Senior Director Human Resources - Operations

About the role

The Senior HR Director is a business partner to senior operational leadership and is responsible for leading, implementing and executing the organization’s HR strategy, key projects and initiatives within the Natural or Conventional group of Distribution Centers. The Senior HR Director provides leadership, strategic direction and execution of responsibilities focused on growing the business, implementing plans and strategies in line with UNFI culture and goals.

Responsibilities

• Leads the HR function for Natural or Conventional Distribution Center HR teams, provides functional HR expertise, executes on key projects, and drives performance through local HR teams.
• Mentors the HR team across the group. Responsible for leveraging best practices and creating a culture of collaboration within the group and Nationally.
• Leads team in strategy development, execution and advises on company-wide programs.
• Leverages a deep understanding of business needs and participates in systematically solving business problems across the group through the talent lens.
• Forecasts current and future talent needs. Gain in-depth understanding of business priorities and translate into workforce planning for the group.
• Oversees execution of the annual talent review process for the group.
• Assesses, monitors and manages employee engagement on a proactive, ongoing basis. Oversees implementation of associate engagement surveys and action plans, in collaboration and partnership with the business leaders.
• Identifies trends and works to systematically address disengagement issues. Actively selects and updates talent metrics. Derives insights from metrics and uses those insights to solve business problems, identify trends that require action, and improve processes.
• Drives initiatives to increase caliber of talent and increase retention rate; innovate ways to add value to our employer brand proposition. Creates a culture of collaborative problem solving to design comprehensive solutions. Proactively designs solutions before problems arise. Takes control of challenges that arise and collects feedback from multiple sources to address the problem. Adapts strategies and techniques to resolve individual conflict situations.
• Provides leaders and associates with robust coaching and resources to help them resolve and prevent interpersonal and team conflicts and adapt to different associate and leadership styles.
• Responsible for overseeing the execution of core annual programs, such as performance objectives and goal setting, performance evaluations, compensation planning, talent assessment, succession planning, wellness, annual enrollment, etc.
• Responsible for HR compliance activities within the group, requires thorough knowledge off HR policies and procedures as well as federal and state/province laws.

Requirements

• Education/ Certifications: Bachelor’s degree in business or related field. Master’s Degree preferred. PHR/SPHR/CHRL/CPHR Certification preferred.
• Experience: 15+ years of HR experience, or related field. 5-7 years of experience in HR leadership role.
• Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Demonstrates exceptional agility and a high sense of urgency, accurately assessing priorities, managing competing demands, and delivering results within required timeframes. Expertise in talent strategy, workforce planning, employee engagement, and organizational effectiveness. Comprehensive knowledge of federal, state/provincial, and local employment laws and regulations. Strong understanding of compensation, benefits, and employee and labor relations principles. Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills. Advanced analytical and data-driven decision-making capabilities. Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop high-performing teams. Results-oriented leadership with a strong focus on performance and accountability. Demonstrated ability to lead and execute complex projects and strategic initiatives. Strong business acumen with the ability to align people strategies to business objectives. Ability to build and sustain effective partnerships across all levels of the organization. Strategic problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate complex business and workforce challenges. Proven change leadership capabilities, including the ability to influence, drive adoption, and sustain organizational transformation. Good judgment is required for this position as there may be times when direct supervision may not be immediately available.