Sr Director HR

Crucial Hire; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Crucial Hire is seeking a Senior Director, HR to lead and drive the HR strategy for a significant division. The role requires a seasoned leader who can operate at the intersection of business complexity and people strategy, navigating M&A activity and organizational changes.

The ideal candidate will partner with senior leadership to identify talent opportunities, close gaps, and elevate organizational capabilities, contributing significantly to sustainable growth.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of HRBP or related experience with senior leadership responsibility.
• 5+ years of client-facing experience at the senior leadership level.
• Strong data literacy and ability to interpret data into decisions.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Earn a seat at the table with senior operations leaders as a trusted peer.
• Lead strategic workforce planning and organizational design efforts.
• Provide expert guidance on employee relations and risk mitigation.

Skills

HRBP experience

Leadership responsibility

Client-facing experience

Data literacy

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

PHR/SPHR/SHRM-CP/SCHM-SCP certification

Tools

Workday

Job description

Sr Director, HR
Location: Confidential | Compensation: $200,000 – $300,000 base

About the Company

Our client is a large, complex, high-growth organization operating across multiple business lines and geographies within the financial field where the pace is fast, the stakes are real, and HR is expected to operate as a true business partner, not a support function. This is a confidential search.

About the Role

The Senior Director, HR is a senior people leader accountable for owning and driving the HR strategy for a significant division of the business. This is not a generalist seat. It is for the HRBP executive who has operated at the intersection of business complexity and people strategy, someone who has navigated M&A activity, large-scale organizational change, and high-growth environments and who can walk into a room of senior operations leaders and immediately add value.

This leader will partner across divisional leadership and the broader HR model to identify talent opportunities, close organizational gaps, and build the capabilities the business needs to scale.

Responsibilities

Strategic Business Partnership

• Earn and maintain a seat at the table with senior operations leaders functioning as a trusted peer and thought partner, not a service provider
• Translate business strategy into clear people priorities, helping leaders identify and build the organizational capabilities, structures, and behaviors required to execute
• Diagnose the gap between where the organization is and where it needs to be, then drive the right interventions, whether that's redesign, coaching, process improvement, or leadership development
• Bring data-driven counsel and sound judgment to leadership decisions, holding leaders accountable while maintaining credibility and trust

Organizational Design & Workforce Planning

• Lead strategic workforce planning efforts, capacity modeling, role clarity, critical role identification that support sustainable, scalable growth
• Partner with leaders through complex organizational changes, including restructuring and transformation, ensuring transitions are well-managed and business disruption is minimized
• Identify and close structural inefficiencies before they become organizational drag

Team Leadership & HR Model Effectiveness

• Lead, develop, and hold accountable a team of HR professionals — setting clear expectations, driving high performance, and building a function that is trusted across the business
• Act as the connective tissue between HR Business Partners, Shared Services, and Centers of Excellence, ensuring the model is working as designed and internal clients are well-served
• Establish operating rhythms and priorities that maximize team impact and make efficient use of resources

Employee Relations, Compliance & Risk

• Provide expert guidance on complex employee relations matters, demonstrating strong judgment and a balanced approach to business needs and risk mitigation
• Stay ahead of HR trends, regulatory developments, and emerging best practices to keep the organization's people strategy current and defensible

Qualifications

• 10+ years of HRBP or related experience, including senior leadership responsibility
• 5+ years of client facing experience at the senior leadership level
• Experience navigating M&A activity, organizational transformation, and high-growth environments
• Strong data literacy, able to access, interpret, and translate data into decisions
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills across all levels of an organization
• Bachelor's degree required; PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification preferred
• Experience with Workday preferred
• Willingness to travel as required

Equal Opportunity

Our client is committed to building strong, diverse teams and an environment where high performers can do their best work.

To Express Interest

This is a confidential search. Please reach out directly for more information.

Click here to apply online