Human Resources Director - Millcraft

Company Overview

Family is a word that’s often misused, or overused. At Millcraft, however, it’s simply the truth — a continuing family story of devotion to customers, quality, and service, while always evolving and innovating to make doing business easier. We hold strong to our principles of honesty, responsibility and integrity. These are the common threads that tie our rich history to our dynamic present. And why Millcraft, amid the most technology driven distributors in the paper, packaging and graphic industries, will always feel like family.

Our Roots

Some things don’t change. We are the same hometown paper merchants our loyal clients have always known. But today we look different, with a strong, expanding, regional footprint and a network of partners that allow us to continue to diversify our offerings and provide products, service, technology and continuous growth to our customers.

Pauline and Harold Keil started Millcraft in 1920 with a simple philosophy: honor the customer relationship. Three generations of women owners have carried on those Millcraft values for nearly 100 years. Today, Millcraft is steered by Travis Mlakar, CEO, who continues to focus on family and community while forwarding innovation and leading the company into new, promising markets that allow our customers to remain strong and relevant in a quickly changing environment.

Where we’re going

We believe in innovation and evolution. But we’ll never stray from the values central to our long-lasting relationships with clients, suppliers, and communities. We are relentless in our drive to find fresh solutions and implement new technologies. Sometimes, our clients’ demands drive our expansion into new markets. We help your ideas grow from seed to fruition, together.

What we believe

Accessibility, flexibility, and creativity… at Millcraft, we have grown a business for over a century based on these ideals. We are family owned and Midwest strong, committed to supporting our communities because these are our homes. We lead our business guided by our principles, which tie us to our rich history and serve as a platform for innovation and growth.

We care. We know. We evolve. We deliver.

Our team is an extension of your business. Whatever you need, we’re here. Just ask.

Position Overview

Millcraft is currently looking for an energetic, self-starting, and dynamic Director of Human Resources to play a key role in the organization. Reporting to the Chief Experience Officer and working alongside the executive team, this individual will have the opportunity to engage with and influence all levels of the organization. This person will build and operate a best in class, data driven, values based and culture focused HR team. The ideal candidate will possess the ability to contribute HR and organizational expertise at the strategic level, coupled with a willingness to jump into the trenches with hands-on day-to-day responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assess current state of the HR function and move the organization to a best-in-class, sophisticated HR team that is viewed as a business partner, preparing for and enabling the organizational goals. This includes managing and optimizing a HR team of 3 resources, including employees in generalist, payroll and training functions.
• Act as a steward and leader of the organizational culture, ensuring that policies, procedures and behaviors live up to the cultural goals and values.
• Maintain a positive employee relations environment. Foster a collaborative culture with a focus on employee engagement, and retention.
• Develop and administer an effective talent management program to ensure there is a strong bench in place to operate the business and to fill positions internally to fuel the company’s growth. This will include succession planning, employee development and external hiring strategies.
• Analyze, design and manage compensation and benefit programs to attract, motivate, reward and retain the industry’s top talent.
• Design and direct the performance management program for the organization. Manager and enhance the performance review system that supports the allocation of rewards across the organization, along with promoting the identification of high-potential staff.
• Support, recommend and implement organizational change initiatives and processes, to ensure the most effective structure, and relevant job design not only for where we are, but for where we want to be in the future.
• Ensure compliance with all federal and state laws and regulations. Direct compliance efforts of the organization.
• Support union negations, in one facility, as needed.
• Establish and administer HR budget and direct the HR function in accordance with that budget.
• To act as the internal HR expert, providing legal and employee relations related expertise and guidance as needed.
• To act as a trusted advisor to both employees and leadership.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field.

• 7+ years of relevant HR generalist experience coupled with 2+ years acting as a manager/HR leader for an organization or business unit.
• Experience in an environment with a mix of hourly and salaried employees is required.
• Experience in a multi-facility company is strongly preferred; experience in a distribution, logistics and/or reseller environment is preferred.
• Experience from both a large corporate environment as well as a small/medium business is preferred, but not required.
• Experience working in or exposure to a unionized environment is preferred.
• Experience leading culture initiatives, as well as using data to drive key HR decisions and strategies.
• Experience with recruitment, coupled with experience recruiting for both professional and hourly positions.
• Experience providing complex problem/conflict resolution expertise.
• Experience providing coaching to an internal or external client base.
• Knowledge and experience applying state and federal employment regulations;
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite required; experience with Microsoft D365 and/or HubSpot preferred.
• Experience/familiarity with ADP or other HRIS system is required.
• Willingness to travel regionally (within a 4 hour drive) up to 25% of the time.

Required skills and abilities:

• Experience and proven record of working on multiple tasks/projects under tight time constraints;
• Entrepreneurial mindset, coupled with experience building something from scratch – examples may include and HR department, a process, a system or methodology;
• Ability to organize and establish priorities;
• Exceptionally self-motivated and directed with a keen attention to detail;
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills;
• Strong project management and problem-solving skills;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills coupled with the ability to engage effectively among various levels of management;
• Approachable and engaging style.