HR Generalist

Human Resources Generalist

This individual contributor position is responsible for providing comprehensive Human Resources support to employees and leaders at Valmont's Newberry, South Carolina location, with a strong emphasis on talent acquisition and employee relations. The HR Generalist will partner closely with site leadership, hiring managers, employees, and the broader Human Resources team to support business needs and execute HR processes and initiatives.

This position will manage full-cycle recruiting activities for assigned openings and serve as a key HR resource for employee relations matters, including coaching leaders, addressing employee concerns, supporting performance management, and conducting workplace investigations. In addition, the position will provide generalist support in areas including new hire onboarding, offboarding, Workday data integrity, training and development, compensation and benefits, policy administration, organizational changes, employee engagement, and employment law compliance.

This role serves on the HR front lines at the Newberry site and is expected to build strong relationships with employees and leaders, develop a strong understanding of site operations and workforce needs, and provide timely and practical HR support.

Essential Functions:

• Position reports to the Senior Director, Strategic People Partner and has no direct or indirect reports.
• Provide a full range of Human Resources support to employees and leaders at the Newberry, South Carolina location, including consistent application of HR policies, procedures, and practices.
• Serve as a primary HR resource for employee relations, partnering with leaders and employees to understand concerns, resolve workplace issues, and promote a positive and productive work environment.
• Coach and advise supervisors and managers on employee relations matters, performance concerns, attendance, corrective action, policy interpretation, and other day-to-day people matters.
• Conduct and support workplace investigations, including gathering information, interviewing involved parties, documenting findings, and partnering with HR leadership and Legal as appropriate.
• Manage full-cycle recruiting for assigned positions, including partnering with hiring managers to understand staffing needs, developing recruiting strategies, posting positions, sourcing candidates, screening applicants, coordinating interviews, facilitating the selection process, and supporting offer development and pre-employment activities.
• Build and maintain candidate pipelines for critical and frequently recruited positions and identify opportunities to strengthen recruiting effectiveness at the site.
• Organize and lead new employee onboarding and support activities that promote successful integration and retention of new employees.
• Create, review, and maintain job descriptions and assist leaders in ensuring job requirements accurately reflect business needs.
• Demonstrate a commitment to customer service by providing timely, accurate, and professional responses to employee and leader inquiries.
• Maintain ongoing compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Support managers through the performance management process, including goal setting, performance feedback, development planning, corrective action, and performance improvement.
• Partner with leaders to identify employee engagement and retention opportunities and assist in developing and implementing appropriate solutions.
• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of site operations, business priorities, organizational structure, and workforce needs.
• Support change management activities related to organizational changes, new programs, policies, systems, and business initiatives.
• Implement and support HR initiatives including annual performance reviews, benefits open enrollment, employee engagement activities, training initiatives, and other site HR programs.
• Ensure accurate and timely data entry and maintenance within Workday and other HR systems.
• Provide information, tools, and guidance to support effective delivery of HR services, systems, and processes.
• Support compensation-related activities and partner with HR leadership as appropriate on job changes, market adjustments, promotions, and other compensation matters.
• Identify opportunities to improve HR processes and the employee experience and partner with HR leadership and Centers of Excellence to implement solutions.
• Seek learning and development opportunities to strengthen professional competencies and remain current on HR practices, employment law, recruiting trends, and industry best practices.

Other Important Details About the Role:

• Gather and analyze feedback from employees and leaders and partner with the Senior Director, Strategic People Partner to develop and implement appropriate solutions.
• Recommend and support programs and initiatives designed to improve employee performance, engagement, satisfaction, and retention.
• Analyze employee relations concerns and investigate employee complaints, including complex matters. Consult with HR leadership and Legal as appropriate and provide timely, well-supported recommendations for management action and follow-through.
• Partner closely with site leaders to identify current and future staffing needs and develop recruiting strategies to support the business.
• Monitor recruiting activity and provide updates on candidate pipelines, open positions, time-to-fill, hiring challenges, and other relevant recruiting metrics.
• Support managers and employees throughout the performance management process, including defining goals, identifying key job responsibilities, creating development plans, assessing performance, and providing coaching and guidance.
• Participate on HR project teams, including employee engagement surveys, implementation or enhancement of HR technologies, candidate assessment initiatives, exit interview analysis, workforce initiatives, and other HR projects.
• Develop and maintain HR-related metrics and reports and assist with analyzing results and identifying trends or opportunities requiring action.
• Participate in projects across the HR function and business. Identify business needs and work collaboratively with HR Centers of Excellence to determine and implement solutions.

Required Qualifications of Every Candidate (Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities):

• Bachelor's degree and three years of Human Resources experience in a generalist capacity; or Associate's degree and five years of relevant experience; or seven years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience supporting employee relations, including coaching leaders, addressing performance and conduct concerns, resolving workplace issues, and conducting or supporting employee investigations.
• Experience supporting full-cycle recruiting, including candidate sourcing and screening, interviewing, selection, and offer processes.
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations and the ability to appropriately identify and escalate compliance concerns.
• A minimum of two years of experience working with a major, non-proprietary HRIS system.
• Ability to travel domestically by air and/or vehicle up to 10% of the time.
• Ability to occasionally work outside normal business hours to support operational needs.
• Self-starter with the ability to work professionally and independently while effectively partnering with a broader HR team.
• Strong customer service orientation with effective written and verbal communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to establish credibility with employees and leaders at all levels of the organization.
• Strong attention to detail and a high degree of accuracy while working in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team and independently exercise sound judgment, discretion, and initiative while maintaining confidentiality.
• Experience with employee relations, dispute resolution, performance management, and litigation avoidance.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Must have a valid driver's license and the ability to rent vehicles and drive self and others as business needs dictate.

Highly Qualified Candidates Will Also Possess These Qualifications:

• PHR or SHRM-CP certification.
• Experience providing Human Resources support within a manufacturing or site-based environment.
• Experience recruiting for a variety of hourly and salaried positions within a manufacturing or operational environment.
• Experience using Workday and EmpCenter® Suite (Enterprise Workforce Management) software applications.
• Strong knowledge of employment law compliance, regulations, and employment-related risk management.
• Knowledge of group benefit plans and benefits open enrollment processes.
• Experience working with timekeeping and compensation programs for exempt and non-exempt employees, including an understanding of FLSA classifications.
• Experience analyzing HR or recruiting metrics and using data to identify trends and recommend solutions.

Working Environment and Physical Efforts:

Work is typically performed in an office setting at the Newberry, South Carolina manufacturing location; however, the incumbent will regularly interact with employees and leaders throughout the site and may be required to enter manufacturing areas where the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is required.

The environment is fast-paced and requires the ability to manage multiple priorities and respond to changing business and employee needs. The incumbent is regularly required to sit for extended periods of time and communicate by phone, computer, and in-person meetings. The employee is frequently required to use hands to operate a computer and other office equipment and is occasionally required to move throughout the office and manufacturing facility.

This position requires up to 10%