HR Business Partner

About the role

The HR Business Partner is a hands-on strategic partner to plant and business leaders, helping align people practices with operational priorities, growth plans, employee engagement, and compliance requirements. This role supports assigned manufacturing site(s) by advising leaders, strengthening employee relations, improving workforce planning, supporting talent acquisition and retention, and using HR data to identify trends and recommend practical solutions. This position is fully onsite to provide visible, responsive support to employees and leaders in a manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted HR partner to plant leadership, supervisors, and employees, translating business needs into practical people strategies.
• Serve as a key liaison, working in direct partnership with headquarters to drive company objectives and operational excellence.
• Support workforce planning, staffing strategies, retention efforts, and organizational changes for assigned site(s).
• Lead recruiting for hourly and salaried roles in partnership with hiring managers and the Corporate HR team.
• Guide onboarding, orientation, and early employee experience activities to help new team members successfully integrate into the business.
• Coach managers and supervisors on employee relations, performance management, attendance, corrective action, conflict resolution, and consistent policy application.
• Investigate and resolve employee concerns with sound judgment, confidentiality, fairness, and appropriate documentation.
• Facilitate employee communications, listening sessions, engagement activities, recognition programs, and culture-building initiatives that support a respectful, high-performance workplace.
• Partner with leaders on talent reviews, internal promotions, succession planning, skills development, and training needs.
• Use HRIS data and HR metrics, including turnover, attendance, vacancies, engagement feedback, and employee relations trends, to identify opportunities and recommend actions.
• Support leaves of absence management, including FMLA, ADA accommodations, short-term disability, personal leaves, and return-to-work coordination.
• Collaborate with Safety and Operations leaders to support OSHA-related compliance, injury and illness follow-up, workers’ compensation coordination, and safety training initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and company policies, escalating complex matters as appropriate.
• Support HR projects, process improvements, HR technology adoption, and company-wide initiatives that improve the employee and leader experience.

Training

Training will include company policies, HRIS and reporting tools, employment law and compliance practices, safety and workers’ compensation processes, employee relations procedures, and site-specific manufacturing operations. Ongoing professional development is expected to maintain current HR knowledge and support business needs.

Qualifications

Education & Certifications: Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field required. SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification preferred.

Experience: Minimum of 5 years of progressive HR experience, including employee relations, recruiting, performance management, compliance, and manager coaching. Prior HR experience in a manufacturing, distribution, operations, or other hourly workforce environment strongly preferred. Experience supporting organizational growth, change management, HR metrics, and multi-site operations is a plus.

Key Competencies:

• Strong business acumen