Senior HR Manager

Senior HR Manager

The Wing Group is a global leader in engineered solutions for demanding environments, bringing together a portfolio of trusted brands including Wing Inflatables, Mustang Survival, Henshaw Inflatables, Patten Company, and FabTek Industries. Across defense, marine safety, law enforcement, and industrial sectors, we design and manufacture mission-critical inflatable, flotation, and survival solutions that professionals trust to perform when it matters most.

From combat-ready rigid inflatable boats and inflatable structures to life-saving flotation devices and marine apparel, our products are engineered and tested to exceed the highest standards of safety, durability, and performance. With U.S. and Canadian-based manufacturing and a collaborative, hands-on culture, The Wing Group delivers purpose-built solutions for the world's toughest environments. Join us in advancing safety, performance, and innovation—on the water and beyond.

We are looking for an experienced, hands-on Senior HR Manager to lead our U.S. People & Culture function in California. This role is ideal for a well-rounded HR leader who can operate strategically while remaining close to the day-to-day needs of the business. You will partner with site leadership to strengthen workforce planning, talent acquisition, employee relations, performance and leadership development, total rewards, compliance, and HR operations, while coaching managers and developing the local HR team. The successful candidate will bring strong business judgment, practical knowledge of U.S. and California employment practices, and a track record of building effective people programs that support growth, reduce risk, and create a high-performing employee experience.

This position reports to the Chief Financial Officer. This role may have direct reports (e.g., HR Generalist(s), HR Coordinator(s)) and will partner with corporate People & Culture team, Payroll/Finance, and site leadership.

Responsibilities include:

• Translate business strategy into HR priorities (workforce planning, talent pipeline, org design) and lead execution across the site.
• Coach and develop HR staff; set objectives, monitor performance and ensure consistent HR service delivery.
• Own full-cycle recruitment for key professional and leadership roles: role design, sourcing strategy, selection, offer negotiation and closing. Track recruiting KPIs (time-to-fill, quality of hire, cost per hire).
• Enhance onboarding to accelerate productivity and retention; partner with hiring managers to ensure role readiness and new hire integration
• Provide timely, pragmatic, and legally grounded counsel to managers and employees on performance issues, discipline, investigations, conflict resolution and terminations. Act as primary escalation point for complex employee relations matters.
• Support and coach managers on performance management, OKRs/objectives, development plans, promotions and succession planning.
• Interpret, administer and recommend changes to compensation and incentive programs using market benchmarks and job evaluations. Partner with Finance on budgeting and salary planning.
• Partner with benefits vendors and Payroll to ensure accurate benefits enrolment and reporting.
• Ensure HR policies and practices comply with federal and Florida employment laws (including anti-discrimination law such as the Florida Civil Rights Act), wage & hour rules, record retention and posting requirements. Advise leadership on regulatory changes and mitigate legal risk.
• Administer leave programs to meet federal requirements (FMLA) and state/local obligations; maintain compliant documentation and manager guidance.
• Maintain required employment notices, EEO posters and personnel record retention in accordance with Florida DEO/agency guidance.
• Partner with HSE team to manage workers' compensation claims, return-to-work plans and OSHA/incident reporting processes. Support unemployment claim responses and appeal preparation as needed.
• Ensure HRIS/data integrity, produce standard and ad-hoc people analytics, and automate HR processes where practical (recruiting ATS, performance tools, HRIS, LMS). Drive data-led decisions (turnover analysis, engagement, diversity metrics).
• Lead employee engagement initiatives and facilitate employee representative/team forums. Design and implement development programs that align with Mustang Survival values and retention goals.
• Prepare workforce, compensation and HR operations reports for leadership. Participate in HR budget preparation and manage HR program spend vs. budget.

Qualifications include:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development or a related field required; Master's degree or advanced HR certification such as SHRM-SCP or SPHR preferred.
• Minimum 7–10 years of progressive Human Resources experience, including at least 3–5 years in an HR leadership or senior business-partnering role supporting operational or manufacturing environments. Demonstrated experience directly supporting employees and managers in California strongly preferred. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Strong working knowledge of U.S. federal employment laws, including FMLA, ADA, FLSA, Title VII, ADEA and other applicable EEO requirements, combined with substantial practical knowledge of California employment law and HR compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated knowledge and application of California-specific employment requirements, including the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), California Family Rights Act (CFRA), California Labor Code, applicable Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Orders, California Paid Sick Leave requirements, wage-and-hour and overtime rules, meal and rest period requirements, pay equity and pay transparency requirements, reasonable accommodation and interactive-process obligations, personnel records, leaves of absence, final-pay requirements and employment separation practices.
• Experience conducting and managing complex employee relations matters, including workplace investigations, performance management, disciplinary actions, reasonable accommodation and interactive-process matters, leaves of absence, complaints and employment terminations.
• Demonstrated experience with workforce planning, organizational development, succession planning, compensation benchmarking, talent acquisition, onboarding and employee development.
• Strong HRIS and applicant tracking system experience, with advanced Excel skills and demonstrated ability to use HR metrics, dashboards and people analytics to identify trends and support business decisions.
• Proven ability to influence and advise senior leaders, challenge constructively, exercise sound judgment and translate business needs into practical HR solutions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong interpersonal and emotional intelligence, and demonstrated discretion in handling sensitive, confidential and legally privileged matters.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills with the ability to manage competing priorities, respond effectively to changing business requirements and consistently deliver against deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently with a strong sense of ownership, accountability, integrity and professional ethics.
• Must be able to satisfy applicable U.S. Person, export-control, security screening, and access requirements associated with the company's U.S. Government contracts and CMMC-controlled environments, including eligibility to access controlled information where required.
• Ability to travel to company locations as business needs require.
• Bilingual English/Spanish capabilities an asset.