Senior Human Resources Generalist

About the Role

As the Senior HR Business Partner, People Relations, you will serve as the primary site-based HR partner for employees and leaders, fostering a positive workplace culture, addressing employee relations matters, and driving local talent initiatives. This role strengthens employee engagement, helps teams grow and succeed, and fosters a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. You will partner closely with site leadership and HR colleagues to support employee engagement, performance, development, compliance, and organizational effectiveness while ensuring a consistent employee experience aligned with company values and business objectives. You will report to the HR Manager, People Relations (PSD/MSD) and supervise and develop an Associate HR Generalist.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the General Manager and site leadership to support workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, employee engagement, change management, leadership development, and other people initiatives that drive business success.
• Serve as the primary employee relations partner for the Irvine site, proactively addressing workplace concerns through coaching, conflict resolution, investigations, corrective actions, employee meetings, exit interviews, and other employee relations activities while ensuring fair, consistent, and compliant outcomes.
• Coach and develop leaders on employee relations, performance management, communication, policy interpretation, leadership effectiveness, talent development, and succession planning to strengthen organizational capability.
• Drive employee engagement and workplace culture initiatives by analyzing employee feedback, engagement survey results, workforce trends, and other talent metrics to develop and implement action plans that enhance the employee experience and organizational effectiveness.
• Ensure compliance with employment laws, company policies, and HR processes while maintaining appropriate documentation, leveraging Workday and workforce data to identify trends, provide insights, and support informed decision-making.
• Collaborate with Global HRBPs, HR Centers of Excellence, and People Operations to implement enterprise talent processes, connect employees and managers to the appropriate HR resources, and lead site and enterprise HR projects that support business objectives and continuous improvement.
• Take and follow directions and instructions.
• Interact with other employees, customers, suppliers, vendors, or the public in a safe, professional, and respectful manner.
• Handle access to sensitive and confidential business systems, personally identifying information, financial information, and maintain physical security and safety.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field, with 5+ years of progressive HR experience.
• Demonstrated employee relations expertise, including conducting investigations, resolving workplace conflicts, administering corrective actions, and interpreting company policies and employment laws.
• Experience with reductions in force.
• Strong business partnership, coaching, and influencing skills with the ability to build credibility and effectively support leaders at all levels of the organization.
• Experience supporting employee populations in manufacturing, operations, engineering, or product development environments, with a working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws and HR compliance requirements.
• Ability to leverage workforce data and HR metrics to identify trends, develop solutions, and drive improvements in employee engagement, retention, and organizational effectiveness.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, project management, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, navigate sensitive and confidential situations, drive change, foster a positive workplace culture, and support talent-related initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field.
• PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification.
• Experience conducting workplace investigations and managing complex employee relations issues in California.
• Experience leveraging Workday HRIS, engagement survey platforms, and workforce analytics to drive business decisions.
• Demonstrated success partnering with HR Centers of Excellence (Talent Management, Compensation, Talent Acquisition) and HR Business Partners in a matrixed organization.
• Experience supporting organizational change initiatives, workforce planning, talent reviews, succession planning, and leadership development programs.
• Experience supporting large employee populations within a manufacturing or operational site environment.

Supervisory Scope

Directly supervise and develop one HR team member in Irvine.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Perform activities such as sitting, standing, or typing for extended periods of time.
• Regularly requires good manual dexterity and coordination.
• Ability to remain in a stationary position for 65% of the time.
• Must be able to communicate information and ideas so others will understand.
• Must be able to exchange accurate information.
• The ability to observe documents and details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Operates in a professional office and manufacturing environment.
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery.
• Noise level in the work environment is usually average.

Pay

Salary Pay Range: $90,000 to $110,000 per year. This range is a good faith estimate of the expected salary range for this position, based on a wide range of factors including qualifications, experience and training, operational and business needs, and other considerations permitted by law. At MKS, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for the role.

This position is eligible for a discretionary annual bonus, in an amount to be determined by MKS.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance coverage (medical, dental, and vision).
• 401(k) with company match.
• Life and disability insurance.
• 12 paid holidays.
• Sick time.
• 15 paid vacation days.
• 6 weeks fully paid parental leave.
• Adoption assistance.
• Tuition reimbursement.