The Vice President of People is a senior leader responsible for designing and leading Wheeler Machinery’s organizational strategy, people systems, and leadership capability to enable business performance and long-term growth. This role ensures the organization is structured effectively, roles are clearly defined, and leaders are equipped to execute at a high level across a multi-location environment.
The VP of People architects and governs the company’s HR operating model, ensuring that people processes, decision rights, and service delivery are aligned, scalable, and consistently executed across the enterprise. This role drives organizational design, workforce planning, and leadership development to ensure Wheeler has the right structure, talent, and accountability systems in place to support its strategic objectives.
This role ensures that talent, culture, safety, and organizational effectiveness are aligned with Wheeler Machinery’s strategic objectives. The VP of People acts as a strategic integrator, elevating the sophistication, impact, and consistency of People systems across the organization.
As a key member of the senior leadership team, the VP of People partners closely with business leaders to diagnose organizational needs, design solutions, and build a high-performing, disciplined organization where expectations are clear and performance is consistently delivered.
Duties and Responsibilities
Enterprise People Strategy & Governance
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Define and lead a comprehensive, holistic People Strategy aligned with Wheeler's vision, values, and business objectives for sustained growth and operational excellence
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Serve as a key member of the senior leadership team, influencing enterprise-wide decisions
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Translate business strategy into actionable workforce, leadership, and organizational plans
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Establish a clear philosophy on workforce segmentation and differentiated people strategies
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Ensure alignment with core pillars of operational excellence, growth, and financial performance
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Architect, document, and continuously evolve the Wheeler People Playbook as the single source for how Wheeler attracts, develops, manages performance, compensates, and ensures compliance
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Establish clear standards, frameworks, and repeatable processes — scalable across all locations and aligned with union agreements
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Design and govern Wheeler's HR Operating Model, defining roles, service delivery model, and ownership of people processes
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Establish KPIs, service standards, and accountability structures across all HR functions
Organizational Design & Organizational Development
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Own enterprise-wide organizational design strategy, ensuring structure supports scalability, efficiency, and operational performance as Wheeler grows
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Define an enterprise methodology to identify critical roles across business units, focusing on roles with disproportionate impact on safety, operations, customer outcomes, and financial performance
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Lead design and redesign of business units, functions, and leadership structures based on growth, M&A integration, and operational needs
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Establish enterprise principles for:
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Span of control
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Role clarity and accountability
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Layering and decision rights
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Drive enterprise organizational effectiveness initiatives, including role clarity models, team effectiveness reviews, and decision-making frameworks
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Partner with business leaders to proactively diagnose organizational gaps and design targeted solutions
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Ensure alignment between strategic priorities, organizational design, and talent investment
Workforce Planning & Future Capability Mapping
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Lead development of a forward-looking workforce planning approach tied to business strategy, ensuring Wheeler has the talent and capabilities needed to compete in the future
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Partner with divisional and departmental leaders to identify future capability and skill requirements, capacity gaps, and workforce risks (retirement, attrition, skill obsolescence)
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Align workforce plans with growth initiatives, digital transformation, and operational excellence priorities
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Establish a consistent framework to identify top talent, high-potential employees, and critical skill holders across all business units
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Create enterprise-level visibility into talent pools, bench strength, and organizational risks, enabling leadership to understand where talent exists, where gaps are developing, and where mobility opportunities exist
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Enable strategic movement of talent across business units to accelerate development, address critical capability gaps, and scale institutional knowledge
Succession Planning for Critical Roles
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Design and implement an enterprise succession planning process focused on critical roles, reducing dependency on single individuals and building a deep leadership bench
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Ensure identified successors exist for key positions with structured development plans
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Provide enterprise-level visibility, rigor, and governance around succession readiness
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Support divisional and departmental leaders in making high-impact talent decisions, particularly for critical roles
Leadership Development & Training Strategy
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Oversee development of a comprehensive leadership and technical training strategy that equips leaders at all levels to lead teams effectively, drive performance, and uphold safety and culture standards
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Partner with the Training Director to implement structured development programs:
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Frontline leadership training
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Mid-level leader capability building
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Executive leadership development
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Align development programs directly to organizational needs and succession planning requirements
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Mentor and lead direct reports - Safety Manager, Skills & Development Manager, HR Manager - to organizational and career path success
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Utilize coaching techniques and challenge traditional thinking to help company leaders grow and maximize their impact
HR Operations & Compliance
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Ensure all HR practices comply with relevant labor laws, regulations, and industry standards, mitigating risk and maintaining ethical, consistent practices across the enterprise
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Oversee HR systems and technology, ensuring they support efficient processes, data integrity, and a seamless employee experience
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Manage employee relations, providing guidance to HR and leadership on handling complex personnel issues fairly and consistently
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Continuously assess and improve HR policies, procedures, and programs to meet evolving business needs
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Ensure compliance with collective bargaining agreements and employment law across all locations
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Define enterprise HR systems strategy and data standards; drive adoption of tools that enable consistency, insight, and scalability
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Partner with IT / Digital to modernize and streamline People processes
Safety
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Establish and champion Wheeler's enterprise-wide safety philosophy, cultivating a ground-up, total safety management culture rooted in zero-risk behaviors and continuous improvement
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Develop and execute a strategic safety plan aligned with the company's overall objectives
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Drive consistent safety outcomes across all locations, functions, and workforce segments
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Adapt a data-driven, continuous improvement approach to defining and measuring safety success
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Cultivate a shared vision and inherent purpose for enhancing employee commitment to zero-risk behavior values
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Partner with Safety Manager and operational leaders to embed safety accountability at every level
Performance Management & Accountability Systems
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Design and implement a consistent enterprise performance management philosophy and system, ensuring alignment between company strategy and individual performance
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Provide core tools for goal-setting, coaching, and evaluation frameworks
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Drive accountability through clear expectations, measurable outcomes, and leadership ownership
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Oversee development of performance frameworks, coaching practices, and talent differentiation strategies
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Ensure performance management is directly tied to business outcomes, compensation, and organizational design decisions
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Support divisional and departmental execution while maintaining enterprise consistency
Culture, Engagement & Employee Experience
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Define the enterprise culture framework aligned with Wheeler's values, safety standards, and performance expectations — ensuring a consistent, high-quality employee experience across the full lifecycle
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Lead enterprise-wide employee engagement strategy, including surveys, listening sessions, and action frameworks
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Enable divisional leaders to drive engagement locally using shared tools, data, and best practices
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Drive initiatives that increase engagement, reinforce accountability and pride, and strengthen retention of critical talent
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Align culture initiatives with the operational realities of a CAT dealership environment
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Recognize and reward high performance, promoting both individual and team achievements
Total Rewards & Compensation Strategy
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Establish enterprise-level compensation philosophy, structure, and guardrails ensuring external competitiveness and internal equity across all business units
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Conduct regular market analysis to ensure pay equity and competitiveness, adapting to changes in industry standards and employee expectations
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Oversee the development and administration of competitive compensation structures, benefits, and incentive programs
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Manage employee recognition programs aligned with company values
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Provide guidance and oversight to divisional execution of compensation and benefits programs
Labor Relations & Risk Management
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Provide enterprise leadership on labor relations strategy - including union engagement, negotiation readiness, and compliance - mitigating risk through strong governance and consistent policy application
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Establish and maintain relationships with bargaining unit representatives to foster continuous dialogue on people-based issues
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Partner with executive leaders on negotiations and labor strategy alignment
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Ensure consistency in risk management, compliance, and policy approach across all locations
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Mitigate risk through strong governance, audits, and compliance practices
People Analytics & Digital Enablement
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Establish a data-driven approach to people decisions, leveraging analytics and modern HR technology to inform strategy, drive continuous improvement, and increase enterprise efficiency
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Define and monitorkey metrics across talent acquisition, retention, leadership effectiveness, and organizational health
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Establish core talent analytics capabilities, including bench strength, succession coverage, and retention of top talent
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Use data to guide hiring priorities, development investments, and organizational design decisions
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Leverage technology and HRIS capabilities to increase efficiency and insight
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Drive continuous improvement across all people systems, processes, and programs
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Performs all other duties as assigned
Qualifications
Education:
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Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field required
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Master’s degree (MBA, MA in Organizational Leadership, or related discipline) preferred
Experience:
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12 to 15+ years of progressive Human Resources leadership experience, including executive-level roles
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Demonstrated experience operating in a multi-entity, decentralized, or holding company environment
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Proven track record of designing and implementing enterprise-wide People strategies and systems
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Experience partnering with executiveleadership teams to align people strategy with business objectives
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Experience leading or influencing:
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Workforce planning and talent strategy
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Organizational design and transformation
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Leadership development and succession planning
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Experience working in industrial, operational, or field-based environments (preferred)
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Experience in unionized / labor relations environments (strongly preferred based on your context)
Skills and Competencies:
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Enterprise mindset with the ability to balance standardization and flexibility across business units
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Systems thinker capable of designing scalable, repeatable People processes
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Ability to lead and influence without direct authority across decentralized teams
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Exceptional executive communication and stakeholder management skills
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Proven ability to coach and develop senior leaders and HR professionals
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Proven ability to lead organizational change and transformation
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Strong execution capability able to translate strategy into practical application across business units
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Experience building and scaling People systems (performance management, engagement, development, etc.)
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Experience leveraging data and analytics to drive People decisions
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Familiarity with modern HR systems, workforce analytics, and digital enablement
Certification (Preferred):
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SHRM-SCP (Society for Human Resource Management – Senior Certified Professional)
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SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources)
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Other relevant certifications in leadership, organizational development, or change management
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Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c).
