WHY JOIN MADTREE AS THE PEOPLE STRATEGY DIRECTOR?

At MadTree, HR isn’t back-office – it’s culture-building, problem-solving, and helping 300+ humans thrive across our hospitality + manufacturing workforce. If you want both operational excellence and strategic impact, and you're energized by complexity, not exhausted by it – this is your kind of role.

• Build, not just maintain — Design the systems, frameworks, and tools that will shape MadTree's next chapter
• Real complexity, real impact — Dual-industry operations, multi-location dynamics, high-volume hourly workforce, and a growing leadership team that needs a strong partner
• Lead a team — Develop and grow an HR Manager and PS Coordinator, amplifying your impact across the whole organization
• Purpose you can feel — B-Corp certified, 1% for the Planet, and a culture built around Connect, Grow, Give a F*ck

Total Rewards & Benefits:

✓ Transparent salary range
✓ 401(k) with company match
✓ Comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, vision)
✓ Paid Time Off
✓ 16 hours paid volunteer time annually + company-wide Let’s Grow Local Day
✓ Enjoy what we create with regular gift cards for MadTree food, beverages, and merch
✓ Continued growth & learning opportunities
✓ Nature-inspired workspaces designed to connect people to nature and each other
✓ Face-to-face humanity—Real human connection, not screen isolation
✓ A team that gives a f*ck – People who are passionate and genuinely care

About MadTree Brewing

When MadTree sprouted in 2013, we were driven to craft great beer - but more importantly - to build something bigger than ourselves and the high-quality beer we produce. Since the beginning, we have cared deeply about creating meaningful connections with our communities. We embrace our name MadTree and work to celebrate and protect nature, while reducing our impact on the environment. MadTree is a B Corp certified company and proud member of 1% for the Planet with a commitment to donate 1% of sales to local, sustainable nonprofits. The craftspeople at MadTree wake up every day to connect people to nature and each other.

We are MadTree. Inspiring Madness. Rooted in Purpose.

MadTree is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce that inspires madness while being rooted in purpose. We offer a competitive compensation package plus great benefits like subsidized health insurance, a retirement plan with a match, free mental health therapy visits, paid time off, and many other great perks.

POSITION: People Strategy Director 

REPORTS TO: Vice President of Experience & Impact

LOCATION: Cincinnati, OH (Oakley primary, some travel to all locations)

COMPENSATION RANGE:  $115,000 — $130,00

VARIABLE BONUS: $10,000

POSITION SUMMARY

The People Strategy Director is the strategic architect and people operations leader at MadTree. You own Strategic Priority #3 — "Acknowledge, Inspire, Empower to Thrive" — and serve as a key partner to the VP of Experience & Impact and VP of Revenue, in shaping culture, building scalable infrastructure, and connecting people strategy to business outcomes. 

You lead a small, high-impact team (HR Manager + PT PS Coordinator) with clear role delineation: the Director owns strategy, complex employee relations, executive partnerships, and organizational development; the HR Manager owns operational HR execution and day-to-day employee support; the PS Coordinator supports administrative functions and logistics. You maintain hands-on involvement where the stakes are highest while enabling your team to operate independently in their lanes.

Your success is measured by culture health (engagement, retention, manager capability), operational excellence (compliance, systems, process consistency), and strategic impact (workforce planning, talent development, organizational effectiveness).

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness

• Own and drive Strategic Priority #3 integrate MadTree's Behaviors and Points of Difference into every people process from onboarding to exit
• Serve as strategic partner to VP Experience & Impact and VP of Revenue: participate in organizational planning, flag people implications of business decisions, and lead quarterly PS updates with key metrics and emerging risks
• Partner with Finance on headcount planning, compensation strategy, and people-related budget management
• Lead workforce planning and succession planning for key roles; build proactive talent pipelines
• Design and implement organizational structure changes to support growth and operational efficiency
• Own MadTree's employee value proposition and culture stewardship

2. Talent Development & Manager Enablement

• Build and maintain the Hospitality Manager Toolkit — a centralized hub with the guides, templates, and resources managers need to lead effectively
• Design and deliver manager development programming: 30-60-90 milestones, GM Huddles, coaching on performance conversations, conflict resolution, and team development
• Lead L&D strategy across all levels (aspiring leaders through directors); manage external partnerships and internal capability building
• Own performance review process design and twice-annual cycle execution (the HR Manager administers; the Director designs, calibrates, and coaches)
• Identify high-potential team members and build development pathways for next-level roles

3. Employee Relations & Compliance

• Serve as primary on all high-risk employee relations matters: potential terminations, harassment/discrimination investigations, and situations involving manager level 1 leaders and above
• Partner with employment counsel on complex situations; manage external investigator relationships when needed
• Ensure MadTree maintains compliance with federal, state, and local employment law across both industries; own audit readiness and policy currency
• Provide weekly strategic oversight of all active ER matters via PS team meetings; the HR Manager owns mid-complexity ER with Director guidance
• Monitor patterns in ER issues and implement systemic solutions to address root causes

4. Talent Acquisition & Total Rewards

• Own recruitment strategy for director-level and above; serve as PS lead on executive hires
• Assess and optimize recruitment processes and metrics in partnership with HR Manager; build manager capability in behavioral interviewing and inclusive hiring
• Design and evolve compensation philosophy; lead annual compensation planning and pay equity review
• Own benefits strategy in partnership with HR Manager and broker; lead plan design decisions
• Oversee retirement plan administration in partnership with TPA; serve as primary relationship manager with benefits vendors and broker; strategically leverage vendor capabilities to reduce administrative lift on the PS team over time

5. Systems, Data & Continuous Improvement

• Own HRIS strategy and vendor relationship (Rippling); partner with HR Manager to ensure system optimization, workflow automation, and data integrity
• Build and maintain people analytics reporting that gives leadership actionable insight on workforce trends, turnover, engagement, and manager capability
• Lead continuous improvement of HR processes; ensure documentation exists so the HR Manager and PS Coordinator can execute independently
• Build scalable infrastructure that supports MadTree's growth without proportionally growing HR headcount
• Continuously assess where vendor partnerships can absorb administrative work, creating capacity for the PS team to focus on higher-impact strategic and employee-facing functions
• Lead people strategy for new location launches end-to-end: workforce planning, job architecture, pre-opening recruiting, onboarding infrastructure, and Day 1 readiness
• Partner with Operations and Finance on headcount modeling and labor cost projections for new and expanding locations
• Own HRIS configuration for new locations in Rippling: department/location structure, reporting hierarchies, onboarding workflows, and benefits class assignments prior to launch

6. Team Leadership

• Directly supervise and develop the HR Manager; set clear expectations, delegate effectively, and create a path for their continued growth
• Oversee PT PS Coordinator through HR Manager; ensure role clarity and appropriate workload distribution across the team
• Foster a PS team culture aligned with serve, enable, provide consistency and build for scale
• Model MadTree's Behaviors — Connect, Grow, Give a F*ck — in all interactions; participate in 16 hours of annual paid volunteer time with 1% for the Planet partners

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must be at least 21 years of age.

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, or equivalent experience
• 7–10+ years of progressive leadership experience (HR/people strategy, director-level experience)
• Demonstrated track record of culture transformation and measurable organizational impact
• Experience building and leading teams; strong coaching and development skills
• Business acumen and comfort connecting people strategy to financial and operational outcomes
• Strong foundation in employment law and compliance across complex, multi-industry environments
• Change management experience — you've led people through it, not just designed the plan
• Experience with HRIS implementation and optimization (Rippling highly preferred)
• Executive presence and communication skills; comfortable in the room with senior leadership
• Ability to travel regularly across Cincinnati-area locations; occasional evening/weekend availability
• Excellent communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Multi-unit hospitality experience in non-franchise operations
• Experience leading HR infrastructure buildout for new location openings, including pre-opening recruiting and HRIS configuration
• Familiarity with multi-location HRIS architecture (Rippling preferred) and the ability to structure a new location correctly from day one
• Dual-industry HR experience (hourly/tipped hospitality + salaried production/corporate teams)
• Manufacturing or production environment experience
• HR certification (SPHR, SHRM-SCP)
• Coaching certification or significant coaching training
• B-Corp or mission-driven organization experience
• Self-funded health plan experience (stop-loss, TPA management)
• Data visualization or people analytics capabilities

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to regularly sit, stand, and walk
• Ability to frequently talk and hear
• Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
• Vision abilities required include close and distance vision

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work environment is typically an office, taproom, restaurant, or brewery setting. The employee occasionally works near hazardous materials and on wet floors.

Come Build Something With MadTree — Before You Apply

We read every cover letter. Keep it to one page. We want to hear two things from you, in your own words:

1. Why People Strategy — and why MadTree? Not the mission statement recap. What about this specific role, at this specific organization, at this specific moment actually pulls you in?
2. Tell us about a people system or infrastructure you built from the ground up. What was broken or missing, what did you design, and how do you know it worked?

Skip the resume summary — we'll read that part. This is your chance to show us how you think and what you actually care about. If you're someone who gets energized by complexity, knows how to lead through ambiguity, and believes that great HR is one of the highest-leverage things a growing company can invest in — we want to hear from you. MadTree is in a real build phase, and this role will leave fingerprints on everything. Come ready to leave your mark!

MadTree is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce. We offer competitive compensation plus exceptional benefits: subsidized health insurance, retirement plan with match, profit sharing, paid time off, paid service time, and many other great perks.