(This came to me from Lars Schmidt of Amplify - Steve)

The Company

Pursuit is an attraction and hospitality company that owns and operates a collection of inspiring and unforgettable experiences in iconic destinations. From world-class attractions, distinctive lodges, and engaging tours in stunning national parks and renowned global travel locations, to our growing collection of FlyOver flight ride experiences in the vibrant cities of Vancouver, Reykjavik, Las Vegas, Chicago (expected to open Spring 2024), and Toronto (expected to open late 2024), Pursuit’s elevated hospitality experiences enable visitors to discover and connect with these iconic destinations. With a clear strategy to refresh, build, and buy an expanding portfolio of extraordinary travel experiences, Pursuit remains focused on delivering unforgettable and inspiring experiences in iconic locations worldwide. Pursuit is part of Viad Corp (NYSE: VVI). For more information visit www.pursuitcollection.com.

Our focus is to grow the company through growing the talent across Pursuit. We want to strengthen and improve our culture/operations to deliver the best possible employee and guest experiences. We will work hard to refine and execute our strategic plan for the expansion of the business, accelerate profitable revenue growth through strategic capital deployment, drive strong organic growth of our existing businesses, and acquire unique and complementary businesses. We will work passionately to build a strong, entrepreneurial, fun, and rewarding culture for our team members.

As VP of People & Culture, you will:

• Establish strong, trusted advisory relationships with the President and senior leadership team, based on deep cultural acumen and knowledge of the company’s talent, leadership “high potentials”, business, strategy, plans, and performance. Anticipate key issues and informational needs and be prepared to discuss ongoing performance and key projects that will enhance our internal culture and drive increased shareholder value.

• Assure that other key leaders and stakeholders are provided with accurate and timely information to provide for accountability to our shared goals and facilitate effective decision-making across the enterprise both operationally and strategically.

• Serve as a key advisor on both existing and potential new business issues, ranging from operations enhancements to business development opportunities to M&A activities. 

• Become deeply ingrained in the operations of the company on a global basis. The first link in Pursuit’s hospitality chain is team member engagement.  Assist other members of senior management across Pursuit in building our talent bench, performance culture, and creating strategic value. Perform rigorous analyses on our talent development programs, onboarding & training, and creating a unique entrepreneurial hospitality service culture aligned around one mission, vision, and values.

• Lead the company's people initiatives to improve benefits, create innovative and industry-changing compensation strategies, grow retention across our workforce, thoughtfully design global succession plans, and become the employer of choice in our space. Drive alignment and collaboration in a geographically diverse matrix organization.

• Assess the current People and Culture / HR organization geographically and determine the optimal structure. Review the current talent pool and determine if it possesses the right skills for the future. Provide leadership and coaching that fosters an environment of problem solving, accuracy and speed, alignment around our vision, mission, and values, improved business practices, and the attraction and retention of superior talent.

• Establish a disciplined and systematic reporting and long-term planning process for People and Culture that compliments the existing business requirements of Pursuit.  Create an integrated framework that uses metrics that measure, assess, and benchmark performance and analyze operating trends against clearly defined targets in the budgeting and annual planning process. Establish proactive internal monitoring systems that create accountability, identify risks and opportunities and develop contingency plans. Speed up reporting to provide accurate and timely information to the field that heightens their ability to both anticipate and react within a seasonal business cycle.

• Develop long-term relationships and credibility with key internal and external constituencies that are important to Pursuit.

• Expand and improve our Promise to People program driving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion across our workforce.

• Ensure the integrity of all People and Culture initiatives including the Always Honest program, regulatory reporting, controls, processes, compensation adjustments, incentive plans, retirement plans, and Human Resource related systems.

• Provide leadership and inspiration to the global people team

Interview Process

If you apply to this role and are selected to interview, here's what you can expect:

1.   An initial interview with the executive recruiter, Lars Schmidt (virtual)
2.   Conversation with Pursuit President, David Barry (virtual)
3.   Onsite (Denver) interviews with David and other executive stakeholders

If you're interested, here is the link to apply:

https://amplifytalent.com/pursuit-vp-people-culture