HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER

Reports to: Human Resource Director

Position Type: Full-Time

Location: Vermont

Summary of Position Mission

The Human Resources Manager leads day-to-day HR operations and serves as the department’s second-in-command. The Manager converts HR strategy and policy into consistent operating practices, leads employee relations and compliance administration, supervises the HR Generalist and HR Administrator, and ensures reliable execution of payroll, benefits, leave, HRIS, records, and employee lifecycle processes across locations. The Manager acts for the HR Director when delegated and escalates high-risk, executive-level, or precedent-setting matters.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

· Direct daily HR operations, establish service priorities, monitor workload, and ensure consistent practices across sites.

· Supervise, coach, and evaluate the HR Generalist and HR Administrator; establish clear assignments, backup coverage, service standards, and development plans.

· Lead employee relations matters, workplace investigations, fact-finding, documentation, and recommendations in partnership with the HR Director and legal counsel as appropriate.

· Coach managers on performance expectations, feedback, attendance, corrective action, policy interpretation, conflict resolution, and consistent documentation.

· Administer and oversee FMLA, ADA accommodations and the interactive process, workers’ compensation employment coordination, state leave requirements, and return-to-work processes in coordination with EHS and benefit partners.

· Own day-to-day policy administration and lead handbook, procedure, form, and workflow updates for HR Director approval.

· Oversee payroll and timekeeping coordination, HR data validation, employee deductions and status changes, issue resolution, internal controls, and vendor escalation; maintain appropriate review and approval separation.

· Oversee benefits administration, eligibility, enrollment support, employee communications, vendor issue resolution, required notices, and annual enrollment execution under the HR Director’s benefit strategy.

· Maintain HRIS data integrity, security roles, workflows, reporting standards, audit readiness, and continuous process improvement.

· Oversee personnel records, I-9 compliance, retention schedules, required postings, employee notices, and HR compliance audits.

· Coordinate the onboarding handoff from Talent Acquisition and ensure consistent orientation, new-hire documentation, manager readiness, introductory-period follow-up, and offboarding.

· Partner with the Talent Acquisition Manager on workforce priorities, job descriptions, internal movement, compensation approvals, hiring metrics, and recruiting-to-onboarding handoffs.

· Partner with EHS on injury response, return-to-work coordination, required employee communications, training records, and corrective actions that involve employee conduct or policy.

· Develop and report HR operational metrics, including turnover, attendance, vacancies, leave, employee relations trends, service timeliness, and data quality.

· Serve as acting HR department leader when designated by the HR Director.

· Actively participate and support the 5S process within the work area on a daily basis.

· Other duties will be assigned as needed.

Decision and Escalation Authority

· May resolve routine and moderately complex employee relations, policy, payroll, benefits, and operational matters within approved policy and precedent.

· Escalates executive or director-level matters, threatened claims, agency charges, significant accommodation disputes, high-risk terminations, reductions in force, policy exceptions, and precedent-setting decisions to the HR Director.

· Recommends corrective action and termination decisions and obtains approvals required by the company’s authority matrix.

· May approve routine HR transactions and offers within delegated authority; compensation exceptions remain subject to HR Director and Finance or executive approval.

Experience & Qualifications Required

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. These requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

· Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, or related field preferred; equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience may be considered.

· Five to ten or more years of progressive HR experience, including substantial employee relations, investigations, leave and accommodation, HR operations, and manager-advisory responsibility.

· At least three years of formal or functional leadership experience preferred.

· Experience in manufacturing, distribution, or another regulated, multi-site environment is strongly preferred.

· Strong knowledge of federal employment requirements and the ability to administer requirements applicable to Florida, Vermont, and other states where employees work.

· PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification preferred.

· Experience with HRIS, payroll, benefits, timekeeping, reporting, and applicant-tracking systems; ADP TotalSource or WFN experience preferred.

· Strong investigation, writing, coaching, judgment, organization, and data-analysis skills.

· Ability to maintain confidentiality, manage competing priorities, and travel between company locations as needed.

Working Conditions

Work is normally performed in a climate-controlled office environment and throughout a heated manufacturing and warehouse facility. Exposure to conditions of extreme heat/cold, poor ventilation, fumes and gases is very limited. Noise level is moderate and includes sounds of light manufacturing, shipping and receiving, and normal office equipment (computers, telephones, etc.). No known environmental hazards are encountered in normal performance of job duties.

Physical Demands

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions:

· Be able to lift objects commonly found in offices, up to 20 lbs.

· Able to travel locally occasionally

· Employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to type on computer, handle documents and talk/hear using the telephone

· Able to work at a computer for long periods of time

· Employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms.

· The employee is occasionally required to bend, stand, walk and stoop, kneel, crouch or craw

· Specific vision abilities are required by this job, including close vision

· Able to work additional hours as needed. (Project timelines and work volume/deadlines may require more than 40 hours per week to complete essential duties of this job.)

· Must have mental processes for reasoning, remembering, mathematics and language ability (reading, writing and speaking English language) to perform the duties efficiently

· Able to work full-time, including early mornings, evenings and weekends as needed

Disclaimers

· This job description should not be interpreted as a complete list of all the duties and responsibilities performed by the jobholder. To maintain organizational flexibility, management has the discretion to add, drop or change at any time the duties, responsibilities and expectations of this job.

· This job description does not constitute an offer of employment, continuous employment or an employment contract. We are an at-will employer and either you or the employer may terminate the employment relationship at any time, for any legal reason or for no reason.

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