The Human Resources Manager serves as the senior on-site HR leader across a multi-building manufacturing campus, owning the complete employee lifecycle across three operational shifts. This critical leadership role drives HR systems, regulatory compliance, workplace investigations, and employee relations, while serving as the primary liaison for staffing agency partners and contingent workforce management. Leading an on-site team of two direct reports, the HR Manager collaborates closely with the Director of Operations and shift leadership to ensure a consistent, legally compliant, and people-first workplace culture.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Site HR Leadership and Strategic Partnership
- Senior On-Site Leadership: Serve as the primary human resources point of contact across all manufacturing facilities, maintaining visible and consistent HR support across all three operating shifts.
- Team Development and Oversight: Lead, coach, and develop two direct reports; establish departmental priorities, review deliverables, and elevate internal HR team capabilities.
- Operational Workforce Planning: Partner collaboratively with the Director of Operations, plant leadership, and shift supervisors on workforce forecasting, optimal staffing models, and organizational structuring.
- Leadership Advisory: Act as a trusted strategic advisor to facility leadership on employee relations, performance management, progressive discipline, and retention initiatives.
- Employee Relations and Workplace Investigations
- Defensible Investigations: Conduct and thoroughly document objective, timely, and legally defensible investigations into allegations of harassment, discrimination, safety violations, and code-of-conduct breaches.
- Supervisory Guidance: Coach frontline supervisors and department leads on effective documentation, coaching methodologies, and uniform application of company policy.
- Disciplinary Actions and Offboarding: Oversee performance improvement plans (PIPs), formal disciplinary actions, and employment separations in coordination with executive HR leadership.
- Environmental Health, Safety (EHS) and Workers' Compensation
- Incident Investigation: Partner closely with operations and safety teams on safety reporting, root-cause incident analyses, and corrective action implementations.
- OSHA Compliance: Maintain official OSHA 300, 300A, and 301 logs, ensuring flawless recordkeeping, mandatory annual postings, and statutory reporting.
- Claims Administration: Direct end-to-end workers' compensation claims from initial injury triage and carrier reporting through modified duty coordination and successful return-to-work.
- Mandated Safety Training: Oversee and verify safety training compliance for direct hires and contingent workers under the Illinois Day and Temporary Labor Services Act (DTLSA).
- Contingent Labor and Staffing Agency Management
- Staffing Vendor Liaison: Serve as the primary site operational point of contact for external staffing agencies; manage day-to-day candidate pipelines, onboarding flows, and issue escalation.
- DTLSA Regulatory Compliance: Enforce strict Illinois DTLSA compliance, overseeing equal pay and benefits mandates for temporary workers on assignment past 90 days, required job disclosures, and safety verification.
- Workforce Metrics and Conversions: Track agency headcount, assignment lengths, and vendor performance; recommend temporary-to-permanent conversions and strategic agency adjustments.
- Legal Compliance and Systems Administration
- Multi-Jurisdictional Compliance: Ensure adherence to federal, Illinois state, and Cook County employment standards (FLSA, FMLA, ADA, Title VII, Illinois Human Rights Act, Illinois Equal Pay Act, Paid Leave for All Workers Act / Cook County Paid Leave Ordinance, VESSA, One Day Rest in Seven Act, BIPA, and E-Verify regulations).
- HRIS Administration (Paycom): Serve as site system owner and subject matter expert for Paycom, managing position management, digital onboarding, automated timekeeping, record retention, and supervisory training.
- I-9 and Workplace Postings: Conduct Form I-9 and E-Verify verification audits, maintain personnel records retention schedules, and ensure up-to-date compliance postings in English and Spanish.
- Leave and Accommodation Management: Administer statutory leaves (FMLA, Illinois Paid Leave, VESSA, military leave), manage interactive ADA accommodation dialogues, and coordinate corporate benefits escalations.
- Mandated Audits and Filings: Compile necessary documentation for EEO-1 reporting, Illinois Equal Pay Registration Certificate filings, IDES unemployment responses, and legal subpoenas.
- Annual Training Programs: Schedule, deliver, and track compliance training, including Illinois annual sexual harassment prevention, supervisor leadership fundamentals, and safety workshops.
- Talent Acquisition, Onboarding and Culture
- Talent Sourcing: Partner with internal recruiters on salaried manufacturing roles while managing direct hourly interviewing, evaluation, and offer generation.
- Comprehensive Onboarding: Own multi-shift new-hire orientations and drive structured 30/60/90-day retention and feedback check-ins.
- Performance and Engagement: Support annual merit review cycles and job description updates; champion site engagement and recognition initiatives tailored for a bilingual, diverse manufacturing team.
REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelors Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related discipline; or recognized professional certification (SHRM-CP/SCP, PHR/SPHR); or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 3+ years of dedicated HR management experience, including at least 2 years in a manufacturing, packaging, warehousing, or industrial environment.
- Workforce Exposure: Demonstrated success supporting a 24/7 or multi-shift hourly manufacturing workforce.
- Working knowledge of federal and Illinois employment statutes, OSHA recordkeeping regulations, and workers' compensation case management.
- Investigation Expertise: Substantial, documented track record leading and resolving formal workplace investigations.
- Demonstrated hands-on experience administering core HRIS platforms.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office - Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Professional verbal and written fluency in both English and Spanish (strongly preferred).
- Direct experience administering and configuring the Paycom HRIS platform.
- Prior experience directly managing, mentoring, and developing HR team members.
- Proven experience managing commercial staffing vendor partnerships and working familiarity with Illinois DTLSA compliance.
- Prior experience supporting multiple physical facilities or campus buildings.
CORE COMPETENCIES
- Exemplary personal integrity, sound ethical judgment, and strict adherence to confidentiality.
- Proven capacity to navigate workplace friction and establish fair, objective resolutions.
- Ability to coach, challenge, and influence frontline supervisors and executive operational leaders alike.
- Meticulous attention to statutory deadlines, documentation integrity, and labor recordkeeping.
- High bias for action, active listening, and regular physical presence across all plant shifts.
- Clear, empathetic, and culturally accessible verbal and written communication.
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