Vice President, People & Culture

Job description

JOB SUMMARY: The Vice President, People & Culture is responsible for leading and evolving the enterprise Human Resources function in support of C3 Industries’ multi-state retail portfolio (High Profile Cannabis Shops), cultivation/facilities, and corporate operations. This role serves as a strategic business partner to executive leadership and will play a critical role in supporting a rapidly expanding, multi-state organization operating in a high-growth, fast-paced environment. Success in this role requires a high-energy, highly agile leader who thrives in an environment of rapid growth, changing priorities, and increasing organizational complexity. The Vice President must possess the dexterity to move seamlessly between enterprise-level strategy and hands-on execution, quickly assess evolving business needs, and translate them into practical, scalable solutions. This leader will be expected to operate with urgency, adaptability, sound judgment, and a strong bias for action while maintaining the discipline and structure required to scale the organization effectively. The position is accountable for developing scalable people strategies and infrastructure that enable organizational growth while ensuring operational excellence across all business units. Responsibilities include workforce planning, HRIS and data governance, benefits strategy and cost management, labor relations, talent acquisition, compliance, compensation strategy, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness. The Vice President will drive the continued evolution of the People & Culture function by establishing scalable processes, strengthening administrative discipline, aligning workforce investments with financial objectives, and enhancing operational rigor across the organization. This leader must build strong cross-functional partnerships, anticipate organizational needs, and ensure the People function keeps pace with—and helps enable—the growth and increasing complexity of the business. JOB DUTIES: Core duties and responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned. Monitor, analyze, and update C3 Industries’ strategies and policies in response to evolving labor market trends – both within the cannabis sector and across broader industries – including areas such as remote work, hybrid work models, compensation, benefits, PTO, and AI in the workplace. Enhance HR process efficiency by driving standardization, automation, and clearly defined service-level expectations. Lead and continuously enhance the enterprise Human Resources operating model across retail, facilities, and corporate teams to ensure consistent, scalable, and high quality execution. Lead workforce planning and labor cost forecasting to align staffing plans with financial targets and operating needs. Build and maintain executive-level workforce dashboards, including turnover, hiring velocity, labor costs, engagement, compliance risk. Oversee HRIS strategy, system automation, reporting integrity, and data governance. Negotiate and manage company-wide benefits strategy, broker carrier relationships, and cost modeling. Provide strategic leadership in union engagement and collective bargaining to support stable operations and compliant outcomes. Ensure multi-state compliance, audit readiness, and consistent policy enforcement. Design and govern compensation strategies including pay structures and market benchmarking, aligned to business needs and negotiated agreements. Build structured talent acquisition pipelines and succession planning across all functions. Managed Human Resources budget and align HR initiatives with enterprise financial performance. Build and coach a high-performing HR leadership team with clear roles, accountability, and development plans. Champion culture and organizational effectiveness through leader communication, manager capability, and consistent employee experience across sites. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: Directly oversees the HRIS Director, Director of Field HR, and Director of Talent Acquisition, while managing key external HR vendor relationships. Responsible for building and maintaining a high-performing, well-structured HR team. JOB REQUIREMENTS: Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or related field; advanced degree or certification preferred. PHR, SPHR or other HR certification, strongly preferred. 10+ years of progressive HR experience with 5+ years in senior leadership. Experience in multi-state retail environment preferred. Demonstrated experience with union negotiations and labor strategy. Experience managing benefits negotiations and cost governance. Strong financial acumen with ability to align HR strategy to EBITDA and operational goals. Deep knowledge of employment law and compliance best practices. Strong executive presence with ability to partner effectively at both Vice President and C suite levels. Strong and current knowledge of all laws and regulations pertaining to employment & labor laws. Strong results orientation and commitment to quality, performance and deliverables. Working knowledge of HRIS systems and comfortable learning new systems. Effective multi-tasker with demonstrated ability to prioritize. Demonstrated strong oral and written communication skills; ability to correspond in a professional, businesslike manner. This role requires the ability to travel as needed and pass applicable background check requirements.