Dir, HRBP

Smurfit Westrock; Atlanta, Northern (GA, KY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Smurfit Westrock is seeking an experienced Human Resources Director, Consumer Food & Beverage West, to lead HR across 9 manufacturing sites in the United States. You will drive people strategy, organizational effectiveness, and employee engagement for roughly 2,200 employees, partnering with regional and site leaders to deliver practical solutions.

The role requires a hands-on, high-visibility leader who travels to sites, mentors a dispersed HR team, and champions safety, inclusion, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience in manufacturing operations.
• Self-starter with ability to proactively identify opportunities 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 translating challenges into effective people strategies.
• Experience developing workforce strategies that drive engagement, retention, leadership capability, and organizational performance.
• Proven track record building relationships with HR leaders, site leadership, frontline employees, and corporate stakeholders.
• Deep expertise in employee relations and resolving complex workforce issues.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, coaching, and influencing skills across dispersed organization.
• Data-driven, results-oriented with strong analytical/problem-solving skills.
• Hands-on leadership in operations engaging with employees and leaders.
• Experience leading organizational change across multiple sites.
• Willingness to travel approximately 50% across US and Canada.
• Preferred labor relations experience in unionized manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Serve as trusted advisor and strategic partner to regional and site leaders, aligning people strategies with business objectives.
• Lead, develop, and mentor a geographically dispersed HR team with consistent execution across locations.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive people strategy focusing on talent, culture, engagement, workforce planning, leadership development, and retention.
• Build partnerships across all levels, fostering trust, collaboration, and accountability.
• Coach leaders on organizational design, change management, and workforce decisions.
• Partner with site HR Managers to ensure consistent HR programs and leadership development.
• Lead labor relations strategy, guidance on bargaining, and workforce stability in partnership with labor relations teams.
• Support resolution of complex employee and labor relations matters with sound judgment.
• Champion employee engagement initiatives across the manufacturing network.
• Maintain visible presence in operations to understand challenges and opportunities firsthand.
• Drive organizational change and transformation to improve performance and capability.
• Leverage analytics to identify trends and deliver measurable outcomes.
• Collaborate with Corporate HR and Centers of Excellence to implement scalable programs.

Skills

Strategic HR leadership

Stakeholder management

Change management

Employee relations

Talent development

Data-driven decision making

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership coaching

Executive communication

Operational business acumen

Travel management

Union relations (preferred)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR or related field

Job description

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.