Vice President of Human Resources

Placon Corporation; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Profit sharing opportunities

Advancement opportunities

Job summary

Placon Corporation, based in Madison, WI, seeks a strategic Vice President of Human Resources to join its Executive Leadership Team. This role guides talent acquisition, retention, culture, compensation, benefits, and leadership development for a 24/7 manufacturing operation across multiple locations.

The position leads workforce planning, oversees benefits and compensation, and partners with site HR managers to drive retention and engagement.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive HR leadership experience in manufacturing.
• Multi-site HR leadership experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state employment law.
• Experience leading HR for large direct-labor, multi-shift workforces.
• Ability to develop and communicate strategic initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, translating business objectives into people strategies.
• Develop and lead a talent strategy addressing labor-market challenges.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the HR team and build its capability to meet objectives.
• Own employee retention, especially production-floor turnover, and implement programs to reduce turnover.
• Lead culture development with programs to strengthen engagement and morale.
• Establish a market-based compensation philosophy using current data and benchmarking.
• Oversee benefits programs and 401(k) committees, ensuring cost-competitiveness.
• Ensure HR policies comply with federal, state, and local regulations.
• Strengthen HR structure across locations, clarifying centralized vs site responsibilities.
• Maintain recruitment, onboarding, and orientation for a 24/7 operation.
• Develop and implement training and leadership development programs.
• Utilize HR data and metrics to inform decisions and reporting.
• Develop internal and external communication strategies.
• Manage the HR department budget and ensure compliance with quality systems.

Skills

Executive leadership

Talent strategy

Workforce planning

Employee relations

HR analytics

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

SPHR or SHRM-SCP preferred

Tools

UKG HRIS

Job description

Vice President, Human Resources

We're looking for an experienced Vice President, Human Resources to join our Executive Leadership Team located in Madison, Wisconsin and support our 24/7 manufacturing operations across multiple locations. This strategic leader will develop and execute Placon's people strategy, including talent acquisition, retention, culture, compensation, benefits, and leadership development. If you're passionate about building high-performing teams, strengthening organizational culture, reducing turnover, and helping drive business strategy through people, this is an excellent opportunity to make a significant impact.

Compensation

Competitive executive-level salary based on experience. Comprehensive benefits package, profit sharing, and advancement opportunities.

Work Schedule

Full-time onsite position, Monday – Friday in support of standard business hours.

Why Placon – You'll Love It Here

• Executive leadership role with direct influence on company strategy and organizational growth.
• Opportunity to shape culture, talent strategy, leadership development, and workforce planning across multiple locations.
• Join a stable, family-owned organization that values innovation, integrity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Lead initiatives that drive employee engagement, retention, and business performance.
• Partner with experienced leaders to build high-performing teams and develop future talent.
• Make a meaningful impact on the employee experience and long-term success of the organization.
• Empowered to drive change, introduce new ideas, and influence key business decisions.
• Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and profit-sharing opportunities.

What You'll Do

• Serve as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, contributing to company strategy and translating business objectives into people strategies.
• Develop and lead a talent strategy that addresses labor-market challenges.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the Human Resources team, providing expertise and support without micromanaging, and build the team's capability to meet organizational objectives.
• Own employee retention, with particular focus on production-floor turnover: analyze root causes, set measurable retention goals, and implement programs that reduce turnover and the cost of backfilling.
• Lead culture development as a core HR responsibility, building programs that strengthen engagement, recognition, morale, and a sense of community.
• Establish a clear, market-based compensation philosophy. Use current local and industry market data, including competitor benchmarking and formal compensation studies, to keep pay externally competitive, internally equitable, and transparent to leadership.
• Oversee benefits programs, including broker and carrier relationships, the 401(k) committee, and workers' compensation, ensuring programs are cost-competitive and aligned with company objectives.
• Ensure that employee relations programs and leadership practices support the organization's goal of talent development and retention. Advise management on the resolution of employee relations issues across all sites.
• Direct the development, application, and interpretation of human resources policies, procedures, and programs, and ensures proper recordkeeping and compliance with federal, state, and local employment regulations.
• Evaluate and strengthen the structure of the HR function across all locations, clarifying responsibilities between the centralized Madison team (benefits, payroll, recruiting) and site HR managers.
• Maintain overall responsibility for recruitment, placement, onboarding, and orientation, partnering with hiring managers and staffing partners to meet the needs of a 24/7, multi-shift operation.
• Develop and implement leader and team member development programs, including needs assessment, budgeting, vendor selection, design, delivery, and evaluation of training activities.
• Ensure an effective human resource information system is in place, including leading HR's role in the current UKG implementation, and uses HR data and metrics to inform decisions and support internal and government reporting.
• Develop and implement internal and external communication strategies.
• Responsible for departmental budget for human resources operations.
• Support compliance with the company's formal quality management systems.

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of progressive HR experience with significant leadership responsibility in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience leading HR for large direct-labor, multi-shift workforces.
• Ability to collaboratively develop and communicate strategic initiatives.
• Demonstrated success reducing turnover and improving employee retention.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state employment law.
• Experience managing benefits, broker relationships, 401(k) plans, and workers' compensation.
• Strategic leadership and business partnership capabilities.
• Strong communication, coaching, and relationship-building skills.Ability to influence leaders at all levels of the organization.
• Data-driven decision-making and workforce planning experience.
• Multi-site HR leadership experience preferred.
• SPHR or SHRM-SCP certification preferred.
• Experience with UKG strongly preferred.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

Does this sound like you?

If you are a strategic HR executive who enjoys developing people, strengthening culture, driving business results through talent, and helping organizations grow through effective leadership, we'd love to hear from you. Apply today to join our team and help shape the future of Placon.

Placon employment offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment drug test, basic physical, background check, educational verification, and reference checks (as applicable).

Placon requires that employees have and maintain authorization to work in the country in which the role is based. In general, Placon does not sponsor candidates for non-immigrant visas or permanent residency unless based on business need.

Placon is committed to equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, marital status, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or other protected characteristics.

This role requires the ability to work through differing perspectives and resolve conflict in a respectful and professional manner consistent with The Placon Way.