At Iowa Civil, we know our strength is built by our people. We are seeking a strategic, field-minded Construction HR Business Partner to lead our talent lifecycle. Reporting directly to the VP of Construction Operations, you will bridge the gap between human resources strategy and day-today execution across office and field operations. You will act as a trusted advisor to leadership—designing recruiting pipelines, building structured workforce succession plans, and cultivating an inclusive, high-performing safety culture across our day and night shift crews.
Key Responsibilities & Duties
Strategic Workforce & Succession Mapping
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Gap Analysis: Evaluate field and management teams to identify immediate hiring needs and critical skill gaps.
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Career Pathing: Refresh job descriptions and clearly define accountability metrics for every tier of the field and corporate structure.
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Succession Planning: Identify business-critical roles and develop proactive, internal talent pipelines to ensure seamless business continuity.
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HR Infrastructure: Maintain accurate employee records, compliance documentation, and workforce analytics to drive data-backed staffing decisions.
Employee Development & Training
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Program Design: Formalize, launch, and monitor training programs addressing workforce skills gaps, focusing heavily on safety compliance and field leadership.
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Performance Management: Own and modernize the annual performance evaluation process, ensuring feedback loops are actionable for both field crews and management.
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Tracking: Systematically track training progress, safety certifications, and specialized licensing (e.g., CDL, OSHA) across all teams.
Targeted Recruiting & Talent Acquisition
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Employer Branding: Elevate Iowa Civil’s presence across local industry channels, trade organizations, high school/trade school partnerships, and social media platforms.
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Process Optimization: Standardize and optimize the full-cycle recruiting process, ensuring a fast, respectful, and highly modern candidate journey.
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Operational Hiring: Partner with superintendents and project managers to dynamically source and hire specialized construction talent (day/night shift field crews, project managers, and estimators).
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Onboarding Integration: Coordinate an immersive onboarding process that rapidly integrates new hires into Iowa Civil’s field safety procedures and company culture.
Retention & Field Engagement
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Trend Analysis: Track, analyze, and report on employee turnover metrics to identify root causes and implement retention strategies.
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Field Credibility: Spend active time in the field to build trust, resolve conflicts, and maintain high morale among labor forces.
Skills & Qualifications Required
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Autonomy: A highly motivated, independent worker capable of managing their own schedule between the corporate office and active jobsites.
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Construction Expertise: Thorough understanding of core HR functions, labor laws, FMLA, and specific employment regulations governing civil construction.
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Shift Savvy: Demonstrated experience in hiring for continuous day and night shift operations.
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Industry Network: Sourcing expertise using construction-specific platforms (e.g., Associated General Contractors (AGC), BirddogHR/Arcoro), vocational schools, and regional career fairs.
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Bilingual Communication: Conversational Spanish is required to effectively support and build trust with our diverse field crews.
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Communication Skills: Exceptional presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal skills; comfortable presenting to executives or speaking directly with labor crews on a job site.
Education, Experience & Logistics
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Experience: Minimum of 5 years of progressive HR experience, with a heavy preference for backgrounds in construction, civil engineering, manufacturing, or heavy industrial sectors.
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Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or equivalent real-world industry experience. Professional certification (SHRM-CP or PHR) is a major plus.
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Travel: Willingness to travel on a limited basis regionally, including initial introductory visits to active job sites.
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Work Schedule Policy: This is a full-time position. Note: We offer customizable schedule flexibility or voluntary reduced hours during the winter off-peak season to promote strong work-life balance.
