Human Resources Manager

Human Resources Manager – Manufacturing

Job Type: Full-time
Work Location: On-site
Schedule: Monday–Friday, primarily day shift, with occasional early-morning, evening, or weekend availability

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Human Resources Manager to establish and lead the human resources function for our lumber manufacturing operation. This is a newly created position and an opportunity to build practical, consistent HR processes that support our employees, managers, and long-term business goals.

The Human Resources Manager will work directly with company leadership to evaluate current employment practices and develop the systems, policies, documentation, and accountability needed for a growing manufacturing workforce. Initial priorities will include organizing personnel records, standardizing recruiting and onboarding, developing job descriptions, improving employee relations, establishing performance-management procedures, and helping managers address attendance, conduct, and performance issues consistently.

This position is intended for someone who is comfortable creating structure where formal HR processes may not currently exist. The successful candidate must be willing to take ownership of both strategic and day-to-day human resources responsibilities rather than relying on an established HR department or support team.

This is an on-site leadership position in an active industrial manufacturing environment. The Human Resources Manager will be expected to maintain a visible presence throughout the operation and build strong working relationships with employees and supervisors in the sawmill, planer mill, dry kiln, maintenance areas, truck shop, lumber yards, and administrative departments.

The ideal candidate will be practical, organized, confident, and capable of balancing employee needs with company expectations. This person will play an important role in strengthening communication, improving retention, supporting supervisor development, and creating a more consistent and accountable workplace culture.

Key ResponsibilitiesRecruiting and Workforce Planning

• Manage the full recruiting process for hourly, skilled-trade, supervisory, administrative, and management positions.
• Work with department managers to identify staffing needs and establish clear job requirements.
• Create and maintain accurate job descriptions for company positions.
• Prepare and post job advertisements on Indeed and other appropriate recruiting platforms.
• Review applications, conduct initial interviews, coordinate manager interviews, and assist with candidate selection.
• Develop recruiting strategies for millwrights, industrial electricians, mechanics, machine operators, forklift operators, truck drivers, supervisors, and other difficult-to-fill positions.
• Build relationships with technical schools, community colleges, workforce agencies, and other recruiting sources.
• Track recruiting expenses, applicant sources, time-to-fill, turnover, and hiring results.
• Coordinate reference checks, background checks, drug testing, and other pre-employment requirements in accordance with company policy and applicable law.

Employee Onboarding and Documentation

• Develop and manage a consistent onboarding process for all new employees.
• Conduct new-hire orientation and explain company policies, attendance expectations, safety requirements, benefits, pay practices, and reporting relationships.
• Coordinate with managers to ensure new employees receive appropriate departmental and job-specific training.
• Maintain complete and accurate personnel files, employment records, certifications, disciplinary records, and required documentation.
• Monitor introductory employment periods and coordinate 30-, 60-, and 90-day employee reviews.
• Ensure employment forms and records are completed accurately and on time.
• Manage employee status changes, promotions, transfers, pay changes, and terminations.

Employee Relations

• Serve as a professional and approachable resource for employees, supervisors, and managers.
• Investigate employee complaints, workplace concerns, harassment allegations, policy violations, and other employee-relations matters.
• Document investigations and recommend appropriate corrective action.
• Coach managers and supervisors on communication, conflict resolution, documentation, disciplinary procedures, and consistent policy enforcement.
• Help resolve employee concerns before they become larger workplace problems.
• Conduct stay interviews and exit interviews to identify causes of turnover and opportunities for improvement.
• Maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when handling sensitive employee and company information.
• Promote a respectful, accountable, and productive workplace culture.

Performance Management and Accountability

• Develop and administer a consistent employee performance-management process.
• Assist managers with establishing clear job expectations, responsibilities, goals, and performance standards.
• Create and maintain performance-review forms, corrective-action forms, attendance notices, improvement plans, and termination documentation.
• Ensure disciplinary actions are properly investigated, documented, reviewed, and applied consistently.
• Coach supervisors on addressing performance problems promptly and professionally.
• Track attendance, absenteeism, turnover, disciplinary actions, vacancies, and other workforce trends.
• Help establish accountability standards for managers and supervisors.
• Support employee recognition, incentive, attendance, and retention programs.

Policies, Procedures, and Compliance

• Review, develop, update, and administer the employee handbook and employment policies.
• Ensure employment practices comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
• Maintain required employment postings, records, reports, and documentation.
• Support compliance with wage-and-hour requirements, leave laws, equal employment opportunity requirements, disability accommodations, and other employment regulations.
• Coordinate employee leave requests, return-to-work requirements, and workplace accommodations.
• Work with company leadership, safety personnel, payroll, insurance providers, and legal counsel when necessary.
• Monitor changes in employment laws and recommend appropriate policy or procedural updates.
• Assist with unemployment claims, employment verifications, audits, and regulatory inquiries.

Training and Leadership Development

• Identify training needs for employees, supervisors, and managers.
• Develop or coordinate training in leadership, communication, attendance management, documentation, conflict resolution, interviewing, workplace conduct, and company policies.
• Help skilled employees and newly promoted supervisors develop effective people-management skills.
• Maintain training records and monitor completion of required training.
• Assist department managers with employee development and succession planning.
• Support cross-training and skill-development programs for production and maintenance employees.

Payroll, Benefits, and Administrative Support

• Work closely with payroll and accounting personnel to ensure employee information, pay changes, deductions, attendance records, and benefit elections are processed accurately.
• Assist employees with benefit enrollment, eligibility questions, and general benefit information.
• Coordinate annual benefit enrollment and communicate plan information to employees.
• Review timekeeping and attendance information for recurring problems or inconsistencies.
• Support workers’ compensation administration, injury documentation, return-to-work coordination, and communication with insurance providers.
• Maintain confidentiality of payroll, compensation, medical, and benefit information.
• Prepare regular human resources reports for company leadership.

Manufacturing and Operational Support

• Maintain a regular presence throughout the manufacturing facility and develop productive working relationships with employees on all shifts.
• Learn the staffing and skill requirements of the sawmill, planer mill, dry kiln, maintenance, trucking, rolling stock, lumber-yard, cleanup, and administrative departments.
• Attend management and operational meetings as requested.
• Work with operations and maintenance leaders to address staffing shortages, scheduling needs, overtime concerns, attendance issues, and employee performance.
• Support company initiatives involving productivity, quality, safety, reliability, and workplace culture.
• Respond appropriately to urgent employee-relations matters that may occur outside normal office hours.

Initial Priorities

During the first several months, the Human Resources Manager will be expected to:

• Meet with company leadership and department managers to understand current staffing, employee-relations, and organizational needs.
• Review existing personnel files, policies, job descriptions, disciplinary practices, recruiting methods, and onboarding procedures.
• Identify immediate compliance, documentation, and recordkeeping concerns.
• Establish consistent recruiting, interviewing, candidate-selection, and onboarding processes.
• Create or update job descriptions for company positions.
• Develop standardized employee counseling, disciplinary, performance-review, attendance, and termination forms.
• Evaluate employee turnover and identify the departments and positions with the greatest retention challenges.
• Establish regular human resources reporting for company leadership.
• Develop a practical improvement plan for employee communication, supervisor accountability, retention, and workplace culture.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Management, or a related field; equivalent practical experience may be considered.
• At least five years of progressive human resources experience.
• Experience independently managing multiple human resources responsibilities.
• Strong knowledge of recruiting, employee relations, performance management, workplace investigations, documentation, and employment-law compliance.
• Experience coaching managers and supervisors through difficult employee situations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organization, follow-through, documentation, and recordkeeping abilities.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and common payroll or human resources systems.
• Ability to work on-site and regularly walk through an industrial manufacturing facility.

Preferred Qualifications

• Human resources experience in lumber manufacturing, wood products, industrial manufacturing, heavy equipment, transportation, construction, or a skilled-trades environment.
• Experience recruiting millwrights, industrial electricians, mechanics, truck drivers, machine operators, and other skilled employees.
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification.
• Experience establishing an HR function, formalizing policies, or improving human resources processes in a growing or family-owned business.
• Experience with workers’ compensation, unemployment claims, employee benefits, payroll coordination, and attendance-management systems.
• Experience supporting multiple shifts and an hourly manufacturing workforce.

Skills and Characteristics

The successful candidate will be:

• Visible, approachable, and comfortable working directly with employees.
• Firm, fair, consistent, and respectful.
• Willing to address difficult issues promptly.
• Able to balance employee concerns with the operational needs of the company.
• Capable of gaining the trust of both employees and management.
• Organized and highly attentive to documentation.
• Practical, solutions-oriented, and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.
• Able to create structure and consistency where formal human resources processes may not currently exist.

Physical and Work Environment Requirements

• Ability to work in both an office and an active industrial manufacturing environment.
• Ability to walk throughout production, maintenance, lumber-yard, and equipment areas.
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment, including safety glasses, hearing protection, high-visibility clothing, and safety footwear.
• Exposure to noise, dust, outdoor weather conditions, mobile equipment, and changing temperatures when visiting operational areas.
• Ability to occasionally adjust working hours to meet with employees or supervisors on different shifts.

Compensation

Competitive salary based on experience and qualifications.

Benefits

Benefits may include:

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Retirement plan
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Life insurance
• Other company-sponsored benefits

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to any status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid jury duty
• Paid time off
• Relocation assistance
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• How many years of human resources experience do you have?
• Do you have HR experience in manufacturing, lumber, construction, transportation, heavy industry, or a skilled-trades environment?
• Have you independently managed employee relations, disciplinary actions, workplace investigations, recruiting, and onboarding?
• Have you helped establish or significantly improve an HR department, HR processes, or company employment policies?
• Are you willing to work fully on-site and regularly spend time in an active lumber manufacturing facility?
• Are you able to occasionally adjust your schedule to meet with employees working early-morning, evening, or weekend shifts?
• Please briefly describe your experience building or improving HR processes for a company.

Work Location: In person