Senior HR Manager

Job Summary

The Senior HR Manager will serve as a strategic business partner to the plant leadership team. This role provides leadership across all HR functions, focusing on employee relations, engagement, talent acquisition, compliance, and organizational development. This individual must be mature, collaborative, and experienced in a manufacturing environment. Local candidates highly preferred.

Plant Size: ~370 employees Team: Manages HR staff of 2

Location: Elk Grove, CA – Onsite Industry: Manufacturing (Food Manufacturing strongly preferred)

Key Responsibilities

- Partner with operations leaders to drive positive employee relations and high engagement

- Develop strategies to attract, hire, and retain top talent

- Lead full-cycle recruiting for salaried roles and direct hiring for production staff

- Manage onboarding, background checks, drug screens, and orientation

- Maintain HR systems and ensure accurate payroll and employee data

- Oversee leaves of absence, unemployment claims, and policy compliance

- Conduct investigations and guide managers on issue resolution

- Lead training, succession planning, leadership development, and performance reviews

- Manage corrective actions fairly and consistently

- Partner with corporate HR on compensation, benefits, and policies

- Administer performance appraisals, wage planning, and annual increases

- Support benefits inquiries and employee assistance

- Lead HR staff through coaching, development, and performance management

- Organize employee engagement and recognition events

- Collaborate on cross-site HR projects as needed

Qualifications

Education:

- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, or related field (Required)

Experience:

- 10+ years of progressive HR experience

- Minimum 3 years in an HR supervisory/manager role

- Manufacturing experience required; food manufacturing preferred

- Experience with HRIS systems; Workday preferred

- Strong project management background

Skills & Abilities:

- Strong MS Office and general computer proficiency

- Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred

- Knowledge of federal and California HR laws

- Strong interpersonal and communication skills

- Skilled in conflict resolution, coaching, and handling sensitive issues

- Ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines

- Strategic, process-improvement mindset

- Strong business partnership and collaboration abilities