Human Resource Manager

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. is a leading defense technology company focused on uncrewed systems, satellite communications, cybersecurity, microwave electronics, missile defense, training, and combat systems. We serve government and commercial customers by leveraging proven technologies to reduce costs, streamline schedules, mitigate risk, and deliver effective solutions.

GENERAL JOB SUMMARY

The Human Resources Manager leads and administers the site's Human Resources function while providing hands-on support to employees and leadership. This position serves as a trusted advisor on workforce planning, recruiting, employee relations, performance management, compensation, benefits, training, organizational development, policy administration, and employment compliance.

The Human Resources Manager establishes consistent HR processes, maintains accurate employment records, strengthens leadership accountability, and promotes a respectful, inclusive, and performance-oriented workplace. As part of a small and growing organization, this position also provides limited backup coverage for designated front-office responsibilities. These duties are secondary to the position's primary HR accountabilities.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Human Resources Leadership and Business Partnership

• Serve as the primary on-site HR representative and advisor to employees and leadership.
• Partner with leadership to align staffing, organizational structure, employee development, and workforce priorities with business objectives.
• Advise and coach managers regarding employee relations, attendance, workplace conduct, performance concerns, corrective action, conflict resolution, documentation, and policy interpretation.
• Support workforce planning, organizational growth, restructuring, succession planning, and change-management activities.
• Coordinate with Divisional Human Resources, Legal, Finance, Payroll, Benefits, and other support functions.
• Exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality when handling sensitive employee and business information.

HR Administration and Employee Support

• Administer HR programs, policies, procedures, and employment practices.
• Respond to employee and manager questions regarding policies, benefits, payroll, leave, attendance, and other employment matters.
• Prepare and maintain offer letters, employee changes, compensation records, performance documentation, corrective actions, and separation records.
• Process hires, transfers, promotions, leaves, status changes, and separations.
• Maintain accurate personnel files, organizational charts, job descriptions, training records, and HR system data.
• Assist with leave administration, disability coordination, workplace accommodation, workers' compensation, and return-to-work processes.
• Support payroll by reviewing timekeeping, compensation, deduction, and status changes.
• Conduct periodic audits of HR records, documentation, and system data.

Recruiting, Hiring, and Onboarding

• Partner with hiring managers to determine staffing requirements, job responsibilities, qualifications, and selection criteria.
• Develop and maintain accurate job descriptions and postings.
• Coordinate sourcing, résumé review, interviews, candidate selection, background checks, pre-employment requirements, and offer preparation.
• Maintain timely and professional candidate communication.
• Coordinate new-hire orientation, documentation, facility access, equipment requests, training assignments, and introductory meetings.
• Monitor new-hire progress and coordinate appropriate follow-up activities.
• Support internship, co-op, temporary staffing, and contract labor programs.

Employee Relations and Performance Management

• Promote a respectful, professional, inclusive, and accountable work environment.
• Receive and objectively investigate employee concerns, complaints, workplace conflicts, and alleged policy violations.
• Document findings and recommend appropriate corrective or preventive action.
• Assist managers with coaching, performance improvement plans and appropriate corrective action notices.
• Coordinate performance reviews, goal setting, employee-development plans, and performance expectations.
• Identify recurring employee relations issues and recommend organizational improvements.
• Conduct exit interviews and evaluate turnover, employee feedback, and retention risks.

Training and Organizational Development

• Coordinate employee, leadership, compliance, and workplace-policy training.
• Maintain training matrices and employee qualification records in partnership with functional leaders.
• Support employee development, succession planning, cross-training, and career-development activities.
• Assist leaders in identifying competency gaps and developing appropriate training or recruiting solutions.
• Support employee engagement, recognition, communication, and workplace-culture initiatives.
• Facilitate or coordinate supervisor training in interviewing, onboarding, performance management, documentation, employee relations, and respectful workplace practices.

Compensation, Benefits, and Payroll Support

• Support the administration of compensation, benefits, recognition, and incentive programs.
• Assist employees with benefit enrollment, life-event changes, claims questions, and provider coordination.
• Partner with leadership and Corporate Human Resources on pay equity, market competitiveness, promotions, and compensation adjustments.
• Coordinate annual enrollment activities and employee benefit communications.
• Review payroll-related employee changes for accuracy and timely submission.
• Maintain appropriate documentation and confidentiality related to compensation, benefits, and payroll.

Policies, Compliance, and Recordkeeping

• Ensure compliance with applicable employment laws, regulations, and company requirements.
• Monitor employment-law developments and recommend policy or procedural updates.
• Consistently administer company policies, the employee handbook, attendance requirements, and workplace standards.
• Maintain required postings, reports, acknowledgments, regulatory records, and employment eligibility documentation.
• Support equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, accommodation, and workforce-reporting activities, where applicable.
• Support HR-related internal audits, customer audits, government reviews, and certification activities.
• Assist with OSHA recordkeeping, workers' compensation, and employee safety documentation in partnership with Environmental, Health and Safety leadership.
• Maintain records in accordance with retention, privacy, cybersecurity, export-control, and confidentiality requirements.

Front-Office Administrative Backup

Provide limited backup coverage for the front-office administrator during absences, breaks, meetings, or periods of increased workload. Duties may include:

• Greeting and directing visitors, candidates, customers, and suppliers.
• Answering and routing incoming calls.
• Coordinating visitor sign-in, badges, escorts, confidentiality agreements, and facility access.
• Receiving and distributing mail, packages, and deliveries.
• Supporting conference-room scheduling, meeting preparation, interviews, and employee events.
• Maintaining a professional, secure, and welcoming reception area.
• Following applicable visitor-control, export-control, security, and confidentiality requirements.
• Escalating employee, customer, safety, security, or facility concerns.

Front-office duties will not replace the regular administrative position or interfere with critical HR responsibilities, investigations, compliance matters, or confidential work.

HR METRICS AND REPORTING

Establish, analyze, and report relevant workforce metrics, including:

• Headcount, open positions, and recruiting status.
• Time-to-fill and offer-acceptance rates.
• Turnover, retention, and new-hire retention.
• Attendance, absenteeism, overtime, and workforce utilization.
• Training and qualification status.
• Employee-relations trends.
• Performance-review completion.
• Employee engagement and HR compliance status.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• May supervise or provide functional direction to HR employees, recruiters, interns, temporary staff, or administrative personnel.
• Assign work, establish priorities, provide coaching, and monitor completion of assigned activities.
• Support employee development and cross-training while maintaining appropriate separation between confidential HR responsibilities and administrative access.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, Labor Relations, or a related field.
• Five or more years of progressive Human Resources experience, including significant hands-on responsibility for employee relations, investigations, performance management, recruiting, policy administration, and employment compliance.
• Experience independently advising managers and handling sensitive or complex employee matters.
• Experience supporting employees and leaders in a manufacturing, engineering, technical, or similarly fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and consistently apply employment policies and regulatory requirements.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and Human Resources information systems.

Preferred

• Seven or more years of progressive Human Resources experience.
• Two or more years serving in an HR leadership, supervisory, HR Business Partner, or senior HR Generalist capacity.
• Experience operating as the primary HR representative for a site or business unit.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, engineering, government contracting, or a rapidly growing organization.
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or comparable professional certification.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Comprehensive knowledge of HR principles, practices, and employment regulations.
• Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on HR responsibilities.
• Strong employee relations, investigation, coaching, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Effective communication and relationship-building skills at all organizational levels.
• Sound judgment, discretion, emotional intelligence, objectivity, and integrity.
• Strong organization, prioritization, documentation, and follow-through.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a growing and changing environment.
• Ability to identify risk, recommend practical solutions, and appropriately escalate concerns.
• Ability to work independently while remaining aligned with site and corporate leadership.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accurate recordkeeping.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Integrity and confidentiality.
• Business partnership.
• Employee advocacy and accountability.
• Judgment and decision-making.
• Leadership and influence.
• Communication and relationship management.
• Conflict management.
• Compliance and risk management.
• Planning and prioritization.
• Adaptability and continuous improvement.

PHYSICAL AND WORK ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to work in an office and manufacturing environment and periodically walk through production, inspection, laboratory, receiving, shipping, and test areas.
• Ability to sit, stand, walk, communicate, and use standard office equipment for extended periods.
• Ability to occasionally lift or move materials weighing up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to work on-site during normal business hours and provide reasonable support outside standard hours when business needs require.
• Occasional travel may be required for training, recruiting, investigations, meetings, or company activities.

OTHER DUTIES

This job description is not intended to contain a comprehensive listing of every activity, duty, or responsibility required of the employee. Responsibilities may change based on business requirements, organizational growth, staffing, and operational needs.

THE ABOVE STATEMENTS ARE INTENDED TO DESCRIBE THE GENERAL NATURE AND LEVEL OF WORK BEING PERFORMED BY INDIVIDUALS ASSIGNED TO THIS CLASSIFICATION. THEY ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE CONSTRUED AS AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF ALL RESPONSIBILITIES, DUTIES AND SKILLS REQUIRED OF PERSONNEL SO CLASSIFIED.

A REVIEW OF THIS CLASSIFICATION HAS EXCLUDED THE MARGINAL FUNCTIONS OF THE CLASSIFICATION THAT ARE INCIDENTAL TO THE PERFORMANCE OF FUNDAMENTAL JOB JUTIES. ALL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ARE ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS AND ARE SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE MODIFICATION TO REASONABLY ACCOMMODATE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES TO PERFORM THIS JOB PROFICIENTLY. THE REQUIREMENTS LISTED IN THIS DOCUMENT ARE THE MINIMUM LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS OR ABILITIES.

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