Director of Human Resources
Position Summary
Lightwave is seeking an experienced and highly collaborative Director of Human Resources to serve as the second-in-command to the Senior Vice President of Human Resources. This role is responsible for leading the day-to-day execution of the HR function while serving as a trusted strategic partner to executive and operational leaders.
The Director of Human Resources provides leadership across HR operations, employee relations, compliance, HR technology, payroll and benefits oversight, organizational initiatives, and business partnership. This individual ensures operational excellence while helping scale the HR function to support a rapidly growing, multi-state healthcare organization.
The ideal candidate is equally comfortable solving complex employee issues, improving HR processes, leading enterprise initiatives, coaching leaders, and translating business strategy into practical HR solutions.
The role reports to the SVP, Human Resources and will have five direct reports.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic HR Business Partnership
Serve as the primary HR Business Partner for senior operational and corporate leaders.
Partner with leaders on organizational design, workforce planning, talent strategies, succession planning, and change management.
Coach leaders through performance management, employee relations, organizational effectiveness, and leadership development.
Advise leaders on employment law, policy interpretation, and risk mitigation.
Act as the senior HR leader in the absence of the SVP of HR.
HR Operations Leadership
Lead the day-to-day HR operation, ensuring consistent, high-quality service delivery across the organization.
Responsibilities include:
HR service delivery
Employee lifecycle administration
HR process optimization
HR policies and procedures
Compliance programs
Leave administration oversight
HR governance
Service level performance
Continuous process improvement
Employee Relations
Provide strategic oversight of complex employee relations matters, including:
Investigations
Performance management
Corrective action
Workplace conflict resolution
Reductions in force
Sensitive employment decisions
Litigation support
Employment practices risk mitigation
HR Technology & Process Improvement
Partner with the HR team to maximize the effectiveness of Dayforce and HR technology by:
Improving workflows
Automating manual processes
Enhancing reporting capabilities
Strengthening data integrity
Driving adoption of best practices
Leading system enhancements and upgrades
Payroll & Benefits Oversight
Provide leadership and oversight for payroll and benefits administration while ensuring:
Payroll accuracy
Regulatory compliance
Benefits administration excellence
Vendor partnership management
Process improvements
Employee experience
Organizational Effectiveness
Partner with the SVP to:
Drive organizational design initiatives
Support leadership development
Improve manager capability
Enhance employee engagement
Support culture initiatives
Lead change management efforts
HR Projects
Lead enterprise HR initiatives including:
HR process redesign
Policy development
Compliance initiatives
Technology implementations
Organizational restructuring
Leadership
Lead, develop, and mentor the HR team by:
Establishing clear priorities
Developing talent
Creating accountability
Building a high-performing HR function
Fostering collaboration across departments
Qualifications
Required
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field
10+ years of progressive Human Resources leadership experience
5+ years leading HR teams in a multi-site organization
Strong experience across:
HR Operations
Employee Relations
HR Business Partnership
Employment Law
Compliance
Performance Management
Organizational Change
Experience supporting organizations with 1,000+ employees across multiple states
Experience leading HR technology initiatives (Dayforce experience preferred)
Strong analytical, coaching, and influencing skills
Preferred
Healthcare services, dental, physician practice management, or other multi-site services experience
Experience in a private equity-backed environment
SHRM-SCP or SPHR certification
Experience supporting acquisitions and organizational growth
Leadership Competencies
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
Executive presence
Sound business judgment
Strategic thinking with operational discipline
High emotional intelligence
Exceptional relationship-building
Strong decision-making
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment
Continuous improvement mindset
Ability to balance empathy with accountability
Success Measures (First 12 Months)
Improve HR service delivery and responsiveness across the organization.
Strengthen partnerships with operational and corporate leaders.
Reduce time to resolution for employee relations matters while maintaining consistency and compliance.
Streamline HR processes and increase Dayforce utilization through workflow improvements.
Establish meaningful HR metrics and executive dashboards.
Enhance manager capability through coaching and practical HR guidance.
Improve employee experience across onboarding, policy administration, and HR support.
Successfully lead enterprise HR initiatives and support organizational growth and integration efforts.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related field; equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
10+ years of progressive Human Resources experience, including significant experience in HR leadership and people management roles.
Demonstrated success serving as a senior HR Business Partner and trusted advisor to executive, operational, and functional leaders.
Broad-based HR leadership experience with demonstrated expertise across HR operations, employee relations, employment law and compliance, performance management, organizational effectiveness, and change management.
Experience supporting a large, geographically dispersed, multi-site and multi-state workforce, preferably within an organization of 1,000+ employees.
Proven ability to lead a team and oversee multiple HR disciplines while establishing priorities, developing talent, driving accountability, and ensuring high-quality HR service delivery.
Significant experience managing complex and sensitive employee relations matters, including investigations, performance issues, corrective action, organizational restructuring, reductions in force, and employment-related risk.
Demonstrated ability to translate business priorities into practical, scalable HR strategies, programs, and solutions.
Experience evaluating and improving HR processes, operating models, policies, controls, and service delivery practices.
Experience leveraging HR technology to improve efficiency, data integrity, reporting, automation, and the employee and manager experience; Dayforce experience strongly preferred.
Working knowledge of federal and multi-state employment laws and demonstrated ability to appropriately assess and mitigate employment-related risk.
Experience using HR metrics, workforce data, and business insights to identify trends, inform decisions, and measure HR effectiveness.
Strong project and change management capabilities, including experience leading cross-functional and enterprise-wide initiatives.
Exceptional interpersonal, communication, coaching, influencing, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to effectively partner at all levels of an organization.
Demonstrated ability to operate with a high degree of judgment, discretion, integrity, and independence in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience within healthcare services, dental or physician practice management, or another complex, multi-site service organization.
Experience supporting a private equity-backed or other high-growth organization undergoing significant transformation, acquisition, or integration.
Experience supporting mergers and acquisitions, including due diligence, integration, organizational restructuring, and change management.
Experience overseeing or partnering closely with payroll, benefits, leave administration, and HR technology functions.
Experience leading HR transformation, process redesign, or shared-service/service-delivery improvement initiatives.
Experience developing HR dashboards, executive reporting, and workforce analytics.
SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or comparable senior-level HR certification.
Leadership Profile
The successful candidate will be a business-minded, hands-on HR leader who combines strategic thinking with strong operational execution. This individual will be comfortable moving from an executive leadership discussion to resolving a complex employee issue, improving an HR process, coaching a leader, or leading a major organizational initiative.
They will demonstrate:
Executive presence and credibility with senior leaders.
Strong business acumen and sound judgment.
A balance of strategic thinking and operational discipline.
High emotional intelligence and exceptional relationship-building skills.
The confidence to appropriately challenge and influence leaders while remaining solutions-oriented.
A strong sense of ownership and accountability.
The ability to make thoughtful decisions in complex or ambiguous situations.
A continuous-improvement and service-oriented mindset.
The ability to balance empathy, consistency, compliance, and accountability.
Comfort operating as both a leader and a hands-on practitioner when needed.
The ability to lead the HR function effectively in the absence of the SVP, Human Resources.