Ignite Human Capital

HR Manager 

Greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin (North)

About the role

This is a newly created role and the first HR Manager at the Wisconsin site. You will be the on-site HR leader, owning the full employee lifecycle for the Wisconsin workforce and acting as a trusted partner to plant leadership.

You will work closely with the California HR and leadership team to keep policies, programs and culture aligned across both locations. This role suits a builder: someone who can set up HR practices from the ground up, handle day-to-day employee needs, and grow with the site.

Key responsibilities

Site HR leadership

• Serve as the sole on-site HR leader and main point of contact for employees and managers at the Wisconsin location.
• Partner with the site's plant and operations leadership on workforce planning, staffing levels and organizational needs.
• Build HR infrastructure from the ground up: processes, documentation, filing and reporting.

Talent acquisition and onboarding

• Own full-cycle hiring for hourly production and salaried roles, including job postings, screening, interviews and offers.
• Run new hire orientation and onboarding, including I-9 and E-Verify compliance.
• Build local sourcing channels such as job fairs, technical colleges, staffing partners and community outreach.

Employee relations and engagement

• Handle employee relations issues, investigations and corrective action fairly and consistently.
• Coach supervisors and managers on performance management, attendance and communication.
• Lead engagement and retention efforts, recognition programs and employee events.

Compliance and policy

• Ensure compliance with federal and Wisconsin employment laws, including wage and hour, FMLA, ADA and Wisconsin-specific regulations.
• Partner with California HR to roll out and localize company policies and the employee handbook.
• Support safety and OSHA programs, worker's compensation claims and return-to-work in partnership with site safety.

Payroll, benefits and HRIS

• Coordinate payroll inputs, timekeeping and HRIS data accuracy for the Wisconsin site.
• Administer benefits enrollment, leaves of absence and employee questions.
• Maintain HR records and produce headcount, turnover and other HR metrics.

Cross-site partnership

• Work closely with the California HR and leadership team to align programs and share best practices.
• Travel to California periodically (up to 15%) for alignment, training and planning.

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years of progressive HR experience, including at least 2 years as an HR generalist or HR manager in manufacturing, production or a similar plant environment.
• Experience as a standalone or site-level HR lead supporting an hourly workforce.
• Working knowledge of federal and Wisconsin employment law.
• Hands-on experience with full-cycle recruiting, employee relations, investigations and onboarding.
• Experience with HRIS, payroll and timekeeping systems.
• Able to travel to California up to 15%.
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business or a related field, or equivalent experience.

Preferred

• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR or SPHR certification.
• Experience in contract manufacturing, consumer packaged goods or personal care products.
• Experience building HR from the ground up at a new or growing site.
• Experience working with a multi-site or remote corporate HR team.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish).

Who will thrive here

• A self-starter comfortable being the only HR person on site and making sound calls independently.
• Visible and approachable on the production floor, with credibility among both hourly employees and leadership.
• A builder who enjoys creating structure where little exists yet.
• A strong communicator who keeps the California team informed and aligned.