Global Director of Human Resources

Join the Harken Team: Innovating for Over 50 Years

Harken, Inc. is a global leader in innovative solutions for the marine and safety industries. Headquartered in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, with manufacturing facilities in the USA and Italy, we take pride in our world-class engineering, craftsmanship, and dedication to excellence.

Our global footprint spans 48 countries, supported by group offices in exciting locations like Australia, France, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, the UK, and across the United States—from Rhode Island to Washington.

For over half a century, Harken's Marine Division has set the industry standard for pulley blocks, deck hardware, winches, and hydraulics, serving sailboats ranging from 8 to over 300 feet. Building on this strong foundation, Harken is charting new courses with our Safety and Rescue Division, unlocking opportunities for innovation and growth.

What truly sets Harken apart is our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and the unique culture of ownership it fosters. Every team member is empowered to think and act like an owner, driving a workplace culture built on ambition, ingenuity, empathy and integrity. At Harken, you’re not just an employee—you’re a valued stakeholder in our future.

TITLE: Global Director of Human Resources

REPORTS TO: President

BASED AT: Harken, Inc., Pewaukee, WI

STATUS: Full Time, Exempt

The Global Director of Human Resources is responsible for supporting the human resources function across multiple locations in the USA, Europe and Australasia. Reporting directly to the President of the global organization, this role provides strategic HR leadership by participating in the global Executive Committee, the USA Senior Team and collaborating with Managing Directors. The primary focus is to develop and drive HR outcomes aligned with Harken’s business goals and objectives. This role requires strong leadership skills, knowledge of global HR practices and the ability to navigate complex HR landscapes. The successful candidate will be a visible, credible HR leader, able to connect with employees at all levels of the organization. They will be comfortable walking the shop floor, using a hands-on approach and skilled at tactical execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Culture: Cultivate and champion Harken’s company values of DRIVE, HUMILITY, INGENUITY, INTEGRITY, and OWNERSHIP so that they are deeply understood and practiced throughout the global organization.
• Strategic Leadership: Lead the development and execution of HR strategies that align with the company’s long-term business objectives, ensuring that HR initiatives are integrated into the overall. business strategy. Demonstrate executive presence by developing trust and credibility with the leadership team, participating in executive meetings, articulating HR strategy, reporting out in annual and quarterly business reviews and socializing ideas with team members.
• Staffing, Development and Succession Planning: Lead staffing and talent acquisition, employee development and retention strategies that build an engaged and high-performing workforce. Refine and lead succession planning efforts. Facilitate visa and immigration processes.
• Leadership Development: Design and implement comprehensive leadership development programs that prepare leaders for future challenges.
• Performance Management: Lead the performance management process which defines success, establishes and measures goals, facilitates ongoing feedback, identifies development needs and rewards performance in alignment with business objectives.
• Compensation and Benefits: Develop and implement total rewards programs to attract, motivate, and retain employees.
• Global Oversight: Manage international HR initiatives across 8 countries, ensuring consistency and compliance.
• Workforce Planning: Demonstrate the ability to identify the HR implications of the business plan and develop and implement solutions to meet identified needs. Prepare annual global headcount budget.
• HR Systems & Payroll: Oversee the USA payroll function and explore options for a global payroll or HRIS.
• Employee Relations: Keep in touch with the workforce, anticipate employee reactions and the impact of business decisions. Ensure effective employee communication. Cultivate an inclusive and engaging workplace culture by developing programs that enhance employee productivity, accountability, and collaboration.
• Compliance & Employment Law: Ensure adherence to global and local labor law and regulations. Guide USA HR on federal/state compliance matters.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilize HR analytics to inform strategic decision-making and evaluate the effectiveness of HR initiatives, provide actionable insights to the executive team on workforce trends and challenges.
• Organizational Development: Demonstrate the ability to evaluate organizational structure and facilitate process improvements. Drive organizational design and transformation initiatives in alignment with business goals.

Position Requirements

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or related field.
• 10 years of experience in Human Resources in a manufacturing, industrial or engineering environment with at least 5 years in a leadership role, focused on strategic HR. Global HR leadership and ESOP experience preferred.
• Strong leadership and management skills and the proven ability to think strategically aligning HR initiatives with business goals.
• Proven record of accomplishment with program implementation, strategic planning, and managing multiple important priorities. Ability to analyze data including metrics for employee engagement, talent acquisition and turnover to drive decision making.
• Demonstrated breadth of HR experience with a broad understanding of technical and functional components of HR, including recruiting, performance and talent management, compensation and benefits, manufacturing operations, HRIS, employee communications and global and US employment law (GDPR, ADA, FMLA, etc.).
• Ability to explore and understand business processes, financial metrics and organizational systems and structures. Data-oriented, with the ability to effectively translate numbers into action and use data to inform decisions and drive results.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate with leaders and employees at ALL levels of the organization, comfortable walking the shop floor and interacting with hourly employees to gauge organizational temperature. An individual who leads by example and rolls up their sleeves.
• Driven and performance-oriented, willing to push and challenge where necessary, and capable of driving meaningful organizational change.
• A high energy, resilient and decisive leader with a bias for action and a sense of urgency. One who demonstrates results orientation and can pivot when necessary and stays cool under pressure.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office products (PowerPoint, Excel, Word).

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all qualifications, responsibilities, duties or skills required. Harken is an Equal Opportunity Employer.