People Business Partner

Korn Ferry has partnered with our client on their search for a role, People Business Partner.

The Position

The People Business Partner will serve as the senior People & Organization leader for the company's CDMO's Morton Grove site and as a core member of the local leadership team. The role will partner closely with the Site Head and functional leaders to translate business priorities into practical people strategies, establish consistent U.S. people practices, and support the site through rapid growth, integration, and organizational change.

This is a highly hands-on role in an industrial, laboratory, and chemical manufacturing environment. The successful leader will balance strategic business partnership with direct ownership of day-to-day people operations, including employee relations, workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, performance management, compensation, benefits, payroll coordination, learning, and compliance.

A central priority will be integrating the Morton Grove organization into the company's global operating model. This includes harmonizing local practices with group standards, implementing global systems and annual cycles, supporting an internationally diverse workforce, and building strong relationships across the CDMO organization.

Near-Term Priorities

• Build trusted relationships with the Site Head, the functional leaders, and employees across Plant Direction/production, R&D, Quality, EHS, Engineering & Maintenance, and Finance.
• Ensure continuity following the incumbent's departure and partner effectively with the interim P&O leader during the transition period.
• Support workforce growth to approximately 110 employees, including recruitment and onboarding for 2027 openings and the integration of new hires and international assignees.
• Harmonize local people policies, programs, and operating practices with the company group standards while ensuring compliance with U.S. and Illinois employment requirements.
• Lead the site's upcoming performance management and merit cycle through SAP SuccessFactors, aligned with the company's global timing and governance.
• Own benefits and open enrollment, coordinate payroll administration through Paylocity and external support, and strengthen the reliability of core HR processes.
• Use the Morton Grove employee survey results to identify priorities and develop an evidence-based site people plan.
• Assess future P&O capacity needs, including the potential addition of specialist support as the site continues to scale.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Business Partnership and Site Leadership

• Act as a trusted advisor to the Site Head and participate actively in weekly site leadership meetings, contributing a people perspective to business and operating priorities.
• Partner with the seven functional leaders reporting to the Site Head to anticipate workforce needs, strengthen leadership capability, and improve organizational effectiveness.
• Translate site growth plans into actionable workforce, talent, organization, and change priorities.
• Provide pragmatic coaching and guidance to leaders and managers on employee matters, decision-making, communication, and team effectiveness.
• Build a strong understanding of the CDMO business, the Morton Grove operating model, and the requirements of a 24/7 manufacturing environment.

Talent Acquisition, Workforce Planning and Onboarding

• Lead workforce planning for continued site expansion and ensure hiring plans are aligned with business priorities and approved headcount.
• Oversee recruitment delivery across professional, technical, laboratory, production, and hourly roles, working with the RPO and external partners while helping transition selected recruiting capabilities in-house.
• Ensure effective onboarding and integration of new employees, contractors, and colleagues arriving on short-term international assignments.
• Strengthen hiring-manager capability, candidate experience, selection discipline, and recruitment reporting.
• Partner with leaders on talent reviews, succession planning, retention, internal mobility, and development of critical capabilities.

Employee Relations, Culture and Change

• Lead employee relations matters with sound judgment, consistency, confidentiality, and appropriate documentation.
• Ensure local practices comply with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and company policies.
• Drive change and integration initiatives that strengthen the company's culture, values, accountability, and employee experience.
• Use employee survey results and workforce insights to define priorities, address organizational concerns, and track progress.
• Promote clear communication and constructive dialogue across a diverse, multicultural, and rapidly changing workforce.

Core People Programs and Operations

• Lead local execution of performance management, merit review, learning, talent, and other annual people cycles through SAP SuccessFactors.
• Own local benefits administration and open enrollment, partnering with the broader U.S. people organization as appropriate.
• Coordinate payroll administration through Paylocity and the external payroll consultant, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant processing.
• Partner with Finance and global teams as SAP capabilities are implemented and as Finance and HR processes become more closely connected.
• Maintain effective people data, reporting, records, policies, and controls, and monitor key metrics such as headcount, vacancies, turnover, recruitment progress, and workforce costs.
• Manage the site P&O budget and provide relevant analysis and updates to leadership.

Global and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Maintain a strong matrix partnership with the Global People Senior Director for the CDMO business and collaborate with company People teams and Centers of Excellence.
• Coordinate closely with the U.S. People Business Leader and other U.S. colleagues on benefits, holidays, policies, and shared employee programs.
• Leverage support and expertise from People teams in Mexico, Spain, China, and headquarters to implement group systems and processes effectively.
• Facilitate the integration of international assignees and help local leaders and employees navigate global ways of working.
• Partner cross-functionally with Production, Quality, R&D, EHS, Engineering & Maintenance, Finance, and other site functions.

Organizational Structure

• Direct Manager: Chen Qingguang, Head of Site, Morton Grove
• Matrix Manager: Global People Senior Director, CDMO Business
• Leadership Team: Member of the Morton Grove site leadership team
• Direct Reports: None initially; additional specialist support may be considered as the site grows

Site Leadership Structure

• The Site Head is supported by leaders across Finance, People & Organization, Engineering & Maintenance, Quality, Plant Direction/Production, EHS, and R&D. The People Business Partner operates across all seven functions and is expected to be visible throughout the site.

The Candidate

Experience and Professional Qualifications

• Progressive human resources experience, including meaningful experience as an HR Business Partner, People & Organization leader, or site HR leader in an industrial operating environment.
• Direct experience supporting manufacturing, production, quality, laboratory, engineering, or similarly technical operations is required.
• Experience partnering with a site or plant leader and serving on an operating leadership team.
• Broad generalist capability across employee relations, talent acquisition, workforce planning, performance management, compensation, benefits, payroll coordination, learning, organizational development, and change management.
• Working knowledge of U.S. employment law and the practical application of policies in a site-based workforce.
• Experience supporting organizational growth, integration, transformation, facility expansion, or large-scale hiring.
• Comfort operating in a global, matrixed organization and partnering across cultures, time zones, and geographies.
• Experience with SAP SuccessFactors and Paylocity is advantageous; experience implementing or improving HR systems and processes is important.
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related discipline required; advanced degree or relevant professional certification is advantageous
• Fluent English required. Spanish is helpful but not required.
• Ability to work onsite in Morton Grove at least four days per week. Relocation assistance is available if needed.

Relevant Industry Backgrounds

• The strongest candidates will come from site-based environments such as pharmaceutical or chemical manufacturing, food production, industrial manufacturing, automotive parts or components, medical products, or other regulated and technically complex operations. Exposure to production, quality laboratories, R&D, and/or continuous operations is especially relevant.

Core Leadership Profile

• Customer and operationally minded, with the credibility to contribute beyond the HR function.
• Hands-on and comfortable moving between strategic priorities and detailed execution.
• A relationship builder who can quickly establish trust with leaders, technical professionals, production employees, and global colleagues.
• Pragmatic, organized, and able to create structure in a fast-growing environment with evolving systems and processes.
• Confident navigating ambiguity, cultural differences, competing demands, and rapid change.
• Sound judgment, discretion, high integrity, and a balanced, non-bureaucratic approach to risk and compliance.
• Strong communication, coaching, influence, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Analytical and critical thinking skills with a strong learning capacity

Leadership Behaviors

The P&O Director is expected to role-model the company's leadership behaviors:

• Own Your Development – Take responsibility for continuous learning and improvement
• Be Innovative – Proactively seek better ways of working and embrace change
• Engage Yourself – Encourage open dialogue and constructive discussion
• Collaborate – Build strong cross-functional and global partnerships
• Be Accountable – Take ownership of decisions, actions, and outcomes