Executive Vice President, Human Resources

Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc.; Morristown (NJ); Remote; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the cannabis industry is seeking an Executive Vice President of Human Resources to provide strategic leadership in all HR initiatives. This role involves building a high-performing HR team, developing talent strategies, and ensuring alignment with the company's mission and values. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in HR leadership and a proven track record of fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 15 years of experience in HR leadership roles.
• Strong understanding of HR trends and employment law.
• Proven ability to build high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead HR strategy aligned with business goals.
• Develop and implement talent acquisition practices.
• Champion a positive company culture and employee engagement.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic Planning

Talent Acquisition

Change Management

Diversity and Inclusion

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources or related field

Master's degree or relevant certification

Job description

The Executive Vice President of Human Resources provides overall leadership of all strategic and tactical people initiatives. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the EVP, HR is a strategic partner and coach to the President and other ELT members. The EVP, HR will build a best-in-class HR team and will further develop people strategies and programs including culture, talent acquisition, onboarding, learning & development, employee engagement, performance management, retention, labor relations, diversity and inclusion, total rewards, organizational design, analytics, policies and compliance. The EVP, HR designs and implements all aspects of AWH HR infrastructure and systems for scaling the business through continued growth. The EVP, HR will work directly with the President, C-Suite, business segment leaders, and other key stakeholders to architect an organizational capability which is focused on ensuring that values, culture, work environment and operating practices are aligned with human resources practices and are continuously improved upon with measurable impact and evidence of business outcomes.

Location: Remote based with travel expectation as needed. Strong preference to candidates who reside in AWH's states of operation: IL, MI, OH, NJ, MA, PA, MD.

Key Responsibilities

1. Partner with the President and broader executive team to ensure human resources strategy is aligned with the business.
2. Build HR capability at the enterprise and regional levels with close connections to business operations.
3. Lead and develop a high-performing HR team that creates and executes HR strategy to support business goals.
4. Refine the HR organization.
   1. Assure rigorous, consistent, scalable approaches for fundamental HR processes, systems and disciplines.
   2. Determine and maintain the best operating model to help ensure that all HR approaches are effectively and consistently executed across the organization.
5. Help champion a cohesive, positive culture of high performance and high engagement.
6. Build and implement best-in-class practices for talent acquisition to support a varied workforce which includes retail, production and corporate employees across seven states (and new markets).
7. Develop, establish, and implement HR efforts across the Employee Life Cycle that effectively communicate and support the company's mission and strategic vision. This will include:
   1. Sound employee policies that foster the desired company culture and protect the company
   2. Strategic recruiting, retention, and change management plans
   3. Comprehensive compensation and benefits plans that are competitive, cost-effective, and appropriate to hourly workforce and corporate environments
   4. Relevant talent management strategies that are aligned with company goals and industry
   5. Forward-looking talent programs including talent management, training and leadership development
8. Serve as a key advisor to the President by building a trusted relationship, learning the business and partnering to architect the plans to support the scaling of AWH.
9. Build authentic relationships across the company and within the executive leadership team by demonstrating business acumen, trustworthiness, results, and character.
10. Architect the people component of the company's three-year strategic plan, in close partnership with the President and broader executive team.
11. Drive a meaningful diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) strategy focused on innovation, growth, and continuous improvement.
12. Other duties as assigned

Qualifications and Competencies

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field. A Master's degree or relevant certification is preferred.
• Minimum of 15 years of experience, ideally as a EVP, HR, CPO, SVP, HR, in a well-regarded HR organization of a company known for operational excellence and high performance.
• Strong understanding of current trends and best practices in human resources and employment law in public company environments.
• Demonstrated financial savvy as a business partner in a manufacturing, production, retail or comparable environment with a distributed workforce
• Be equally comfortable in the boardroom as in production facilities and retail environments and be able to easily pivot from the high-level strategic to very hands-on work in a lean environment.
• Demonstrate contemporary approaches to HR leadership, from work environments to total rewards practices.
• Be comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty, with the ability to adapt nimbly and lead others through dynamic and complex situations.HR Functional Expertise
• Deep experience within a best practice HR organization coupled with modern, innovative approaches to human capital strategy and practice.
• Expertise across core HR functions and sub-functions that enables leading the rapid development of all needed HR functions, processes, policies, and systems.
• Demonstrated willingness to roll up sleeves and lead the HR function, while also engaging strategically with the President and leadership team.
• Ability to travel as needed to our stores, sites, relevant events, MBR's, etc.
• Proven ability to build a sophisticated and operationally rigorous HR function.
• Experience building and developing leadership teams and recruiting at the Board level.
• Labor relations experience.
• Track record of building best-in-class talent acquisition and learning & development functions.
• Experienced in evolving total rewards practices.
• Operates as a strategic partner to the business; strong credibility with senior leadership.
• Brings proven leadership in supporting and developing diverse, inclusive and equitable cultures and workplaces.
• Track record of setting and sustaining impactful DE&I strategies.
• Change management: Demonstrated ability to galvanize a workforce through growth, bringing others along through clear communication and articulation of the vision and benefits of new approaches.
• Talent management expertise: Track record of implementing successful approaches to attracting, engaging, developing and retaining high caliber talent at all levels of an organization.
• Demonstrated effective approaches to end-to-end talent management in competitive markets.
• Leadership development: Expertise building executive leadership teams and acting as an advisory force in building high-performance teams.

Industry & Regulatory

• Possesses experience from industries with similar workforce needs.
• Knowledge of regional employment regulations.

Setting Strategy

• The ability to create and articulate an inspiring vision for the organization, not only for the areas the EVP, HR is directly responsible for, but the enterprise as a whole.
• The inclination to seek and analyze data from a variety of sources to support decisions and to align others with the organization's overall strategy.
• An entrepreneurial and creative approach to developing new, innovative ideas that will stretch the organization and push the boundaries within the industry.
• The ability to effectively balance the desire/need for broad change with an understanding of how much change the organization is capable of handling, to create realistic goals and implementation plans that are achievable and successful.

Executing for Results

• The ability to set clear and challenging goals while committing the organization to improved performance; tenacious and accountable in driving results.
• The motivation and desire to take "big company" expertise and experience and apply them at the appropriate level to a smaller, rapidly growing company.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty; the ability to adapt nimbly and lead others through complex situations and through change.
• Proven ability to operate and drive results in a lean environment while assisting the organization scale.
• A leader who is viewed by others as having a high degree of integrity and forethought in their approach to making decisions; the ability to act in a transparent and consistent manner while always taking into account what is best for the organization.

Leading Teams

• The ability to attract and recruit top talent, motivate the team, delegate effectively, celebrate diversity within the team, and manage performance; widely viewed as a strong developer of others.
• Sets clear roles, responsibilities and expectations. Drives a culture of accountability and high performance.
• A leader who is self-reflective and aware of his/her own limitations; leads by example and drives the organization's performance with an attitude of continuous improvement by being open to feedback and self-improvement.
• Role models character, integrity, and ethics for other leaders; strong personal moral compass.
• Leads courageously and moves easily between shaping strategy, visionary thinking and execution.
• Proven track record of performance, results and a customer focus.
• Change agent with the ability to clearly and concisely articulate strategy and vision, compassionately align people and process, and drive execution to achieve the desired results.

Relationships and Influence

• Establishes and maintains strong working relationships at all levels within the company, from the President, C-Suite and executive team to front-line employees.
• Naturally connects and builds strong relationships with others, demonstrating strong emotional intelligence and an ability to communicate clearly and persuasively.
• An ability to inspire trust and followership in others through compelling influence, powerful charisma, passion in his/her beliefs, and active drive.
• Culture carrier; demonstrated ability to galvanize and engage a workforce around a shared culture.
• Creates a sense of purpose/meaning for the team that generates followership beyond his/her own personality and engages others to the greater purpose for the organization as a whole.
• Teams cross-functionally with peers to accelerate organizational effectiveness and impact.
• Highly credible and contributory at the strategy table with the President and leadership team.

Driving Sustainability

• Firmly believes that both sustainability and profit are in the organization's best long-term interest.
• Integrates economic, societal, and environmental factors into a purpose-driven strategy, turning sustainability into a competitive advantage.
• Understands and incorporates viewpoints from all key stakeholders to drive decision making and share the benefits.
• Delivers breakthrough innovations and business models that create value for all stakeholders, continually challenging traditional approaches.
• Sets appropriate business and sustainability goals, driving concerted action and investments, and stays the course in the face of setbacks.

Work Environment

This position performs duties in an office setting. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, this position is regularly required to sit and regularly use hand(s) to handle, grasp, feel, and or touch. This position is occasionally required to stand, walk and reach with hands and arms. This position is required to speak and listen regularly.

Company Overview

Ascend Wellness Holdings (AWH) is a vertically integrated cannabis cultivator, processor and provisioning center operator with assets in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania. We seek to foster a robust and inclusive cannabis industry through a premium, unmatched customer-focused retail experience. We are looking to build a world-class team that will help carry out our mission of helping to shape the future of cannabis as a leading healthcare solution. We are committed to improving the quality of our patient's lives by offering unrivaled quality, consistency and meticulously curated products that satisfy our customers unique, individual needs. When it comes to customer service experience, our dispensaries will set a new standard of excellence, emphasizing health and wellness by a highly knowledgeable team. A team that is committed to our values, our people, and our communities; we are looking for people who are inspired by our vision and stay dedicated to our mission as we continuously expand.

EEO Statement

Ascend Wellness Holdings, LLC and its subsidiaries is an equal opportunity employer and celebrate the population of differences and does not discriminate in its hiring / hiring practices, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Nothing in this job specification restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Critical features of this job are described under various headings above. They may be subject to change at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons. The above statements are strictly intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of employees in this position.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at will" relationship.