Human Resources Manager – Manufacturing

Location:
Department: Human Resources
Reports To: Director of People Operations
FLSA Status: Exempt

Position Summary

The Human Resources Manager serves as the strategic and hands-on HR leader for the manufacturing facility, overseeing all HR functions including employee relations, staffing, talent development, compliance, and labor practices. This role ensures the plant maintains a highly engaged, compliant, well-trained workforce that supports safety, quality, productivity, and overall business performance.

The HR Manager partners closely with operations leadership to build a positive culture, reduce turnover, strengthen staffing pipelines, and ensure consistent adherence to company policies and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

1. Employee Relations & Culture

• Serve as the primary HR contact for all plant employees, supervisors, and managers.

• Provide coaching and guidance to address performance concerns, conflict resolution, and behavioral issues.

• Ensure fair and consistent application of policies and progressive discipline.

• Lead investigations related to misconduct, harassment, safety violations, and policy breaches.

• Promote a culture focused on safety, accountability, communication, and continuous improvement.

2. Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

• Manage full-cycle recruitment for hourly and salaried manufacturing positions.

• Maintain strong talent pipelines for high-turnover roles (production, maintenance, sanitation, warehouse).

• Collaborate with department leaders to forecast workforce needs and develop hiring strategies.

• Oversee onboarding, new-hire orientation, and first-week training to ensure high retention.

3. Compliance & Regulatory Management

• Ensure adherence to all federal, state, and local employment laws (FMLA, ADA, EEOC, OSHA, wage & hour).

• Maintain accurate employee files, I-9 documentation, safety records, and compliance reports.

• Partner with safety leaders to support OSHA audits, training, injury reporting, and workers’ comp claims.

• Update and enforce company policies and employee handbook.

4. Benefits, Leave Administration & Payroll Support

• Oversee benefit enrollment, employee inquiries, and vendor communication.

• Manage FMLA, short-term disability, workers’ comp, and personal leave requests.

• Partner with payroll to ensure accurate timekeeping, scheduling, and wage adjustments.

5. Training & Development

• Ensure completion of mandatory training programs (safety, GMPs, food safety, harassment prevention, etc.).

• Create development paths for supervisors and high-potential employees.

• Support cross-training initiatives to improve workforce flexibility and reduce downtime.

6. HR Metrics, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Track and report turnover, staffing levels, attendance, productivity, and employee engagement metrics.

• Analyze trends and recommend solutions to improve retention and workforce stability.

• Lead improvement initiatives related to onboarding, communication systems, and employee experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred.

• 5+ years of HR generalist or HR management experience (manufacturing experience preferred).

• Strong understanding of employment law, compliance, and HR best practices.

• Experience in high-volume recruiting for hourly plant positions.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, production-driven environment.

• Proficiency in HRIS systems, ATS platforms, and Microsoft Office Suite.

• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred but not required.

Ideal Candidate Traits

• Approachable, supportive, and trustworthy.

• Strong sense of urgency with the ability to multitask and prioritize.

• Confident decision-maker who brings both strategy and hands-on execution.

• Passion for building strong teams, coaching leaders, and improving culture.