Senior Director of Human Resources at Torch… · Huntsville

Senior Director of Human Resources

Location: Huntsville, AL

Starfish Holdings

Starfish Holdings, Inc.’s focus is to grow the retirement portfolios of the employee-owners of our subsidiaries. Starfish holds 100% ownership of both Torch Technologies and Freedom Real Estate — strong companies with solid growth and performance. We are proud of the difference we make in the lives of those we represent, and we work hard to protect their interests. Starfish Holdings (Starfish) is an S-corp owned by an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and Trust.

Starfish Holdings is seeking a talented and experienced Senior Director of Human Resources that will play a critical leadership role in sustaining and strengthening the company’s employee ownership culture. As a steward of the ESOP, this role ensures that employees not only understand the value of ownership, but actively experience it through transparent communication, meaningful engagement, and people practices aligned with long-term value creation. The Senior Director partners with leadership to design, execute and manage comprehensive HR initiatives including employee engagement, workforce planning, benefits design, compliance, policy development and implementation, and strategic planning, while fostering an environment where employee-owners are empowered, accountable, and invested in the shared success of the organization.

The Senior Director is responsible for developing an HR roadmap with solutions and/or improvements for the organization’s business needs. Key factors in the execution of responsibilities include integrating employee ownership principles into all aspects of the employee lifecycle—from recruiting and onboarding to performance management, development, and succession planning. The Senior Director ensures that compensation, benefits, and incentive programs support ownership thinking and align individual performance with company performance. This role also leads education and communication efforts around the ESOP, helping employees understand how their contributions impact company value and their personal financial outcomes as owners. The Senior Director serves as a trusted advisor to leadership and managers, reinforcing a culture of transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement consistent with an employee-owned enterprise. By developing strong leadership capabilities, promoting internal growth opportunities, and maintaining fair and compliant HR practices, the Senior Director helps ensure the company remains a great place for employee-owners to build fulfilling careers while collectively driving sustainable, long-term value.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic HR Leadership

• Strive to establish our portfolio companies as the nation’s premier places to work.
  • Develop and lead a culture that takes care of our employees.
  • Establish HR as a service organization that ensures our employees are cared for as they face significant life challenges, such as medical or family issues.
• Work closely with Executive Leadership, the ESOP Committee, and the ESOP Trustee to develop and execute HR strategies that support company growth, technical excellence, and employee ownership culture.
• Serve as a strategic partner to executive leadership on workforce planning, succession planning, and organizational development to lead an enterprise talent strategy that strengthens internal talent pipelines, enables career mobility and growth, and ensures the organization can effectively deploy talent to meet evolving business needs.
• Ensure HR policies and practices align with ESOP values of ownership, transparency, and long-term thinking.
• Lead HR due diligence for acquisitions, including review of workforce structure, compensation, benefits, policies, compliance risks, and cultural considerations.
  • Develop and execute post-acquisition integration plans covering benefits, payroll, policies, HR systems, and employee communications.
  • Partner with executive leadership, legal, finance, and external advisors to ensure smooth transitions and minimize disruption to employees.
  • Guide leadership and employees through change management, ensuring transparency, consistency, and alignment with ESOP values.
  • Evaluate opportunities to harmonize benefit plans and HR practices while respecting legacy structures and regulatory requirements.

Employee Relations & Culture

• Foster a positive, inclusive, and respectful workplace culture that values employee-owners.
• Serve as a trusted resource for employees and leaders on employee relations, performance management, and conflict resolution.
• Promote engagement initiatives that strengthen connection, retention, and pride of ownership.

ESOP Administration & Education

• Support administration of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan in coordination with finance, legal counsel, and ESOP advisors.
• Lead employee education efforts related to ESOP benefits, ownership mindset, and financial literacy.
• Ensure HR policies and communications reinforce the responsibilities and rewards of employee ownership.

Talent Acquisition & Development

• Oversee talent acquisition strategies for engineering, technical, and professional roles in a competitive market.
• Ensure that onboarding programs serve to integrate new hires into both the company and the ESOP culture.
• Develop learning, leadership development, and career progression programs for technical and non-technical staff.
• Champion a culture of internal mobility, enabling employees to explore career pathways, develop new capabilities, and pursue opportunities across the organization.

Compensation, Benefits & Performance

• Design and manage competitive compensation and benefits programs aligned with market data and company philosophy.
• Oversee performance management systems that encourage accountability, development, and results.
• Ensure that benefit plans comply with regulatory requirements and support employee well-being.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Maintain HR policies, employee handbook, and procedures.
• Oversee investigations, documentation, and risk mitigation related to HR matters.

HR Operations & Systems

• Lead HR team members and external vendors as applicable.
• Oversee HRIS systems, data integrity, and reporting.
• Use metrics and analytics to guide HR decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Lead the evaluation and implementation of AI-driven HR tools to automate administrative tasks, allowing the HR team to focus on high-value strategic partnership and creating the conditions where the employees thrive.

Succession Planning

• Develop clear career ladders and lead open discussions about career paths and expectations. Let people know what success looks like and how they can prepare for bigger roles to build trust and engagement.
• Use strategic foresight to anticipate future skills, roles, and challenges—and plan talent pipelines accordingly.
• Develop Skills matrix for each position and actively invest in coaching, mentoring, and stretch assignments to grow future leaders.
• Develop clear criteria, diverse perspectives, and data for each position to aid in the development of personnel in career progression.
• Talent identification and development - Lead activities to spot talent early (not just current high performers).
• Ensure critical roles are never dependent on one person and that knowledge is shared, not hoarded.
• As strategies, markets, or people change, revise plans quickly and realistically.
• Work with other leaders responsible for developing talent - Succession planning isn’t “HR’s job”—it’s a leadership obligation.
• Coach managers to enable them to have honest conversations about readiness, gaps, and timing without damaging morale. Develop the ability to accept that ambition, fear, ego, and uncertainty can be barriers to progress.
• Display transparency in communications related to succession planning.

Required Qualifications:

• US Citizenship.
• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, organizational development, or related field.
• Minimum of 8–10 years of progressive HR Leadership experience, including senior leadership responsibility.
• Experience in an engineering, technical, professional services, or consulting environment strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience supporting a people-centric culture and advising senior leadership.
• Preferred Certifications

SHRM-SCP or SHRM-CP.

SPHR or PHR.

ESOP-related training or certification (e.g., ESOP Association programs) preferred or willingness to obtain.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong understanding of employment law, HR best practices, and compliance requirements.
• Financial literacy regarding budgetary impact on competitive stance.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and coaching skills.
• High level of integrity, discretion, and professionalism.
• Ability to explain complex topics (including ESOP concepts) in a clear, relatable manner.
• Collaborative leadership style with a genuine commitment to employee well-being.

Personal Attributes

• Trusted advisor and advocate for both employees and leadership.
• Compassionate and generous.
• Optimistic.
• Committed to diversity.
• Ethical in all activities.
• Employee-oriented and approachable.
• Values ownership, personal accountability, and long-term success.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high growth, technically driven, professional environment.

Schedule: M-F; 8-5

Work Location: Torch- site

Travel: Yes, 0-10%

Relocation Assistance Available: No

Position Contingent Upon Award of Contract: No

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Benefits:

Starfish Holdings is proud to offer a stable and professional work environment, a competitive salary, and an excellent, comprehensive benefit package including: ESOP participation, 401(k) match, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, Health Saving Accounts and Health Reimbursement Accounts, EAP, education assistance, paid time off, and holidays.

Applying to Starfish Holdings:

Only those candidates invited for an interview will be contacted. Employment at Starfish Holdings is contingent upon the successful completion of a comprehensive background check.

­All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetic information, citizenship, ancestry, marital status, protected veteran status, disability status or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. Starfish Holdings participates in E-Verify.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access Careers Page as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by sending an email to HR@torchtechnologies.com. Thank you for your interest in Starfish Holdings.