Vice President, People & Culture

Masco•Vista, CA

About The Position

The Vice President of People & Culture (VP, P&C) is a key member of the executive leadership team. This role is responsible for shaping and executing a company-wide people and culture strategy that enables business performance, strengthens leadership capability, and fosters an inclusive, high‑engagement environment across manufacturing, corporate, and global operations. This executive serves as a strategic advisor to the President and the broader executive team, effectively translating business strategy into scalable people practices across Talent Management, Culture, Engagement and Communication, Total Rewards, ER, Environmental, Safety and Security (ESS), and compliance. The VP, P&C serves as a visionary leader, driving strategic initiatives and operational excellence to position Watkins as an employer of choice. This executive role is responsible for architecting talent strategies that attract, develop, and retain world-class professionals, while expertly guiding the organization through periods of expansion, complexity, and transformative change. This role will also collaborate closely with Masco, Watkin’s parent company, to ensure strategic alignment and drive implementation of enterprise HR and ESS initiatives throughout Watkins. This partnership drives alignment with broader corporate goals that enable our overall business success, facilitates the sharing of leading practices and expertise, and maximizes the power of the Masco enterprise to enhance capabilities and accelerate our effectiveness.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive people leadership, including executive‑level experience.
Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Business, HR, or related field.
Experience leading People & Culture/HR for mid-to-large organizations (1,500+ employees), ideally in manufacturing or complex operations.
Proven ability to align people strategy with business outcomes in growth environments.
Experience with global, multi‑site operations and strong background in Mexico Maquiladoras.
Deep expertise in talent, organization effectiveness, labor strategy, total rewards, and compliance in the U.S. and Mexico.
Bilingual English/Spanish.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in HR, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or related field.
Strategic thinker with operational discipline.
Willing to travel across U.S. and Mexico operations, with periodic domestic and international travel.
Credible with leadership, Masco, and on the manufacturing floor.
Leads with empathy, clarity, and courage.
Comfortable navigating complexity, change, and growth.
Recognizes and operationalizes culture as a strategic advantage.

Responsibilities

Lead a comprehensive People & Culture strategy aligned with Watkins’ business objectives and values, establishing clear long‑term goals that support sustainable growth and a high‑performance culture.
Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership on organizational design, workforce planning, leadership capability, and culture evolution.
Translate enterprise strategy into actionable people priorities across manufacturing, corporate, and global teams.
Act as steward of Watkins’ culture, ensuring values are clearly communicated, embedded in leadership behaviors, and reinforced through people systems.
Drive initiatives that enhance engagement, inclusion, belonging, accountability, and high performance through aligned programs, feedback mechanisms, and recognition practices.
Strengthen leadership capability through enterprise-wide development, succession planning, and targeted executive coaching.
Partner with Masco’s Talent COE to support enterprise leadership and talent initiatives, ensuring alignment and leveraging shared best practices.
Oversee the full talent lifecycle: workforce planning, acquisition, onboarding, development, performance management, succession, and retention.
Assess and design organizational structures aligned with current and future business priorities, using data and analytics to build critical capabilities and close skill gaps.
Lead labor strategies across a complex global workforce, ensuring compliance, productivity, and strong partnership with operations on manufacturing and hourly populations.
Provide strategic oversight of compensation, benefits, recognition, and wellness programs, driving operational excellence and continuous improvement.
Use advanced people analytics to inform decisions, track KPIs, identify improvement opportunities, and evaluate the impact of HR strategies.
Ensure scalable, compliant, and efficient HR processes for 3,000 employees; maintain strong policies, mitigate risks, and optimize cross-functional operations.
Partner with Masco to ensure compliance with all employment laws across global locations, proactively updating policies and minimizing risk.
Identify and mitigate people-related risks through strong controls, fair practices, and a culture of trust and transparency.
Partner with Legal, Finance, and Operations to integrate compliance, governance, and risk management into business decisions.
Lead the Hotline process, ensuring timely, confidential, and thorough investigations, escalating significant cases as needed.
Serve as Global Fraud Point Person, overseeing fraud prevention, detection, coordination, and resolution.
Set and oversee a clear, consistent internal communications strategy that connects employees to purpose, strategy, and performance.
Partner with leadership and Masco on communications for business priorities, organizational change, and cultural moments across all teams.
Equip leaders to communicate effectively and foster trust through regular, two‑way communication.
Lead survey and listening strategies; analyze trends, facilitate focus groups, and drive action planning.
Design inclusive communication approaches tailored to a global, multi‑site workforce with diverse cultural and language needs.
Lead Watkins Wellness’ social responsibility and community engagement strategy aligned with company values and business priorities.
Oversee Watkins Cares and Masco Cares programs to drive positive community and environmental impact.
Serve as executive sponsor for employee-led community and charitable initiatives.
Provide executive oversight for ESS strategy across all operations, aligned with Masco enterprise standards.
Foster a proactive safety culture focused on prevention, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Ensure compliance with all applicable environmental, safety, and regulatory requirements, including OSHA, Cal/OSHA, Workers’ Compensation, and global regulations.
Partner with Operations, Legal, Finance, and Masco to assess and mitigate ESS risks and uphold strong governance.
Support environmental stewardship and ESG priorities, including voluntary and regulatory frameworks.
Execute Watkins and Masco ESS initiatives, audits, and improvement programs.
Lead all People & Culture components of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and partnerships from due diligence through integration.
Partner with Masco, Corporate Development, Finance, Legal, and Operations to assess people‑related risks, opportunities, and cultural considerations.
Oversee diligence across talent, leadership, labor, total rewards, culture, and compliance.
Design and implement integration strategies that align structures, leadership, and people practices while minimizing disruption and retaining key talent.
Ensure transparent communication and effective change management throughout.
Build and lead a high‑performing People & Culture leadership team through talent acquisition, coaching, development, and a culture of continuous improvement.
Model enterprise leadership expectations and Watkins Way Values.
Influence effectively across all levels through credibility, strong relationships, and consistent delivery.