Human Resources Manager

Human Resources Manager

Owensboro, Kentucky | On Site | Manufacturing

The Opportunity

We are partnering with an established manufacturing organization in Owensboro, Kentucky to identify an experienced Human Resources Manager. This is a highly visible leadership role for an HR professional who combines strong employment law knowledge, sound business judgment, and advanced analytical skills with the ability to lead and develop a successful HR team.

The HR Manager will support a two shift manufacturing operation of approximately 700 employees and provide leadership across an established HR organization of approximately 10 to 11 professionals spanning HR operations, recruiting, and organizational development.

This organization has built a strong HR team and is looking for a leader who can build upon that foundation. The right person will be collaborative and approachable while also having the confidence and technical HR expertise to make difficult decisions, understand the legal implications of those decisions, and clearly explain the reasoning behind them.

Just as important, this individual must be comfortable working with data. HR leadership relies heavily on metrics and analytics to support recommendations and communicate with executive leadership. The ability to take HR data, identify trends, and turn those findings into meaningful business recommendations will be a significant part of the role.

What You'll Do

The HR Manager will serve as a key partner to manufacturing and executive leadership while providing direction, coaching, and support to the HR team.

• Provide leadership across the Human Resources and Organizational Development functions while continuing to develop an experienced HR team.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to manufacturing leaders on employee relations, investigations, performance issues, compliance, and other complex HR matters.

• Apply a strong understanding of employment law and HR compliance to daily decisions, recognizing potential legal implications and knowing when an issue should be elevated to senior HR leadership or outside counsel.

• Coach managers through difficult employee situations and clearly communicate not only what action should be taken, but why it is the appropriate course of action.

• Use HR data and analytics to identify trends, evaluate workforce issues, measure HR effectiveness, and support organizational decision making.

• Develop and present HR metrics to executive leadership in a way that turns data into meaningful business information and actionable recommendations.

• Utilize Excel and other analytical tools to analyze workforce data, employee engagement, staffing, retention, performance, and other key HR indicators.

• Help maintain and analyze the HR budget, understand the data behind budgetary needs, and use that information to support HR planning and recommendations.

• Partner with manufacturing leadership to understand operational needs while balancing those needs with employment law, company policy, consistency, and employee considerations.

• Lead workforce planning, recruiting, onboarding, development, and retention initiatives.

• Strengthen succession planning and leadership development programs to identify and prepare future leaders.

• Oversee performance management processes and ensure they support a high performance culture while being applied fairly and consistently.

• Identify training needs and support programs covering areas such as employment law, compliance, communication, management effectiveness, and leadership development.

• Use employee engagement information and other HR metrics to identify opportunities for improvement and measure the effectiveness of HR initiatives.

• Support continuous improvement within HR while preserving the collaborative culture and strong team environment already in place.

Key Skills Needed for Success

HR Law and Employee Relations Expertise

This position requires someone with strong working knowledge of employment law and HR best practices. The HR Manager will regularly encounter situations where a decision could have legal, employee relations, or organizational consequences.

The successful candidate should be able to evaluate complex employee situations, conduct or oversee investigations, recognize risk, apply policies consistently, and make informed decisions. Equally important is knowing when an issue warrants consultation with senior HR leadership or outside employment counsel.

This person must also be capable of explaining HR decisions to operational leaders in practical business terms.

HR Analytics and Data Driven Decision Making

Analytics is a particularly important component of this position. The organization expects HR recommendations to be supported by data.

The successful candidate should be comfortable working with large amounts of HR information, identifying trends, determining what the numbers are telling the organization, and presenting those findings clearly to leadership.

Strong Excel skills are important, and experience with Power BI or similar data visualization and reporting tools is highly desirable.

The ideal candidate will be able to move beyond simply producing reports. This person should be able to interpret the data, identify what matters, explain why it matters, and recommend an appropriate course of action.

Manufacturing Business Partnership

The HR Manager must be able to bridge the needs of Human Resources and manufacturing operations.

That means understanding production requirements while also recognizing the legal, compliance, employee relations, and cultural implications of business decisions. The successful candidate will develop credibility with manufacturing leaders by providing practical solutions rather than simply identifying problems.

Leadership and Team Development

This is an established HR team with experienced professionals already in place. The organization is looking for someone who can coach, develop, and support the team while continuing to strengthen its capabilities.

The successful candidate should be comfortable helping other HR professionals work through complex situations, develop their decision making skills, and grow professionally.

Communication and Judgment

The HR Manager will interact with employees at every level of the organization, from production team members to executive leadership.

Strong communication, discretion, empathy, and professional judgment are essential. The successful candidate must be comfortable making difficult decisions while maintaining credibility and explaining those decisions in a clear, thoughtful manner.

Experience and Qualifications

• Approximately 5 or more years of progressive Human Resources experience

• Approximately 3 or more years of leadership or management experience

• Manufacturing HR experience is preferred

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related discipline preferred. Equivalent relevant experience may be considered.

• SHRM CP, SHRM SCP, or comparable HR certification preferred

• Strong knowledge of employment law, HR compliance, and employee relations

• Demonstrated experience handling complex employee relations matters and workplace investigations

• Strong analytical ability and advanced Excel skills

• Experience developing, analyzing, and presenting HR metrics

• Power BI experience or experience with similar analytical and visualization tools is highly desirable

• Ability to translate HR data into recommendations for executive and operational leadership

• Experience with HR systems. Paycom experience is a plus.

• Strong coaching, communication, and interpersonal skills

• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion

• Strong organizational, project management, and time management capabilities

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast paced manufacturing environment

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This is an opportunity to join an established organization where HR has a meaningful voice in business decisions. The position provides exposure to executive and manufacturing leadership and the opportunity to influence employee relations, workforce strategy, leadership development, organizational development, and HR analytics across a sizeable manufacturing operation.

The company also offers a strong benefits package with some meaningful differentiators. Employees enrolled in the company's health insurance have access to an on site health clinic at no cost, and many medications available through the clinic are also provided at no cost. Employee only health insurance can be as low as approximately $15 per month, depending on coverage.

Employees have also historically benefited from an extended paid year end holiday shutdown around Christmas and New Year's, based on annual business and production requirements.

The HR Manager can choose a regular first shift schedule of approximately 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This is an on site position because of the importance of being accessible to employees and partnering directly with manufacturing leadership. Occasional second shift support is required, although much of that coverage is handled by the Assistant Manager.

The Person Who Will Thrive Here

This opportunity should appeal to an HR professional who wants to be more than an administrator of HR programs.

The organization is looking for someone who can understand employment law, analyze the numbers, recognize risk, develop people, and use both data and sound HR judgment to influence business decisions.

For an HR Manager or experienced HR leader who enjoys the complexity of manufacturing and wants a role where HR law, employee relations, analytics, leadership development, and business partnership are central to the position, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.