Human Resources Director
Fire & Safety 6 Akron Brass Business Unit
Location: Wooster, Ohio
At Akron Brass, we design and manufacture mission-critical equipment for firefighters and emergency-response professionals, helping those who protect lives and communities perform safely and effectively when it matters most.
Who We 27re Looking For
We are seeking an experienced Human Resources Director who serves as both a strategic business partner and hands-on HR leader. This role partners closely with site and business leadership to align people strategies with business objectives, strengthening organizational effectiveness, leadership capability, employee engagement, and overall performance. The role also requires strong employee and labor relations expertise, demonstrating the ability to lead in a unionized manufacturing environment.
The successful Human Resources Director will be more than the site's HR expert. They will be a business leader who happens to lead HR. They will build credibility from the shop floor to senior leadership, strengthen the leadership bench, improve organizational capability, and create an environment where employees understand how their work connects to customers and business performance. They will bring the judgment to know when to challenge, when to coach, and when to act.
What You 27ll Do
Business & HR Leadership
- Serve as a trusted advisor to business and site leadership, connecting people priorities to business objectives.
- Develop and execute HR strategies that support growth, organizational effectiveness, operational performance, and strong employee experience.
- Use workforce insights and business acumen to identify organizational needs and proactively recommend solutions.
- Lead organizational change while helping leaders communicate effectively and build employee commitment.
Talent & Organizational Capability
- Strengthen the leadership pipeline through talent reviews, succession planning, development planning, and targeted recruiting.
- Partner with leaders to assess organizational capability and ensure the business has the right talent and structure to deliver its priorities.
- Coach leaders on performance management, development, accountability, and building high-performing teams.
- Build bench strength for critical roles and help accelerate the development of emerging leaders.
Employee & Labor Relations
- Serve as a key HR leader for the site's union-represented workforce.
- Provide HR leadership for collective bargaining, contract administration, grievances, investigations, employee concerns, and interpretation of employment practices.
- Balance strong employee advocacy with the needs of the business while maintaining a respectful, productive workplace.
Culture & Engagement
- Continue to foster a culture of accountability, inclusion, collaboration, continuous improvement, and employee engagement.
- Strengthen leader communication and connection with both salaried and hourly employees.
- Identify organizational and cultural barriers and work with leaders to address root causes rather than symptoms.
- Champion a strong employee experience while maintaining high expectations for performance.
HR Excellence
- Ensure consistent and effective execution of core HR processes and policies.
- Partner across the broader Fire & Safety and IDEX HR organization to leverage enterprise capabilities, practices, and resources.
- Use data and HR metrics to identify trends and guide business and talent decisions.
What You 27ll Bring
Required
- Bachelor's degree in human resources, Business, or a related discipline.
- 5+ years of progressive HR leadership experience in a business-facing environment.
- Demonstrated employee and labor relations experience.
- Experience supporting manufacturing, operations, or similarly complex workforce.
- Strong knowledge of employment practices and HR fundamentals.
- Proven ability to coach and influence senior leaders.
- Experience with talent management, succession planning, organizational development, and change leadership.
- Strong communication, judgment, and problem-solving capabilities.
Preferred
- Experience supporting a union-represented manufacturing workforce.
- Direct experience with collective bargaining, grievance administration, and labor contract interpretation.
- Experience leading HR for a manufacturing site or business unit.
- Master's degree or relevant HR certification such as SHRM-SCP or SPHR.
