Vice President, People Business Partners & Employee Relations

Dutch Bros Coffee•Phoenix, AZ

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President, People Business Partner provides enterprise leadership for the People Business Partner and Employee Relations functions, supporting Headquarters and Field operations. This executive is accountable for building and leading high-performing teams, setting service delivery strategy, and ensuring consistent, business-aligned people practices across the organization. As a strategic advisor to executives and senior leaders, the Vice President translates business priorities into scalable workforce, talent, organizational effectiveness, and employee relations strategies. The role calls for experience in complex, multi-unit organizations and the ability to connect Headquarters strategy with the realities of distributed Field operations. The leader oversees organizational design, talent and succession, change leadership, workforce insights, employee relations, budgets, and resource allocation across the People Business Partner and Employee Relations functions. The position is based at Dutch Bros Headquarters in Tempe, Arizona, and is in-office Monday through Thursday, with Fridays optional for remote work. Regular travel is required to support Field engagement and business needs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field.
13 or more years of progressive Human Resources leadership experience, including significant experience leading leaders and building high-performing teams.
Senior HR leadership experience in a complex, geographically dispersed, multi-unit organization.
Demonstrated success leading People Business Partner and Employee Relations strategies across corporate or Headquarters functions and Field operations.
Ability to advise and influence C-suite executives and senior operational leaders on business, talent, organizational, and workforce risk decisions.
Track record of scaling teams, operating models, and people practices in a high-growth environment.
Expertise in employee relations, investigations, organizational design, talent and succession, change leadership, workforce analytics, and employment risk.
Business and financial acumen, including budget, headcount, vendor, and resource management.
Exceptional leadership presence, judgment, communication, and ability to lead through ambiguity and change.
Ability to travel regularly to support Field engagement and business needs.
Ability to work in a busy, crowded, and loud office with frequent distractions and interruptions, and to collaborate in person, including occasional impromptu meetings.
Ability to adapt to typical office conditions, including air conditioning, heating, artificial lighting, and varying noise levels.
Ability to sit, stand, reach, twist, stretch, and work at a desk for long stretches, and occasionally move or lift office items up to 25 pounds.
Hearing sufficient or correctable to understand spoken information and participate in virtual meetings and phone calls.
Ability to read and write in English and proficiency in written communication.
Vision adequate or correctable to perform essential duties, including reading computer-screen documents and using visual tools.
Proficiency operating a computer and office productivity tools such as printers, scanners, and collaboration software.
Strong verbal and written communication skills for interacting with team members, clients, and other stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.
Workday experience.

Responsibilities

Set and lead enterprise strategy for People Business Partners and Employee Relations across Headquarters and Field operations.
Build and execute multi-year operating plans that strengthen leadership capability, talent outcomes, organizational health, culture, and business performance.
Use judgment and data-backed insights on workforce trends, talent risks, employee relations, and organizational design to influence enterprise decisions.
Serve as a senior member of the People leadership team, shaping cross-functional strategy and connecting Headquarters and Field priorities.
Lead, coach, and develop senior leaders and teams of People Business Partners and Employee Relations professionals.
Establish accountabilities, leadership expectations, capabilities, and service delivery standards across both functions.
Build a scalable operating model, talent bench, and succession pipeline to support enterprise growth.
Oversee budgets, staffing, vendor partnerships, and resource allocation.
Advise executives on complex workforce matters, investigations, labor and employment risk, organizational effectiveness, and leadership decisions.
Partner with Legal and business leaders to resolve high-risk matters and implement consistent, scalable practices.
Establish enterprise workforce insights and operating rhythms, including turnover, staffing, engagement, retention, employee relations trends, and leadership capability.
Anticipate workforce and organizational needs through analytics, trend forecasting, and partnership with business leaders.
Translate workforce insights into executive recommendations and measurable actions.
Ensure execution of enterprise talent routines, including leadership assessment, calibration, succession planning, performance management, and high-potential development.
Partner with Headquarters and Field leaders to strengthen organizational capability, leadership effectiveness, and ready-now talent pipelines.
Model people-first leadership and hold teams accountable for a consistent, high-quality employee experience.
Own enterprise Employee Relations strategy and ensure consistent, legally compliant investigations, case management, corrective action, and risk mitigation.
Provide executive-level judgment and direction on complex, sensitive, and high-risk employee matters.
Use case trends and root-cause analysis to identify systemic issues, strengthen leader capability, and reduce enterprise risk.
Lead enterprise people and organizational change across Headquarters and Field, ensuring clear strategy, sponsorship, communication, and adoption.
Equip People and business leaders to navigate growth, organizational transitions, and evolving workforce needs.
Build trust and accountability through transparent communication, aligned decision-making, and disciplined execution.
Travel regularly to support Field engagement and business needs.