Director of HR

Position: Director of Human Resources

Location: Milwaukee, WI; Candidates who currently reside in the greater Chicago area, open to commuting regularly to Milwaukee, WI will be considered.

Travel: Travel to various corporate business locations in the first year could reach 30 – 50% (during surge times travel can reach 50%; however, over time, when there is a steady state travel will be 20-30%).

We're partnering with a rapidly growing, private equity-backed commercial roofing company, to find a strategic Director of Human Resources to join their team. Our client is currently 400 employees with a clear trajectory to grow through future acquisitions. This is an opportunity to move beyond traditional HR and serve as a strategic partner, overseeing a value-adding integrated HR infrastructure. The Director will be instrumental in working with a team of up to 3 direct reports (2 HR Generalist and a Payroll Specialist) in which the team will shape workforce strategy, elevate the company culture, and use data-driven insights to fuel this significant business growth. A critical and immediate focus of this role is the centralization, integration, and successful rollout of core HR and payroll systems across our multi-site, multi-state organization. The ideal candidate is a hands-on, experienced HR executive with a passion for supporting high-performing teams, capable of managing all aspects of HR, from talent management and compensation to compliance and labor relations.

Core profile: Alignment with the following is required to get you in the conversation.

• Director of Human Resources experience for an organization or business unit: A strategic, visionary, people leader, and an advocate of an organization’s HR function. Demonstrated history of supporting, developing, and executing human resource strategy in support of the overall business plan and strategic direction of the organization, broad scope of human resources-related activities specifically in the areas of talent management, leadership development, career management, succession planning, organizational and performance management, training, and organizational development, workforce planning, talent acquisition, compensation, and change management.
  
  

Differentiators: These will set you apart in the selection process.

• Entrepreneurial Spirit & Company Culture Alignment: The ideal candidate should have a strong desire to build, grow, and own the outcomes of a business’s success, with a continuous improvement mindset and a willingness to take a hands-on approach to achieve results quickly. They should have an authentic executive presence and be respected, relatable, and approachable across the organization. The candidate should prioritize team success over individual titles and have experience aligning corporate culture with organizational goals to create a positive and collaborative work environment. Can effectively navigate a largely blue-collar workforce.
• Core HR Operations, Policy & Compliance: This role will oversee all core HR operations and compliance for a multi-state organization with a non-union workforce. You'll be responsible for developing and enforcing policies and procedures that ensure legal compliance across different states, including the creation and management of employee handbooks. A key part of your role will be the strategic utilization of the HRIS to manage employee data, automate workflows, and ensure the accuracy of payroll and benefits administration.
• Controls & Processes: The candidate should have a proven track record establishing controls and processes within the HR function to ensure compliance, efficiency, and overall organizational success. Past experience should include designing and implementing HR controls and processes to enhance operational effectiveness, with a focus on talent acquisition, onboarding, performance management, and employee relations. Additionally, they should have experience identifying and mitigating potential risks within HR processes through the implementation of strategic controls, proactively addressing issues related to employee relations, legal compliance, and other HR-related risks.
• HR & HRIS Systems Ownership: Th candidate possesses a deep commitment to treating the platform which includes systems for People, Benefits, and Payroll, etc., as a critical piece of the business infrastructure, driven by a continuous improvement mindset and a dedication to owning the outcomes of its success. This requires a hands-on, technical approach to the entire system lifecycle, including the initial build, ongoing maintenance, and strategic optimization. The candidate should be highly proficient in system configuration, data integrity management, and security governance, ensuring the HRIS remains a reliable, single source of truth for all employee data. Furthermore, they must act as the primary technical liaison, effectively managing integrations between the HRIS and other enterprise systems to deliver accurate, efficient, and compliant HR, benefits, and payroll processes, ultimately driving operational efficiency and minimizing risk for the business.
• HR Integration Leadership: Demonstrated expertise in leading or participating in the implementation and successful rollout of integrated HR systems (HRIS, LMS, etc.) across a multi-site, multi-state entity. This includes the ability to move the organization from disparate systems to a centralized, integrated platform to gain better visibility, control, reporting, and accuracy. Furthermore, this role requires strategic experience with mergers and acquisitions (M&A) or De Novo market expansion, specifically including workforce integration and cultural alignment, alongside the ability to identify, define, implement, and monitor key HR metrics and KPIs to drive organizational performance and decision-making.
• Talent Management Best Practices: Proactively collaborates with business leaders across the organization to develop and embed smart talent management plans and programs that address current and future business needs. The candidate will be responsible for the full scope of talent management, which involves strategically attracting, developing, and retaining top-tier employees. You will manage key initiatives including performance management to set goals and provide feedback, leadership development to grow our people, career management to help them map out their professional paths, and succession planning to ensure we have the right talent in place for the future. You will be instrumental in building a high-performing culture and making sure the company's human capital strategy aligns with its business objectives.
• Learning & Leadership Development: This work involves designing, implementing, and managing programs that enhance employee skills, knowledge, and overall professional growth. This includes identifying organizational and individual learning needs, creating and delivering training programs, and leveraging technology and other resources to ensure continuous learning. The objective is to build a culture of growth that not only improves employee performance and engagement but also builds the critical capabilities required to achieve the company's long-term strategic goals.
  
  

Core Accountabilities

Strategic Partnership & Leadership

• Act as a strategic partner to the CEO and C-suite, providing trusted advice and insights on long-term workforce strategies, organizational design, and cultural evolution.
• Translate the company's business plans into actionable HR strategies, then coordinate the execution of these plans and programs across the entire organization.
• Oversee the workforce planning process, implementing policies and procedures to understand future staffing needs. This includes conducting enterprise skills gaps and critical talent assessments, talent forecasting, and scenario planning.
• Manage the Human Resources Department's budget and financial performance, collaborating with Finance, Operations, and Project Management to ensure HR strategies are fully aligned with business needs.
  
  

HR Centralization & Systems Integration

• Lead the initiative to centralize HR processes and policies across all multi-state entities, ensuring operational consistency, compliance uniformity, and a single standard of excellence for the employee experience, regardless of location.
• Define and lead the long-term strategy, selection, and deployment of the core HR Technology ecosystem (HRIS, Payroll, Talent Management), ensuring alignment with overall business objectives and future growth needs.
• Champion the technical and procedural integration of all HR systems (Payroll, HRIS, Benefits, etc.), ensuring seamless data flow, elimination of redundant processes, and enablement of reporting consolidation.
• Oversee the integrity and security of HR data across all platforms, establishing standards for analytics and reporting that provide strategic business intelligence to executive leadership on workforce trends and performance.
• Lead change management and adoption initiatives for new system implementations and upgrades, ensuring HR technology is fully leveraged to enhance the employee experience and drive efficiency gains across the entire organization.
  
  

Payroll Ownership & Compliance

• Oversee multi-state payroll function for all entities, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant processing of all wages, deductions, benefits, and tax filings in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations.
• Directly manage the relationship and performance of the payroll vendor/system, optimizing its configuration and use to maximize efficiency and data integrity.
• Develop, document, and enforce standardized payroll procedures and robust internal controls across all state entities to mitigate risk, ensure fiduciary compliance, and support both internal and external audits.
• Serve as support for complex payroll matters, including multi-state taxation, garnishments, final pay regulations, and required regulatory reporting (e.g., W-2s, 1099s).
• Partner with Finance/Accounting to reconcile payroll accounts, provide accurate labor cost reporting, and ensure seamless transfer of payroll data to the general ledger.
  
  

Team & Department Management

• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing HR team that is focused on continually improving the human resources function. This includes evaluating the team's structure, providing opportunities for professional and personal growth, and ensuring the team is capable of meeting all business objectives.
• Improve the overall HR function by enhancing and developing programs, policies, practices, and processes. Ensure accountability for all human resources initiatives to improve the operational effectiveness of the company.
• Use data-driven insights to inform executive decision-making and measure organizational health. This involves optimizing HR systems, ensuring data integrity, and leveraging HR metrics to drive process efficiency.
• Act as a strategic partner to address the organization's operational and people issues, ensuring the HR department is directly supporting business goals.
  
  

Talent Management & Culture

• Support and direct the organization's talent management strategy, including succession planning, identifying capability gaps, and improving bench talent. This involves working closely with senior leadership to build necessary processes and capabilities.
• Oversee and implement talent development programs to build high-performing leaders and foster employee growth. This includes executive education, coaching, mentoring, performance management, and career development initiatives to support talent mobility and organizational effectiveness.
• Lead initiatives to enhance corporate culture, employee engagement, and retention by protecting positive contributions and identifying issues that hold the company back.
• Drive change management initiatives to support company growth, scalability, and operational excellence.
• Implement robust talent acquisition programs, policies, and procedures to effectively identify, attract, select, and retain qualified individuals through sourcing, assessment, and onboarding.
  
  

Employee & Labor Relations

• Using fair and consistent practices, support and manage employee relations, investigations, conflict resolution, and policy enforcement, while also providing guidance on these best practices to business teams.
• Act as a trusted advisor and consultant for employees and leaders and take a thoughtful and creative approach to identifying solutions that align with the company’s philosophy and work environment.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with union leaders, employees, and internal stakeholders.
• Direct union negotiations, collective bargaining, grievance resolution, and arbitration with a solutions-focused approach.
  
  

Compensation, Rewards & Compliance

• Design and manage a competitive total rewards program that includes compensation, benefits, and incentive structures tailored to the unique needs of the construction industry. This strategy should encompass all investments made in the workforce, from pay and benefits to non-monetary elements like learning, development, and flexible work options.
• Oversee all aspects of benefits administration, including wellness programs and annual open enrollment processes, to ensure the offerings are comprehensive, competitive, and well-managed.
• Assess the competitiveness of all compensation and benefits programs by regularly benchmarking them against relevant companies and markets to ensure they are motivating and aligned with overall business goals.
  
  

What Qualifications You Need

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, organizational leadership, or other business focused degree; MBA and HR specific certifications such as SPHR, SHRM-SCP or other globally recognized HR certifications are highly desirable.
• Typically, 10-15 years of total experience and progressive career growth within highly diverse, scaling organizations.
• Demonstrated experience with core HR functions: talent acquisition, talent management, performance management, leadership development, learning and development, compensation, benefits, employee rewards, and employee relations.
• Experience managing HR functions for a multi-state, multi-site workforce.
• Demonstrated experience with full-cycle HRIS and payroll system integration/implementation across multiple locations.
• Prior HR leadership experience within a company that employees 300 – 500 people; and has revenues in excess of $500M. The ideal candidate will have led HR and people operations for a company that experienced a period of rapid growth.
• Proficiency in HR technology systems (HRIS, ATS, payroll software, etc.).
• Experience identifying, defining, implementing, and monitoring metrics and KPIs related to human resource function performance and success; tracks data on an ongoing basis and makes objective data-driven decisions.
• Spanish speaking is a plus.
  
  

About Our Client

Our client's mission is to provide the best commercial and industrial roofing services while maintaining a commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction. They prioritize integrity, professionalism, and attention to detail in every project. Their core values revolve around providing exceptional service, employing the latest techniques and technologies, and ensuring the longevity and security of their roofing installations. They center their approach around their customers. They know a roofing project is a significant investment, and they ensure every aspect of the process is tailored to your exact requirements. From your initial consultation to project completion, their team works closely with you to understand your goals, address any concerns, and provide transparent communication throughout the entire process.