Director Human Resources

IDEX Corporation; Wooster (OH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

IDEX Corporation's Akron Brass unit in Wooster, Ohio is seeking an experienced Human Resources Director who partners with site leadership to align people strategies with business objectives. The role demands union‑experience, strategic HR leadership, and hands‑on execution to strengthen organizational capability and employee engagement.

You will lead HR across manufacturing, drive talent management, labor relations, and culture initiatives, ensuring effective HR processes and data‑driven

Qualifications

• 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Ensure consistent and effective execution of core HR processes and policies.
• Partner across the broader HR organization to leverage enterprise capabilities, practices, and resources.
• Use data and HR metrics to identify trends and guide business and talent decisions.

Skills

HR leadership

Employee relations

Coaching leaders

Change management

Communication skills

Manufacturing experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related

Job description

If you’re looking for a special place to build or grow your career, you’ve found it. Whether you’re an experienced professional, a recent college graduate or somewhere in between, IDEX is a place where you can apply your existing skills and learn new ones in an environment where you can make an impact.

With interesting opportunities in engineering, marketing, sales, supply chain, operations, HR, finance, and more across more than 40 diverse businesses (https://www.idexcorp.com/our-businesses/business-segments/) around the globe, chances are, we have something special for you.

Human Resources Director

Fire & Safety – 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’re 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’ll 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'll 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.

Are you ready to join a different kind of company where our people, our culture, and our commitments are centered around providing trusted solutions that improve lives around the world?

IDEX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IDEX gives consideration for employment to qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other consideration or protected category made unlawful by federal, state or local laws.

Attention Applicants: If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, please let us know. Likewise, if you are limited in the ability to access or use this online application process and need an alternative method for applying, we will determine an alternate way for you to apply. Please contact our Talent Acquisition Team at [e-mail] for assistance with an accommodation. These contact tools may be used only by individuals with a disability for accommodation requests. Do not inquire as to the status of an application.

Job Family: Human Resources

Business Unit: Akron Brass