Head of HR

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Airbus Commercial is looking for a Head of HR to join our team in Kinston, NC. The Head of HR, Kinston establishes, directs, and leads the Human Resource function at an operational facility with over 900 shop floor and office‑based employees. The successful candidate will be an integral member of the Site Management Team, guiding, supporting and coaching leaders at all levels of the organization.

This role is responsible for the successful alignment of HR & Workplace Function deliverables at the site, ensuring that site, region, and enterprise‑level objectives and goals are met. It requires constant coordination with Site, Program & Functional leadership interfaces, both within the U.S. and with the Airbus Founding Countries. The role is contingent upon obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals and the successful closing of a transaction which will result in establishing a new Airbus Affiliate in Kinston, NC (the “Kinston Affiliate”).

The Head of HR would be an employee of the Kinston Affiliate.

• Accountable for the site‑level HR & WP function and its successful delivery towards site objectives including HR Strategy development and deployment, Employee Relations, Health and Safety, Training & Organizational Development as well as delivering all other HR & WP initiatives via strong collaboration and partnership with all Centers of Expertise (COEs) and our Employee Services teams.
• Develop and deploy a cultural improvement program to further enhance the employee experience at the Site.
• Act and interface as a senior member and contributor to the U.S. Commercial HR Leadership Team, aligning site‑level requirements with regional and enterprise‑level HR & WP strategies.
• Advise/Support site‑level top‑management on all people and workplace related matters as a member of the site senior leadership team.
• Champion a health and safety‑first culture within the team and site.
• Lead site ramp‑up staffing, onboarding and training initiatives—delivering on time and within budget.
• Coordinate finance, program, and site leadership to ensure budgets and headcount models are appropriately defined and delivered.
• Report KPI status of defined initiatives at regular intervals to site, program regional, and EU‑level leadership.

• Lead a team of 4 direct reports, along with their teams, to deliver on defined objectives.
• Curate and maintain a collaborative, open, and performance‑driven culture within the HR & WP organization.
• Mentor, advise, and support reporting managers in the delivery of their team’s objectives and goals.
• Foster change leadership within the HR & WP organization, supporting the teams to act as Brand Ambassadors for HR & WP across the site, acting upon opportunities to improve the employee experience wherever possible.
• Maintain positive employee relations, respond to employee concerns and facilitate investigations as needed.
• Provide guidance to HR & WP employees in the deployment of consistent, accurate, and efficient HR & WP consulting practices at the Site.
• Ensure HR & WP teams are resourced properly and actively eliminate blockers to the delivery of HR & WP objectives as escalated by the teams.

• Responsible for the production ramp‑up related HR & WP deliverables.
• Regularly review and deliver on site‑level HR & WP and Culture projects to support site objectives.
• Actively participate and/or mentor direct reports in the delivery of regional and enterprise‑level projects as defined.

• Updates job knowledge by participating in conferences and educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
• Mentor others in the Airbus way of leading and working.
• Supports other initiatives as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent work experience.
• Advanced degree (MS, MBA, or JD) (preferred).

• 15+ years of operational HR experience.
• Past…