&C business partners within a multi-national organization.
Demonstrated success as a people strategy leader with deep expertise in Organizational Development, Change Management, and talent development.
Proven experience designing and implementing talent processes that enable a high-performance culture.
Experience supporting and influencing C-suite executives and senior leadership teams.
Demonstrated experience serving as a trusted advisor to business leadership teams, including challenging and coaching leaders to drive better people and business outcomes.
Track record of planning and executing large, complex programs or transformations.
Experience leading and developing in a matrixed environment.
M&A and post-merger integration experience (people-related workstreams).
Experience translating talent strategies into measurable business outcomes.
Strong understanding of U.S. labor law and ability to research, interpret, and apply changes; familiarity with global employment practices.
Ability and willingness to travel occasionally within the continental U.S. and internationally.

Nice To Haves

SPHR or equivalent senior HR certification highly preferred.
Prior experience scaling a P&C/HR organization to support high growth.
Prior Aerospace & Defense or similarly complex, regulated industry experience.
Prior HRIS/HCM implementation experience, ideally Workday.
Experience overseeing the entire employee lifecycle and depth in one or more HR functional areas (e.g., Talent Management, OD, Total Rewards, ER).

Responsibilities

Partner with the Chief People Officer to develop and execute global People & Culture strategies that align with business strategies and growth plans.
Serve as a primary P&C advisor to the Business Leadership Team, providing insight, coaching, and recommendations on organization design, leadership effectiveness, culture, and talent decisions.
Embed P&C strategy into segment and functional business plans, ensuring people implications are understood, funded, and sequenced appropriately.
Translate strategy into P&C initiatives, define success metrics, monitor progress, and identify risks and countermeasures.
Work cross-functionally to ensure strategies and policies are understood, implemented, and compliant across global locations.
Design and implement an exceptional employee journey across the full lifecycle (attraction, onboarding, development, performance, engagement, retention, and separation).
Partner with Business Partners, functional P&C leaders, and cross-functional teams to ensure people policies and processes are employee-centric, scalable, and effective.
Champion initiatives that continuously improve engagement and foster an inclusive, high-performance culture.
Equip business leaders and managers with tools, training, and coaching to deliver a consistent, high-quality employee experience.
Ensure each business segment/function is strategically supported by a strong cadre of Sr. P&C Managers, Business Partners, and Generalists.
Partner closely with segment and functional leaders as a trusted advisor on organizational design, workforce planning, succession, and talent deployment.
Provide thought leadership on organizational development, workforce planning, change management, and talent strategy to support evolving business needs.
Lead change management efforts in partnership with business and P&C leaders to support reorganizations, pivots, and growth.
Direct and oversee all P&C compliance requirements; serve as an active member of the Regulatory Compliance Team.
Lead the P&C team’s compliance-related activities, ensuring alignment with U.S. labor law and applicable global regulations.
Oversee complex and sensitive employee relations matters, ensuring issues are handled with empathy, fairness, consistency, and legal compliance.
Coach business leaders on effective, compliant, and empathetic people leadership, especially in complex performance, conduct, or structural situations.
Direct the consistent application and delivery of global corporate P&C programs through the Business Partners, including performance management, compensation, talent reviews, employee relations, and separations.
Act as project leader and governance owner for P&C initiatives, ensuring Business Partners’ effectiveness and measurable impact.
Lead Workday and other HCM system integrations as part of the SteerCo; assign and guide P&C team members involved in implementations and enhancements.
Integrate the employee engagement app into the employee communications ecosystem to drive communication, feedback, and engagement.
Lead P&C components of M&A activity, including due diligence, compliance, organizational design, integration, and talent retention.
Provide clear direction to Business Partners to ensure successful integration of new entities and achievement of one-year M&A people-related goals.
Partner with acquiring/divesting business leadership teams to align structures, leadership roles, and key talent decisions with the strategic intent of the deal.
Partner with the HRIS team to define, analyze, and report key people metrics monthly and quarterly.
Lead global strategic workforce planning in alignment with annual business planning and shifts in strategic priorities.
Work with Business Partners and segment leaders to align talent pipelines, succession plans, and hiring strategies with current and future needs.
Present insights and recommendations to the Business Leadership Team, using data to inform decisions on capacity, capability, and organizational health.
Foster a culture of excellence, ownership, continuous improvement, and learning within the P&C function and across the organization.
Provide matrix leadership to Sr. P&C Managers and Business Partners: establish clear goals, create Individual Development Plans, hold regular team and 1:1 meetings, and promote regular feedback.
Oversee the IMPACT community involvement program, providing strategic direction in collaboration with the Generalist managing and executing the program.
Role-model AV’s values, champion change, and inspire trust-based, collaborative relationships across all levels.
Influence and align the Business Leadership Team around desired culture, leadership behaviors, and people priorities, ensuring visible executive sponsorship and role-modelling.