Director of Human Resources

North-America-Central-School-Bus; Naperville (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Bonus potential

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

North America Central School Bus is seeking a Director of Human Resources to lead HR across the North American operations. You will shape HR strategy, oversee talent acquisition, compensation, benefits, and compliance while partnering with the VP of HR.

You will manage a multi-site HR function, drive employee relations, workforce planning, and development, ensuring legal compliance across locations in a fast-paced, private-equity-backed environment.

Qualifications

• Five or more years of progressive HR experience in a multi-site environment.
• Experience with employment law and HR policy development.
• HR generalist background with broad employee lifecycle expertise.
• Private equity-backed or performance-driven settings preferred.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills.
• SHRM certification preferred; degree requirements noted.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an HR strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Lead an HR team serving both Services and Sales with consistency.
• Advise leadership on people strategy, org design, and workforce planning.
• Ensure HR processes comply with employment laws across locations.
• Oversee talent acquisition, onboarding, benefits, and compensation.
• Manage employee relations, performance management, and development.

Skills

HR leadership

Employment law knowledge

HR generalist

Multi-site experience

Strong communication

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

SHRM-CP/SCP preferred

Tools

Dayforce

Job description

Position Summary:

The Director of Human Resources leads the HR function for North America Central School Bus. The role is responsible for building and executing HR strategy across the full employee lifecycle, including talent acquisition, onboarding, performance management, benefits, compensation, HR compliance, workforce development, EEO, ADA, DOL, and ADEA compliance, and diversity, while providing functional HR expertise, process consistency, and legal compliance. The Director of HR works in close partnership with the VP of HR creating positive business relationships to drive human resources and enterprise excellence initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

HR Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and execute an HR strategy that supports the company's business objectives and aligns with NACSB strategies
• Build and lead a high-performing HR team capable of delivering consistent, high-quality service across both Services and Sales
• Serve as a trusted advisor to HR, Payroll, Benefits and leadership team on people strategy, organizational design, and workforce planning
• Drive HR process standardization and consistency across NACSB in coordination with the VP of HR
• Ensure the people-perspective is represented in business decisions, so implications are understood and the workforce is proactively managed; assessing the impact of business decisions on workforce and provide solutions to optimize opportunities
• Measure effectiveness of HR initiatives and positive employees relations via various tools including employee surveys, audits, and employee meetings; works with management to address identified gaps
• Stay current on employment law, regulatory requirements, and best practices, ensuring the company remains compliant across all operating locations

Employee Relations — Functional Support & Partnership

The Director of HR serves as the functional HR partner on employee relations matters, working in close coordination with functional leaders providing HR process expertise, documentation, compliance oversight, and day-to-day ER support.

• Provide counsel to employees at all levels of the organization in accordance with the company’s policies and procedures and ensure consistent interpretation and application of polices, regulations, and laws
• Investigate and resolve employee issues including the investigation of harassment, discrimination and other charges; manage discipline and discharge functions, and assume responsibility for the uniform and equitable application of policies across the organization
• Provide functional HR support on employee relations matters, including process design, documentation standards, and compliance with applicable employment law
• Partner with the VP of HR on significant ER matters, ensuring that HR process and legal requirements are fully addressed
• Manage day-to-day ER matters at the field and NACSB levels, escalating to the VP of HR when matters meet the threshold for senior corporate leadership involvement
• Maintain consistent ER records, case tracking, and trend reporting across NACSB
• Maintain union-free or positive labor relations environment
• Develop and maintain policies, manager training materials, and HR guidance documents that support consistent practice across the organization while being aligned with NACSB objectives

Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

• Lead talent acquisition strategy across all Service and Sales, with particular emphasis on driver recruiting pipelines and management-level hiring
• Develop workforce planning frameworks that anticipate staffing needs, identify talent gaps, and support business continuity
• Build partnerships with external recruiting resources, community organizations, and other sources to support talent pipelines
• Oversee onboarding programs that set new employees up for early success and reflect the culture of the organization

Benefits & Compensation

• Partner with NACSB Benefits Manager to co-lead the annual benefits renewal process ongoing employee communication, and daily benefit questions
• Develop and maintain a compensation philosophy and structure that supports recruitment, retention, and internal equity
• Partner with NACSB resources to develop compensation benchmarking and recommend adjustments to ensure the company remains competitive in its labor markets
• Working with NACSB partners, ensure compliance with all applicable benefits and compensation regulations

Performance Management & Development

• Administer performance management processes that drive accountability, development, and alignment with company objectives
• Deploy learning and development programs that support employee growth at all levels of the organization
• Support succession planning and leadership development efforts in coordination with VP of Human Resources and NAC leaders

HR Compliance & Administration

• Ensure compliance with all applicable employment laws and regulations
• Maintain accurate and complete HR records, systems, and reporting
• Support and assist as needed HR-related audits, regulatory filings, and reporting requirements
• Oversee the Dayforce HRIS platform and related HR technology, ensuring effective utilization

Experience & Qualifications:

• Five (5) or more years of progressive HR experience, with demonstrated success in a multi-site, part-time workforce environment
• Working knowledge of employment law
• Demonstrated HR Generalist experience
• Experience in private equity-backed or similarly performance-driven environments preferred
• Strong communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, or equivalent HR certification preferred
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field preferred