Assistant Director of Human Resources

Description

The Assistant Director of Human Resources serves as a senior leader within the Human Resources department and reports directly to the Vice President of Human Resources. The position provides leadership and oversight of HR operations while supporting the Vice President in executing the organization’s human resources strategy.

The position serves as the primary leadership bridge between the Vice President of Human Resources and the HR Manager/HR Generalist, ensuring that strategic HR priorities are translated into effective day-to-day practices, programs, and processes.

The Assistant Director provides leadership to the HR team, handles complex and escalated employee matters, ensures consistency and accountability across HR programs, and supports organizational initiatives involving workforce planning, compensation, performance management, talent acquisition, employee relations, compliance, training, and employee development.

Unlike the Vice President, this position is not the organization’s senior HR executive or primary executive advisor. However, the Assistant Director should have sufficient authority and judgment to make HR recommendations, direct HR operations, advise management, and act on behalf of the Vice President on specifically delegated matters.

• Provide leadership, coaching, direction, and oversight to the HR Manager, HR Generalist, and other assigned HR staff.
• Oversee the daily effectiveness of HR operations and ensure department priorities, deadlines, service expectations, and established procedures are consistently met.
• Translate priorities established by the Vice President of Human Resources into actionable assignments and department deliverables.
• Establish accountability for assigned HR responsibilities and follow up to ensure timely and accurate completion.
• Coach and develop HR staff to strengthen technical knowledge, judgment, communication, problem-solving, and independent decision-making.
• Review the quality and consistency of HR documentation, employee communications, investigations, disciplinary actions, recruiting activities, and other HR work products.
• Identify operational issues requiring intervention and implement corrective actions within delegated authority.
• Escalate significant organizational, legal, financial, employee-relations, or reputational risks to the Vice President.
• Provide leadership continuity for the HR department when the Vice President is unavailable on matters specifically delegated to the position.

• Serve as an escalation point for employee relations matters that require a higher level of HR judgment or intervention.
• Lead or oversee complex workplace investigations, employee complaints, disciplinary matters, performance concerns, workplace conflicts, and employment separations.
• Review significant disciplinary actions and termination recommendations for consistency, documentation, policy compliance, and employment risk before escalation to the Vice President when appropriate.
• Advise managers and supervisors regarding employee relations, performance management, attendance, workplace conduct, policy interpretation, documentation, and corrective action.
• Coach managers to take appropriate ownership of employee matters rather than relying on HR to make routine management decisions.
• Identify recurring employee-relations trends and recommend improvements to management practices, policies, communication, training, or organizational processes.
• Partner with the Vice President on highly sensitive, high-risk, or executive-level employee matters.

• Oversee administration and consistent…