Post job

What does a human resources vice president do?

Updated January 8, 2025
9 min read
Quoted expert
Karen Sharp-Price
What does a human resources vice president do

Human resources (HR) vice presidents play a vital role in the effective administration and operation of an organization's HR department. These executives are responsible for directing an organization's staffing goals and developing strategies to support the company's profitable and productive business operations. HR vice presidents also perform other duties and responsibilities, including planning payroll and employee benefits, facilitating the enforcement of standardized HR processes, and recommending new measures for employee performance evaluations. The skills and qualifications for this position include previous experience as an HR director, strong leadership skills, and in-depth knowledge of HR processes.

On this page

Human resources vice president responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real human resources vice president resumes:

  • Manage staff, administration, financial operations, A/R, A/P, budget.
  • Manage the grievance process, working with supervisors and managers, and present information at grievance hearings and arbitrations.
  • Manage salary, benefits, policy and EEO administration to ensure compliance with internal procedures and practices and external regulatory requirements.
  • Enable dismissal EEO cases by properly handling complaint and developing supporting documentation.
  • Identify and implement HRIS for global locations to increase communication and facilitate reporting.
  • Leverage new HRIS technology to enhance employee communications and enhance understanding of the value of company-provide benefits and streamline on-line recruitment.
  • Provide oversight and leadership of all human resources share services operations including service delivery, operational effectiveness, processes, policies.
  • Provide oversight to government/regulatory requirements.
  • Automate implementation of ADP Payroll/HRB, direct vendor connectivity, and self-portal system.
  • Process and complete employee payroll, as well as PTO maintenance.
  • Audit accuracy of employee's PTO and accrual reports on quarterly basis.
  • Provide bookkeeping to include A/P, A/R, budgets, payroll, financial statements and monitoring investments.
  • Serve as company representative and spokesperson at arbitration and / or mandatory settlement conferences.
  • Provide oversight to government/regulatory requirements.

Human resources vice president skills and personality traits

We calculated that 6% of Human Resources Vice Presidents are proficient in Employee Engagement, Succession Planning, and HRIS. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Leadership skills, and Organizational skills.

We break down the percentage of Human Resources Vice Presidents that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Employee Engagement, 6%

    Analyzed organizational culture, lead change management initiatives, implemented solutions using a collaborative consultative approach resulting in enhanced employee engagement.

  • Succession Planning, 6%

    Developed interim performance management/succession planning programs.

  • HRIS, 5%

    Leveraged new HRIS technology to enhance employee communications and enhance understanding of the value of company-provided benefits and streamline on-line recruitment.

  • Payroll, 5%

    Reduced payroll processing costs $56,000 annually while significantly improving the accuracy and responsiveness by consolidating systems under one FEIN.

  • Workforce Planning, 4%

    Worked closely with executive leadership to create workforce planning and financial viability models for three-year project plan under dynamic affordability scenarios.

  • Organizational Development, 4%

    Implemented Organizational Development and Effectiveness interventions improving business performance.

"employee engagement," "succession planning," and "hris" are among the most common skills that human resources vice presidents use at work. You can find even more human resources vice president responsibilities below, including:

Interpersonal skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a human resources vice president to have is interpersonal skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "human resources managers regularly interact with people, such as to collaborate on teams, and must develop working relationships with their colleagues." Human resources vice presidents often use interpersonal skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "created and implemented an ongoing staff development program that features online training to strengthen interpersonal skills in various topics. "

Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling human resources vice president duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "human resources managers must coordinate work activities and ensure that staff complete the duties and responsibilities of their department." According to a human resources vice president resume, here's how human resources vice presidents can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "provided hr due diligence leadership and post merger business integration in support of a strategic acquisition. "

Organizational skills. human resources vice presidents are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to human resources vice president responsibilities, because "human resources managers must be able to prioritize tasks and manage several projects at once." A human resources vice president resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "initiated and participated in strategic decision-making and due diligence activities related to organizational structure and design changes. "

Most common human resources vice president skills

Choose from 10+ customizable human resources vice president resume templates

Build a professional human resources vice president resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your human resources vice president resume.
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume
Human Resources Vice President Resume

Compare different human resources vice presidents

Human resources vice president vs. Director of talent acquisition

A director of talent acquisition is primarily responsible for spearheading the development of strategies that will help a company to narrow down and acquire talented individuals. Typically, they must set goals and budgets, coordinate with stakeholders or higher-ranking officials, review and assess the performance of the talent acquisition team, and conduct training and meetings. Furthermore, as director, it is essential to implement all policies and regulations, craft new ones if necessary, all while shaping the team into an efficient workforce.

If we compare the average human resources vice president annual salary with that of a director of talent acquisition, we find that directors of talent acquisition typically earn a $35,902 lower salary than human resources vice presidents make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both human resources vice president and director of talent acquisition positions are skilled in employee engagement, succession planning, and hris.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a human resources vice president are more likely to require skills like "organizational development," "labor relations," "oversight," and "human resources functions." On the other hand, a job as a director of talent acquisition requires skills like "human resources," "ta," "healthcare," and "continuous improvement." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Directors of talent acquisition really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $135,636. Comparatively, human resources vice presidents tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $178,898.The education levels that directors of talent acquisition earn slightly differ from human resources vice presidents. In particular, directors of talent acquisition are 4.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a human resources vice president. Additionally, they're 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Human resources vice president vs. Employee relations manager

An employee relations manager's responsibilities revolve around maintaining a strong professional relationship between employees and a company's management. They are also in charge of resolving conflicts and issues within the workplace, providing technical support on all employee programs, developing orientation and workshop activities among trainees and new members of the workforce, and addressing their concerns promptly and professionally. Furthermore, there are instances when an employee relations manager must conduct investigations, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

On average, employee relations managers earn a $88,182 lower salary than human resources vice presidents a year.A few skills overlap for human resources vice presidents and employee relations managers. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "employee engagement," "succession planning," and "hris. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, human resources vice president responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "workforce planning," "customer service," "oversight," and "human capital." Meanwhile, an employee relations manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "management system," "conflict resolution," "corrective action," and "disciplinary actions." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Employee relations managers may earn a lower salary than human resources vice presidents, but employee relations managers earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $87,349. On the other hand, human resources vice presidents receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $178,898.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Employee relations managers tend to reach similar levels of education than human resources vice presidents. In fact, they're 4.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for human resources vice presidents in the next 3-5 years?

Karen Sharp-PriceKaren Sharp-Price LinkedIn profile

Instructor/Career Consultant, Daemen College

Technology changes and develops so quickly that looking 5 years into the future is too far off to predict what type of technology HR will be using. But within the next three years, there will be growth within the virtual reality space that even more Human Resource professionals will be able to use for training. There are companies using a new form of virtual reality called "extended reality," where virtual and real-life come together in the technology space. Human Resource training takes on a whole new life for companies in the virtual training realm. This is definitely an area of Human Resources that is exciting and quickly developing. The benefits seem to be that employees love the interactive and engaging qualities of this virtual training. Gone are the days of watching old customer service or sales training videos and not being able to relate to what is currently happening in their industry. Virtual reality is just starting to take hold, and the development of what it can provide for training employees is still in its infancy and very exciting.

Just over the past year, video conferencing and video chat has become mainstream for most companies. Learning how to maneuver and use the many different forms of video conferencing has become an everyday occurrence now for companies. Companies that said they could never go fully remote have done so and found not only that it can be done but done well with all this technology. But in the near future, you will see many new features added to all of these mediums to enhance the experience for employees and companies to communicate with co-workers, near and far. This technology has been around for a long time but is not used to its fullest extent. Due to the pandemic, it is heavily used, and I don't see us reverting back to our old ways but only improving upon how to better utilize technology in our businesses going forward.

Human resources vice president vs. Director of human resources

A human resources director is responsible for managing the overall operations of the human resources department, ensuring smooth operations while meeting the company's goals of successful profitability and services. Human resources directors' duties include providing staff consultation, addressing staffing concerns, managing compensation and benefits plans, reviewing plans for training and development programs, and reporting future actions to the management. A human resources director must have excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills to help lead the business to its growth and development.

An average director of human resources eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of human resources vice presidents. The difference in salaries amounts to directors of human resources earning a $69,046 lower average salary than human resources vice presidents.human resources vice presidents and directors of human resources both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "employee engagement," "succession planning," and "hris," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from human resources vice president resumes include skills like "payroll," "human capital," "performance management system," and "development programs," whereas a director of human resources is more likely to list skills in "payroll processing," "personnel policies," "osha," and "excellent interpersonal. "

Directors of human resources earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $105,626. Human resources vice presidents earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $178,898.Most directors of human resources achieve a similar degree level compared to human resources vice presidents. For example, they're 2.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Human resources vice president vs. Human resources administration manager

A human resources administration manager performs multiple roles, one of which is to maintain and review all human resources, administrative systems, and procedures. They give guidance on HR to the office. They also oversee the development and monitoring of processes that involve recruiting and retention of individuals, compensation, benefits, training, and employee development. They essentially take charge of administrative functions.

Human resources administration managers tend to earn a lower pay than human resources vice presidents by an average of $93,010 per year.While their salaries may vary, human resources vice presidents and human resources administration managers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "succession planning," "hris," and "organizational development. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A human resources vice president uses "employee engagement," "payroll," "workforce planning," and "customer service." Human resources administration managers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "process payroll," "disciplinary procedures," "financial statements," and "human resource functions. "human resources administration managers reach lower levels of education compared to human resources vice presidents, in general. The difference is that they're 5.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of human resources vice president

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

What a human resources vice president does FAQs

Search for human resources vice president jobs

Browse executive management jobs