Director, Human Resources Strategy

Mezzetta; Larkspur (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Mezzetta is seeking a Director, People Ops to lead talent strategy, engagement, and culture, reporting to the VP of People Ops. This role drives talent frameworks, succession planning, and a recognition program, while shaping communications and employer branding across Mezzetta.

The position is based in Larkspur, CA with multiple office locations and occasional remote work, focusing on strategic initiatives with limited recruiting support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive HR experience at director level or higher.
• Experience designing talent, engagement, and culture programs end-to-end.
• Strong data fluency and ability to translate insights into action.
• Experience with predictive index or similar tools preferred.
• Experience building employer brand and internal communications programs preferred.
• AI proficiency (Claude, ChatGPT, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the company talent framework; drive talent assessments in partnership with leadership.
• Build and maintain the succession map for critical roles.
• Design, pilot, and scale the Career Framework with growth paths.
• Own learning and development; identify capability gaps and build programs.
• Lead leadership development initiatives and organizational effectiveness projects.
• Partner with leadership on culture and engagement initiatives.

Skills

Talent management

Engagement programs

Culture initiatives

Data-driven decisions

Executive communication

People analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or HR cert

Job description

About Us:

Since 1935, we've been on a mission to bring a little extra happiness to everyday life and inspire connections over food. We select the finest ingredients the world has to offer, craft premium products made with love, and never settle for shortcuts. We believe that when we share our food, we share a part of ourselves — and that's the only way we'd put our name on it.

About Us:

Since 1935, we've been on a mission to bring a little extra happiness to everyday life and inspire connections over food. We select the finest ingredients the world has to offer, craft premium products made with love, and never settle for shortcuts. We believe that when we share our food, we share a part of ourselves — and that's the only way we'd put our name on it.

Today, our small family company has grown into a national leader in specialty olives, peppers, and sauces under the leadership of CEO Jeff Mezzetta, and our commitment to quality has never wavered. With an 80‑year legacy behind us and a bright future ahead, we're seeking passionate, driven candidates to help us bring our cherished family traditions to a new generation.

The ideal candidate will have an immediate connection to our Core Ingredients:

• Crunchy Crunchy: We are hungry for excellence.
• Own It: We think and act as an owner – with appetite, initiative, and responsibility.
• Connection: We build authentic relationships that foster trust and open communications.
• Vibrance: We come to work eager and passionate about fulfilling our vision. When we share our work, we share a part of who we are.

Mezzetta is searching for a strategic Director, People Ops, who puts people first and helps our teams, and our business, thrive. Reporting to the VP, People Ops, this leader will own the strategic talent agenda for the company: talent strategy and management, employee engagement, culture, recognition, internal communications, employer brand and reputation, and talent acquisition. This role is a critical complement to our Director, People Operations, who owns the organizational infrastructure, systems, and processes that enable the company to scale; together, the two roles form a complete People Ops leadership team.

This Director will work out of our Larkspur Landing office and our American Canyon office, based on business needs (with one day remote).

This is not an "HR support" role. It is a role for a builder and a driver: a leader who sees talent and culture as a competitive advantage and a direct enabler of company strategy. The Director will translate our people strategy into programs that are designed well, executed with discipline, and measured honestly, from our new talent framework, succession mapping, and career architecture, to a recognition program built on direct employee input, to a communications rhythm that builds trust ("You said, here's what we're doing").

The Director will also own talent acquisition strategy and outcomes, with limited recruiter support. Depending on budget and hiring needs, this leader should be prepared to flex into hands on, full cycle recruiting at times, including sourcing and screening. In all cases, talent acquisition remains a meaningful but bounded part of the role, approximately 30% or less, with the majority of time focused on talent strategy, engagement, and culture.

The ideal candidate is a business minded operator, not a theorist: someone who designs pragmatic programs, drives adoption, uses data to inform decisions, and builds credibility through follow through. They are energized by a fast-paced, evolving environment and by the opportunity to shape how a growing organization attracts, develops, engages, and retains great people.

Responsibilities

Talent Strategy & Development

• Own and evolve the company talent framework; drive consistent talent assessments and calibration in partnership with the VP, People Ops and leadership.
• Build and maintain the succession map for critical roles.
• Design, pilot, and scale the Career Framework, creating role clarity and credible growth paths for employees.
• Own learning and development: identify capability gaps and build practical development programs, including manager and leader capability in talent practices.
• Support leadership development initiatives, including the Leadership Operating System and Predictive Index assessments.
• Partner with the Director, People Operations and leadership on organizational and operational effectiveness initiatives.

Engagement, Culture & Recognition

• Own the employee engagement strategy from end to end: surveys, insights, action planning, and visible follow through.
• Design and launch the company Recognition & Reward Program, built on direct employee input, and champion adoption.
• Translate Mezzetta's core ingredients of Crunchy Crunchy, Own It, Connection, and Vibrance into observable behaviors reinforced through hiring, onboarding, recognition, and everyday leadership practices.
• Act early on engagement, retention, and morale risks; bring data and recommendations to the VP, People Ops before issues become problems.

Communications & Employer Brand

• Run a consistent internal communications rhythm, including Town Hall content, monthly updates, and "You said, here's what we're doing" follow through.
• Ensure clear, credible communication during periods of change, in partnership with the VP, People Ops and Leadership Team.
• Own Mezzetta's employer brand and external reputation, including careers content and active management of employer review sites (e.g., Glassdoor, Indeed) and social platforms (e.g., LinkedIn): monitor, respond on brand, and address recurring themes with real internal action.

Talent Acquisition Partnership

• Support recruiting and partner with contract recruiter, who owns sourcing, screening, scheduling, and pipeline management, to keep hiring on track and high quality.
• Lead select or critical searches when needed.
• Strengthen hiring manager interviewing and selection capability, and ensure the candidate experience reflects the Mezzetta employer brand.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MSHR) or HR certification (SPHR or SHRM) preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive HR experience, including experience owning talent management, engagement, or culture programs at a director or senior manager level.
• Proven ability to design and execute talent, engagement, and culture programs from concept through adoption, not just recommend them.
• Strong strategic thinking paired with an operator mindset; comfortable moving between the whiteboard and the work.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience crafting communications for employees and presenting to senior leaders.
• Strong data fluency and the ability to analyze engagement, retention, and talent data and translate insights into action.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and coach leaders and managers without formal authority.
• Experience managing or directing team members, contractors, or agency partners and holding them accountable for outcomes.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to handle sensitive talent and organizational information with confidentiality.
• Full cycle recruiting experience, including sourcing, screening, interviewing, and closing, plus experience directing recruiters or agencies; able to run searches directly when resourcing requires.
• Strong project and change management skills; highly organized with a track record of delivering quality work on time.
• Experience with talent assessment and development tools (e.g., Predictive Index or similar) preferred.
• Experience building employer brand and internal communications programs preferred.
• AI proficiency (Claude, ChatGPT, etc.).

Pay Range

$180,000—$190,000 USD

Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace

At Mezzetta, we embrace diversity and strive to create an inclusive environment where you know you belong. Part of that commitment includes a zero-tolerance policy and being an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions at Mezzetta are solely based on merit, qualifications, abilities and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, national origin, disability, military or veteran status, family or parental status, pregnancy, or any other status protected by law. All of us share in the responsibility of fulfilling this commitment and creating a culture where our team can thrive.