Head of HR (Hybrid)

Head of Human Resources

Full Time RegularSenior Management

Richmond, VA, US

2 days agoRequisition ID: 2512

Apply

The Head of Human Resources will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer and serve as the senior HR leader responsible for stabilizing, strengthening, and scaling the people function for National Underground Group. This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership role focused on improving workforce performance, elevating leadership capability, and building a disciplined, scalable HR infrastructure to support continued growth.

Key Functions and Responsibilities:

• Lead HR execution across the business. Own day-to-day HR operations across a 400-employee, multi-state workforce, ensuring consistent execution of recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, and core HR processes aligned with field operations.
• Stabilize and improve the workforce. Focus on reducing turnover and strengthening leadership capabilities by diagnosing root causes, improving manager capability, and driving accountability in people practices.
• Partner closely with the CEO and leadership team. Provide practical, solutions-oriented guidance on organizational structure, leadership effectiveness, and workforce decisions, while supporting a new CEO in building capability and accountability.
• Lead and develop the HR team. Manage and elevate a small HR team through role clarity while ensuring effective support to the business.
• Build scalable HR processes. Assess and improve core HR processes and systems (onboarding, performance management, employee relations, policies) to improve consistency, reduce risk, and support operational performance without unnecessary complexity.
• Partner on benefits & payroll. Oversee benefits and payroll administration in coordination with external partners, ensuring smooth execution and contributing to an effective and valued employee offering.
• Drive culture and engagement. Reinforce company purpose and values by embedding them into hiring, leadership behaviors, and day-to-day operations to support a culture of safety, accountability, and performance.
• Own HR metrics and accountability. Establish and track key workforce metrics (turnover, retention, headcount, productivity trends) to improve visibility, inform decisions, and hold leaders accountable for results.

Capabilities

This role requires comfort operating in a fast-paced, field-driven environment with a high degree of variability across locations and teams.

• Strong executor who can drive results in a hands-on environment
• Business acumen with sound judgment in employee relations and organizational matters
• Ability to balance structure with flexibility in a growing organization
• Strong coaching and influencing skills with frontline and senior leaders
• Comfortable operating in an environment that is building maturity

Leadership Style

• Rolls up sleeves and leads from the front
• Builds trust quickly with operations leaders and field teams
• Direct, pragmatic, and solutions-oriented
• Focused on outcomes over process
• Able to operate independently while partnering effectively with leadership

Education & Experience:

• 10–15 years of progressive HR experience
• Experience in field-based, operational, or industrial environments (construction, utilities, infrastructure, services) strongly preferred
• Experience operating in a performance-driven or Private Equity-backed environment
• Experience addressing key business issues such as turnover, employee relations, and leadership development at scale
• Prior experience as a senior HR leader (Director or equivalent)

Why this role:

This is a unique opportunity to:

• Take ownership of the HR function in a growing, operationally focused company
• Make an immediate impact on workforce stability and leadership effectiveness
• Partner directly with the CEO and influence the trajectory of the business
• Build toward a true enterprise HR leadership role
• Lead meaningful change in a business with real opportunity for improvement and impact