VP of HR

Ignite Human Capital LLC; Torrance (CA); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Ignite Human Capital LLC isary seeking a Vice President of Human Resources for a major food service client in Torrance, CA. The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution to shape the HR function across the U.S.

business, partnering with senior leaders to drive growth and organizational design. The successful candidate will lead a multi-site HR team, build scalable processes for talent acquisition, compensation, benefits and compliance, and champion an inclusive culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or a related field
• 12+ years of HR experience, including 5+ years in a senior HR leadership role
• Proven track record of building or scaling an HR function in a growing organization
• Strong generalist background across talent acquisition, employee relations, compensation and benefits, HR operations and compliance
• Deep knowledge of California employment law and multi-state compliance
• Experience supporting a multi-site, high-volume or hourly workforce
• Excellent communication skills and the credibility to influence senior executives
• Preferred: SHRM-SCP, SPHR or similar certification
• Master's degree (MBA or MHR)
• Bilingual English/Japanese a plus

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a people strategy aligned with the company's U.S. growth plans
• Assess the current HR function, identify gaps, and build out the structure, roles and roadmap to scale it
• Recruit, lead, coach and develop HR team members as the department grows
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on organizational design, workforce planning and change management
• Build scalable hiring processes to support rapid growth across corporate and multi-site operations
• Partner with leaders on headcount planning, succession planning and leadership pipelines
• Strengthen employer brand and candidate experience
• Oversee compensation structures, benefits programs and total rewards strategy
• Establish and maintain HR policies, handbooks and procedures
• Lead HRIS, payroll partnership and HR data and reporting to support decision-making
• Ensure compliance with federal, California and multi-state employment laws
• Partner with legal counsel on employment matters and mitigate people-related risk
• Build performance management, training and leadership development programs
• Create career paths that help employees grow with the company

Skills

Communication

Generalist HR

Employee relations

Compensation & benefits

HR operations

Compliance

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business

Master's degree (MBA or MHR)

Job description

VP of HR

Torrance, CA - Hybrid 3 days on site

About the company

We are working with one of the world's largest food service companies, operating restaurant and food brands across multiple countries with a workforce in the tens of thousands. Its mission is to make safe, high-quality, affordable food available to people everywhere.

Role summary

The Vice President of Human Resources will join a growing HR team and help build it into a scalable, high-impact function for the U.S. business. This is a builder role: you will shape the structure, programs, policies and systems the organization needs for its next stage of growth.

You will partner closely with senior leadership as a strategic advisor while staying hands-on enough to get programs launched. The ideal leader is equally comfortable setting a people strategy and rolling up their sleeves to execute it in a fast-moving, multi-site environment.

Key responsibilities

HR strategy and team building

• Develop and execute a people strategy aligned with the company's U.S. growth plans


• Assess the current HR function, identify gaps, and build out the structure, roles and roadmap to scale it


• Recruit, lead, coach and develop HR team members as the department grows


• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on organizational design, workforce planning and change management

Talent acquisition and workforce planning

• Build scalable hiring processes to support rapid growth across corporate and multi-site operations


• Partner with leaders on headcount planning, succession planning and leadership pipelines


• Strengthen employer brand and candidate experience

Employee relations and culture

• Oversee employee relations, investigations and conflict resolution with consistency and fairness


• Champion an engaged, inclusive culture that reflects company values across sites


• Drive engagement, retention and recognition programs

Compensation, benefits and HR operations

• Oversee compensation structures, benefits programs and total rewards strategy


• Establish and maintain HR policies, handbooks and procedures


• Lead HRIS, payroll partnership and HR data and reporting to support decision-making

Compliance and risk

• Ensure compliance with federal, California and multi-state employment laws (wage and hour, leave, safety and related regulations)


• Partner with legal counsel on employment matters and mitigate people-related risk

Learning and performance

• Build performance management, training and leadership development programs


• Create career paths that help employees grow with the company

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or a related field


• 12+ years of progressive HR experience, including 5+ years in a senior HR leadership role (Senior Director, VP or Head of HR)


• Proven track record of building or scaling an HR function in a growing organization


• Strong generalist background across talent acquisition, employee relations, compensation and benefits, HR operations and compliance


• Deep knowledge of California employment law and multi-state compliance


• Experience supporting a multi-site, high-volume or hourly workforce


• Excellent communication skills and the credibility to influence senior executives

Preferred

• Experience in food service, restaurant, hospitality, retail or consumer goods


• Experience with a U.S. subsidiary of a global or Japan-headquartered company, or in a cross-cultural environment


• SHRM-SCP, SPHR or similar certification


• Master's degree (MBA or MHR)


• Bilingual English/Japanese a plus

Compensation and benefits

The target base salary for this role is $200,000 - $225,000, depending on experience and qualifications. The company offers a competitive benefits package, and details will be shared during the interview process.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to any characteristic protected by law.