Human Resources Manager

Elk Grove Village, Illinois • Full-Time • Human Resources

About the role

We are seeking an experienced HR Manager to lead and manage comprehensive human resources operations across the organization. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in talent acquisition, employee relations, benefits administration, payroll coordination, HR compliance, employee investigations, onboarding, training, employee engagement, and HRIS systems.

This is a hands-on HR leadership position requiring the ability to partner with senior leadership, department heads, employees, external vendors, and legal counsel while maintaining confidentiality, compliance, and operational effectiveness. The successful candidate will be responsible for both strategic HR initiatives and day-to-day HR operations, with a strong focus on employee experience, compliance, retention, workforce planning, and organizational development.

Responsibilities

• Talent Acquisition & Recruitment
  • Develop and execute internal recruitment strategies to reduce hiring costs.
  • Manage recruitment for regular and hard-to-fill positions.
  • Build and maintain relationships with external recruitment agencies and industry-specific recruiters.
  • Develop and manage employee referral programs.
  • Coordinate pre-employment screening, background checks, and onboarding activities.
  • Build talent pipelines through universities and other talent sources.
  • Partner with department heads to understand workforce requirements.
  • Monitor recruitment metrics and continuously improve sourcing and hiring strategies.
  • Support quality-of-hire and employee-retention initiatives.
• Employee Relations
  • Manage employee grievances, workplace concerns, disciplinary matters, and performance-related issues.
  • Conduct confidential investigations involving workplace incidents, policy violations, complaints, or employee misconduct.
  • Partner with department heads and management to resolve employee-related matters.
  • Provide HR guidance and support across multiple locations and facilities.
  • Support employee terminations and other sensitive HR matters in coordination with legal counsel.
  • Maintain appropriate documentation for employee relations cases.
  • Promote a positive, inclusive, respectful, and compliant workplace culture.
• Benefits Administration
  • Manage employee benefits administration and enrollment.
  • Coordinate health insurance programs and benefits-provider transitions.
  • Administer and coordinate short-term disability, long-term disability, and workers' compensation claims.
  • Maintain benefits rules and configurations within HRIS platforms.
  • Communicate benefits programs, changes, and enrollment requirements to employees.
  • Support employee understanding and effective utilization of benefits programs.
• Payroll & HRIS
  • Coordinate and oversee biweekly payroll processes.
  • Ensure payroll accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with applicable employment regulations.
  • Maintain accurate employee records within HRIS platforms.
  • Support payroll and timekeeping system implementation and optimization.
  • Identify and resolve payroll or employee-data discrepancies.
  • Work with payroll and HRIS providers when required.
  • Experience with ADP, Paycom, Paylocity, and/or UKG is preferred.
• Compliance & Employment Law
  • Ensure HR practices comply with applicable federal and employment regulations.
  • Conduct and maintain I-9 compliance audits.
  • Support OSHA reporting and workplace safety compliance.
  • Maintain working knowledge of:
    • FMLA
    • ADA
    • EEOC requirements
    • OSHA standards
  • Maintain appropriate HR documentation and records.
  • Partner with legal counsel on sensitive employee matters, terminations, investigations, and potential litigation risks.
  • Ensure consistent application of HR policies across locations.
• Employee Engagement & Culture
  • Develop and implement employee engagement initiatives.
  • Establish employee recognition programs to improve morale and workplace culture.
  • Develop team-building initiatives in collaboration with department leaders.
  • Support diversity, equity, and inclusive hiring practices.
  • Develop and communicate total rewards and employee benefits programs.
  • Identify opportunities to improve employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention.
• Training & Development
  • Develop and deliver employee training programs.
  • Coordinate training sessions and monitor employee development.
  • Provide training related to:
    • Workplace safety
    • Anti-harassment
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • HR policies and procedures
  • Support career development initiatives.
  • Contribute to talent management and succession planning programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Master's degree in Human Resources Management or a related discipline is preferred.
• 5+ years of progressive HR experience, preferably including HR Manager or Senior HR Generalist responsibilities.
• Strong experience across:
  • Employee relations
  • Talent acquisition
  • Benefits administration
  • Payroll
  • HR compliance
  • Employee investigations
  • HRIS
  • Employee onboarding
  • Training and development
• Strong knowledge of U.S. employment laws and HR compliance.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive employee information.
• Strong analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with leadership and cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills

• Experience with ADP, Paycom, Paylocity, and/or UKG.
• Experience managing HR operations across multiple facilities or locations.
• Experience supporting organizations with 300+ employees.
• SHRM-CP/SHRM certification or equivalent HR credential.
• Bilingual communication skills, particularly English and Spanish.
• Strong Microsoft Office Suite skills.
• Experience in manufacturing, industrial, healthcare, human services, or other multi-location environments is advantageous.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Time-to-fill
• Recruitment cost reduction
• Quality of hire
• Employee retention
• Employee engagement
• Payroll accuracy and timeliness
• Benefits administration accuracy
• HR compliance and audit performance
• Employee relations resolution time
• Training completion rates
• HRIS data accuracy

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a hands-on HR leader who can effectively manage both strategic and operational HR responsibilities. The candidate should be comfortable working directly with:

• Employees
• Managers
• Department heads
• Senior leadership
• External HR vendors
• Recruitment partners
• Legal counsel

The successful candidate should demonstrate the ability to manage recruitment, payroll, benefits, employee relations, compliance, HRIS, investigations, employee engagement, training, workforce development, and talent management within a growing organization. Experience working in a multi-location or 300+ employee environment will be highly valuable.