Manager, Employee Relations & HR Business Partner

About the role

We are seeking a Manager, Employee Relations and HR Business Partner to join our team at our Swedesboro, NJ bakery. In this role, you will serve as both the site Employee Relations leader and the dedicated HR Business Partner for a major production line, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant people practices while partnering with operations leadership in a large-scale, 24/7 manufacturing environment.

Core Accountabilities

• Lead all complex and high-risk employee relations matters, including investigations, policy interpretation, and corrective action to ensure fair and compliant outcomes.
• Serve as the primary HR Business Partner for assigned production lines, aligning people strategies with operational and business priorities.
• Coach and develop supervisors and managers on employee relations fundamentals, documentation, performance management, and effective leadership behaviors.
• Own and maintain site-level ER standards, playbooks, templates, and investigation processes in alignment with enterprise policies.
• Oversee attendance and performance management practices, ensuring consistent application of policy and defensible documentation.
• Act as the site subject matter expert on Performance Management and Performance Improvement Plans, guiding leaders through effective execution and follow-up.
• Analyze ER data and trends to provide insights that drive proactive risk mitigation, leadership effectiveness, and culture improvement.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, labor relations, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive HR or Employee Relations experience.
• At least 2 years of experience leading complex employee relations investigations.
• Strong working knowledge of employment law, ER best practices, and performance management.
• Proven ability to coach and influence leaders at multiple levels in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to meet the physical demands of a manufacturing environment, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Bi-lingual in Spanish/English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting manufacturing, production, logistics, or 24/7 operations.
• Experience partnering closely with operations leaders in a large frontline workforce.
• Strong data and reporting skills with the ability to identify trends and root causes.
• Change management experience during line ramp-ups, restructures, or organizational transformations.

Pay

Salary Range: $115,000 - $125,000