Dir, HRBP

Smurfit Westrock; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Smurfit Westrock seeks a strategic Human Resources Director, Consumer Food & Beverage West, to lead HR across a nine-site manufacturing network in the United States. You will partner with regional leaders, oversee an HR team, and drive people strategies to enhance engagement, retention, and performance.

You will guide organizational design, change management, talent development, and labor relations while maintaining safety and compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive Human Resources leadership experience supporting manufacturing operations within large, global, matrixed organizations.
• Self-starter with proactive problem-solving and limited supervision.
• Proven experience partnering with senior operational leaders and influencing business decisions through strategic HR leadership.

Responsibilities

• Serve as trusted advisor to regional leaders, aligning people strategies with business objectives.
• Lead and mentor a geographically dispersed HR team with consistent execution across locations.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive people strategy focusing on talent, culture, engagement, and workforce planning.
• Partner with site HR Managers to ensure consistent HR program execution and leadership development.
• Support union relations, labor risk mitigation, grievance management, and workforce stability in collaboration with labor relations teams.
• Drive organizational change and transformation initiatives to improve performance and capability.
• Leverage HR data and analytics to identify trends and inform decisions.

Skills

HR leadership

Manufacturing HR

Strategic partnership

Change management

People analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

HRIS systems

Job description

General Information

Job ID ATR67733 Posting Job Title Dir, HRBP Locations GA Atlanta Headquarters Employment Type Full Time Date Posted 23-Sep-2026 Relocation Support No Description & Requirements

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is the go-to leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging. We are dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity and respect, we are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.

The Opportunity

As the Human Resources Director, Consumer Food & Beverage West, you will serve as the senior HR leader supporting a multi-site manufacturing organization comprised of 9 sites across the United States. Supporting approximately 2,200 employees, you will partner closely with Regional Vice Presidents, HR Managers, Operations Leaders, Finance Leaders, and Corporate Centers of Excellence to develop and execute a people strategy that drives business performance, organizational effectiveness, employee engagement, and operational excellence. This role requires a highly visible, hands-on leader who builds strong relationships throughout the organization and is comfortable spending significant time in the manufacturing plants and operations. The successful candidate will be a proactive, self-starting HR leader who anticipates business needs, influences senior leaders, and delivers practical solutions that support a high-performance culture while maintaining employee relations.

How You Will Impact Smurfit Westrock

• Serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to the Regional Vice President, General Managers, Operations Leadership Teams, Finance Leadership Teams, and HR Managers, aligning people strategies with business objectives and operational priorities.
• Lead, develop, and mentor a geographically dispersed HR team while ensuring consistent execution and alignment across all supported locations.
• Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive people strategy focused on talent, culture, engagement, workforce planning, leadership development, succession planning, retention, and organizational effectiveness.
• Build strong partnerships and credibility across all levels of the organization, from frontline employees to senior executives, fostering trust, collaboration, and accountability.
• Coach and influence business leaders on organizational design, change management, leadership effectiveness, talent decisions, and workforce challenges.
• Partner closely with site HR Managers to ensure consistent execution of HR programs, policies, and practices while developing leadership capability across the HR organization.
• Serve as the HR leader for labor relations strategy, providing guidance and support on collective bargaining agreements, union relationships, labor risk mitigation, grievance management, and workforce stability in partnership with the labor relations team and site leadership.
• Support the resolution of complex employee and labor relations matters, utilizing sound judgment, business acumen, and risk-based decision making to achieve positive outcomes.
• Champion employee engagement initiatives across the manufacturing network, identifying opportunities to strengthen culture, enhance retention, improve communication, and create best-in-class employee experiences.
• Maintain a visible presence in manufacturing operations, regularly engaging with employees and leaders to understand business challenges, workforce concerns, and operational opportunities firsthand.
• Drive organizational change and transformation initiatives that improve business performance, operational effectiveness, and workforce capability.
• Leverage workforce analytics and HR metrics to identify trends, inform decision making, and deliver measurable business and people outcomes.
• Partner with Corporate Human Resources and Centers of Excellence to implement scalable programs and solutions that support enterprise objectives while addressing local business needs.
• Foster a culture that reflects the organization's values, with a strong commitment to safety, accountability, continuous improvement, inclusion, and operational excellence.

What You Need To Succeed

• Bachelor's degree required; Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive Human Resources leadership experience supporting manufacturing operations within large, global, matrixed organizations. Preferably, experience in a business partner-facing role in a heavy manufacturing organization.
• Self-starter with demonstrated ability to proactively identify opportunities, anticipate business needs, and implement solutions with limited direction.
• Proven success partnering with senior operational leaders and influencing business decisions through strategic HR leadership.
• Strong operational and business acumen with the ability to translate business challenges into effective people strategies.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing workforce strategies that drive engagement, retention, leadership capability, organizational effectiveness, and business performance.
• Proven track record of building strong relationships and credibility with HR leaders, site leadership teams, frontline employees, and corporate stakeholders.
• Deep expertise in employee relations and the ability to successfully navigate and resolve complex workforce issues.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, coaching, and influencing skills with the ability to drive results across a geographically dispersed organization.
• Data-driven, results-oriented leader with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Hands-on leader who enjoys being in the operations, engaging directly with employees and leaders, and understanding the realities of the manufacturing environment.
• Proven ability to lead organizational change and transformation initiatives across multiple sites.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 50% to support operations across the United States and Canada.
• Preferred labor relations experience in a unionized manufacturing environment.
• Candidates are required to undergo a drug screening after receiving a conditional job offer, but before starting employment.
• Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.