Senior Director, People

Our client is seeking an accomplished Senior Director, People Operations to serve as a strategic HR business leader responsible for developing and executing people strategies that enable business growth, strengthen organizational capability, and build a high-performance culture across a complex, global organization.

Reporting to a senior business executive, this leader will serve as a trusted advisor to business and functional leadership while partnering closely with the broader People Leadership team to align talent, organizational design, leadership capability, workforce strategy, and culture with evolving business priorities.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced HR leader with significant experience supporting complex, global manufacturing organizations across North America and Europe , ideally within a consumer-focused or CPG environment. This leader will bring a strong balance of strategic thinking and operational execution, with demonstrated expertise across organizational transformation, talent management, succession planning, workforce planning, employee engagement, employee relations, and organizational effectiveness.

This role requires a highly collaborative leader with demonstrated success partnering across Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Operations, Commercial, R&D, Finance, and Corporate Functions in multiple countries and geographies. The Senior Director will be comfortable operating in a global matrix environment, balancing enterprise priorities with the unique needs of regional and local businesses.

A significant focus of the role will be contributing to and influencing broader global People strategies and initiatives, including close partnership with global manufacturing operations and senior leadership teams.

Global Manufacturing & Operations Partnership

• Partner closely with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, and Operations leaders across North America, Europe, and other international markets to strengthen workforce capability and organizational effectiveness.
• Provide strategic HR leadership to complex, multi-site manufacturing operations, including large-scale manufacturing facilities and operational environments.
• Support workforce planning related to business growth, automation, operational excellence, productivity initiatives, and plant transformation across multiple geographies.
• Partner with regional and international HR and operational leaders to ensure alignment between enterprise People strategies and local workforce requirements.
• Guide leaders through workforce changes, organizational restructuring, site transformations, and evolving business requirements.
• Leverage global manufacturing and HR best practices to strengthen organizational capability, leadership effectiveness, and operational performance.
• Ensure People programs effectively support both frontline manufacturing employees and corporate functions across diverse geographic markets.
• Support effective employee and labor relations strategies in partnership with local HR and Legal teams, with an understanding of differing employment practices and regulatory environments across international markets.
• Serve as a key member of the broader People Leadership team, contributing to global HR strategy, programs, and enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Partner with HR and business leaders across multiple geographies to align People priorities with business and organizational strategies.
• Lead and influence cross-functional and global HR initiatives spanning multiple countries, business units, functions, and manufacturing locations.
• Build strong partnerships with international HR and manufacturing leadership teams to share best practices and strengthen organizational capability.
• Ensure global People programs are effectively translated into regional and local execution.
• Navigate cultural, organizational, and regulatory differences across international markets while maintaining alignment with enterprise priorities.
• Share talent, leadership, workforce, and organizational effectiveness practices across global geographies.
• Influence enterprise-wide People strategies while remaining closely connected to the operational realities of the business.

Required Experience

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree or MBA strongly preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive Human Resources leadership experience, with increasing responsibility within complex organizations.
• Significant HR leadership experience supporting global, multi-site manufacturing organizations across North America and Europe, with additional international exposure preferred.
• Demonstrated experience supporting manufacturing operations in Canada, the United States, and/or Europe is required.
• Experience within Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), food & beverage, personal care, household products, pharmaceuticals, or another large-scale manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success partnering with senior executives and executive leadership teams.
• Experience operating effectively within a global, matrixed organization with multiple business units, functions, manufacturing sites, and geographies.
• Proven ability to partner with leaders across North American and European manufacturing environments, with an understanding of the operational, cultural, and workforce differences between regions.
• Demonstrated experience leading organizational transformation, restructuring, and change management initiatives across multiple geographies.
• Strong expertise in organizational design, organizational effectiveness, and workforce planning.
• Deep experience in talent management, succession planning, leadership development, and performance management.
• Experience supporting Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Quality, or other operationally intensive environments.
• Demonstrated ability to translate global People strategies into effective regional and local execution.
• Experience working with global HR teams and Centers of Excellence.
• Strong knowledge of employment practices, HR compliance, and employee relations, including familiarity with Canadian and European employment environments.
• Experience using workforce data and analytics to influence business decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and drive change without direct authority.
• Strong communication, relationship-building, collaboration, and executive presence.

Preferred Experience

• Experience supporting a global CPG or consumer-focused organization with manufacturing operations across North America and Europe.
• Experience working directly with European manufacturing operations in major European markets.
• Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, integrations, or divestitures across international markets.
• Experience leading or supporting organizational redesign initiatives across multiple countries.
• Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, or Operational Excellence experience.
• Experience supporting automation, plant transformation, or significant manufacturing modernization.
• Experience leading HR through significant business transformation.
• Experience developing and implementing global talent, leadership, or organizational effectiveness programs.

Leadership Profile

The successful candidate will be:

• Strategic and commercially minded , with the ability to connect People strategy directly to business performance.
• Operationally grounded , with credibility among manufacturing and frontline leaders.
• Globally experienced , with an appreciation for the cultural and regulatory differences across North America and Europe.
• Change-oriented , with a demonstrated ability to lead organizations through transformation and complexity.
• Influential and collaborative , able to build alignment and drive outcomes across a matrix without relying solely on formal authority.
• Executive-ready , with the communication skills and presence to advise and challenge senior leaders.
• Hands-on and pragmatic , comfortable moving between enterprise strategy and operational execution.

Confidentiality

This is a confidential executive search . Additional information regarding the organization, leadership structure, business strategy, and specific scope of the position will be shared with qualified candidates as the search progresses.