- The Director, Human Resources Operations will support the Operations team across cultivation, processing, and distribution facilities.
- Key responsibilities include workforce planning, employee development, performance management, union relations, benefits administration, and open enrollment engagement.
- Qualifications for the role include a Bachelor's degree in HR or related field, 7+ years of HR experience, and proven expertise in union relations.
- The work environment is in an office setting, with moderate noise levels, and physical requirements include sitting, using hands, standing, walking, reaching, speaking, and listening.
Ascend Wellness
@awh
The Director, Human Resources - Operations will serve as a key HR leader supporting our Operations team across cultivation, processing, and distribution facilities. This individual will focus on executing HR strategies, building relationships across teams, and fostering a high-performance culture aligned with AWH's mission and values. This role combines hands-on HR partnership with leadership of a high-performing team of HR professionals.
We're seeking a collaborative, adaptable HR leader with strong experience in operational environments and a passion for employee engagement, performance management, and team development.
Location: Onsite in Athol, MA with travel to other sites 30-40% of the time
Key Responsibilities
- Partner with Operations leadership to support workforce planning, employee development, performance management, and employee relations.
- Lead and coach a team of HR business partners supporting multiple facilities and locations.
- Lead union relations for operations including negotiations, grievances and drive consistency among enterprise; develop relationships with union staff to encourage positive employee experiences. Create short-term and long-term strategies for union relationships
- Benefits administration and open enrollment engagement.
- Maintaining records, associate files, badging processes, and reports, policies, and procedures to effect continual improvements in efficiency.
- Participation in Operations staff meetings, company-wide meetings and HR meetings.
- Employee communications, culture and diversity initiatives and recognition programs.
- Proactive recruitment and new employee onboarding and retention programs.
- Positive and productive employee relations to monitor employee concerns and address issues, conduct investigations, administer the progressive discipline process and recommend opportunities for improvement.
- Maintaining accurate and complete employee records.
- Drive consistency in HR practices across operations, ensuring alignment with company policy and compliance standards.
- Support employee engagement and culture initiatives, including feedback mechanisms, communication plans, and recognition programs.
- Manage routine HR functions including employee lifecycle processes, compliance, training, benefits support, and local onboarding.
- Participate in cross-functional HR projects with peers in Talent Acquisition, Learning, and Total Rewards to improve HR programs and processes.
- Collaborate on compensation reviews, annual performance evaluations, goal setting process, and talent calibration initiatives.
- Support employee relations by coaching managers, conducting investigations, and ensuring fair resolution of concerns.
- Contribute to HR reporting and data analysis, identifying trends and making tactical recommendations to improve key metrics (e.g., turnover, retention).
- Help drive initiatives related to new site launches, restructuring, or organizational change management.
- Stay up to date on employment laws and HR trends to ensure ongoing compliance and relevance.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, or related field; Master's degree or HR certification (PHR/SPHR, SHRM-CP/SCP) preferred.
- 7+ years of progressive experience in HR, with 3+ years in a manufacturing, distribution, or operations environment.
- Proven union relations expertise with prior bargaining experience
- Experience managing or coaching a team of HR professionals.
- Working knowledge of employee relations, compensation, talent development, and compliance.
- Strong relationship builder with the ability to influence and partner across departments.
- Proven ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience supporting unionized environments preferred.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel and PowerPoint.
- Strong communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
- Willingness to travel (30-40%).
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.
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