Director, Field Human Resources

C3 Industries•Ann Arbor, MI

About The Position

The Director, Field Human Resources leads the human resource strategy, partnership, and risk mitigation efforts across the company’s field-based operations. This role serves as a key cross-functional partner to Retail, Facilities, and corporate field leadership, providing strategic human resources guidance, identifying potential people and compliance risks, and ensuring decisions align with legal requirements, company culture, and organizational goals. With focus on change management, organizational culture, employee relations, and proactive risk identification, the Director works closely with operations and the Vice President of People & Culture to develop consistent, scalable processes that strengthen the field employee experience and support sound decision making across all functional areas.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years of Human Resources experience, preferably in a retail environment.
Strong generalist experience (employee relations, compensation, training and development, coaching/counseling, change management, etc.
Ability to stay connected and involved with retail and facility teams through frequent visits, video/conference calls, attending staff meetings and company and team events. Up to 50% travel expected.
Strong (and current) knowledge of all laws and regulations pertaining to employment & labor laws.
Knowledge of KPI’s and metrics.
Proven ability to establish strong credibility and build relationships, operate in an environment of ambiguity, and maintain strict confidentiality.
Outstanding interpersonal skills; must display patience, humor and helpfulness for employee issues.
Strong results- orientation and commitment to quality, performance and deliverables.
Working knowledge of HRIS systems and comfortable learning new systems.
Effective multi-tasker with demonstrated ability to prioritize.
Demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills; ability to correspond in a professional, businesslike manner.
Must be able to obtain & maintain required state licenses based on work location.

Nice To Haves

PHR, SPHR or other HR certification, strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as a strategic advisor to field and corporate functional leaders, ensuring HR considerations, risks, and people impacts are integrated into planning and decisions.
Partner with Retail, Facilities, Safety, Operations, Finance, and other teams to align initiatives, address workforce implications, and maintain compliant, employee centered solutions.
Identify emerging risks or trends within field operations and proactively recommend strategies to the VP of People & Culture and operational leadership.
Strengthen the connection between human resource strategy and field execution by ensuring consistent communication, aligned decision making, and well-supported leaders.
Lead change management initiatives impacting field teams, ensuring operational leaders understand implications, risks, and best practices for effective adoption.
Support field leaders and cross-functional partners as they navigate organizational shifts, new processes, and culture-building efforts.
Evaluate field leader capabilities and organizational dynamics, identifying risks or gaps that could impact performance, morale, or compliance.
Help design and deliver field-focused leadership development and communication strategies to drive cultural alignment and operational consistency.
Serve as escalation point for complex, multi-layered employee relations matters, ensuring decisions minimize risk and align with employment law and company policies.
Partner with Legal, Operations, and Facilities teams to ensure organizational decisions involving employees are well-informed, consistent, and risk aware.
Guide Field HR Business Partners and field leadership in effective documentation, investigation, performance management, and conflict-resolution practices.
Conduct risk assessments related to employee relations trends, policy application, leadership effectiveness, and workplace culture.
Monitor field environments for vulnerability indicators and communicate risks to operations and executive leadership.
Develop processes and leader training that strengthen trust, visibility, and responsiveness throughout field operations.
Direct Field HR operations related to union engagement, including contract administration, compliance with collective bargaining agreements, and collaboration with field leadership to ensure consistent and legally compliant HR practices across designated markets.
Lead development of clear, operationally aligned HR processes, SOPs, and field-facing playbooks used across Retail, Facilities, and corporate field functions.
Collaborate with operations and corporate functional leaders to evaluate the people impact of proposed processes or initiatives, identifying risks, gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
Ensure policies and practices support compliance, consistency, and positive employee experience across all field locations.
Identify areas where structure or standardization is needed and create mechanisms to reduce future risk and operational ambiguity.
Provide leadership, coaching, and development to Field HR Business Partners, ensuring the team functions as a high-performing, trusted partner to the field.
Set clear expectations around risk assessment, documentation standards, communication practices, and cross-functional partnership.
Ensure HRBPs deliver consistent, aligned support that reflects the organization’s mission, culture, and compliance standards.
Review HR and operational data to identify risks, trends, and opportunities impacting field teams.
Provide actionable recommendations to field leadership and the VP of People & Culture based on metrics, employee relations data, turnover trends, and operational feedback.
Maintain regular communication with key cross-functional partners to ensure alignment between operational goals and HR risk mitigation strategies.