Job Description
POSITION SUMMARY: The HR Manager – Operations serves as a strategic advisor and trusted partner to operational leaders and their teams within Manufacturing Services and Mechanical Field Services. This role bridges HR strategy and day-to-day operations, ensuring that people strategies drive organizational effectiveness, workforce productivity, and a high-performance culture across manufacturing services and field repair and service teams. The HR Manager – Operations is accountable for translating business strategy into actionable people plans, resolving employee relations matters, and building leadership capability at every level of the operation. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Serve as a dedicated HR business partner to Operations leadership; build strong relationships and develop a deep understanding of business drivers, workforce dynamics, and operational challenges. Translate business strategy into actionable people plans, including workforce planning, talent management and pipelines, and organizational design recommendations. Participate in Operations leadership meetings and contribute an HR perspective to business reviews, headcount planning, and change initiatives. Proactively advise managers on HR policies, employment law compliance, and best practices to support sound, consistent decision-making. Forecast hiring needs, define role profiles and job descriptions, and ensure efficient, quality recruiting for operational positions at all levels. Conduct workforce planning analyses to identify current and future talent gaps; develop succession and readiness plans for key operational roles. Build and maintain diverse talent pipelines and support internal mobility initiatives to reduce external hiring dependency. Provide guidance and resolution support for employee relations matters including performance concerns, conduct issues, workplace conflicts, and formal investigations. Ensure fair and consistent application of HR policies across all operational groups; serve as an advocate for frontline employees. Champion employee engagement by promoting a culture of inclusion, belonging, and psychological safety across all operational sites. Coach managers on effective goal-setting, performance feedback, and documentation practices throughout the year. Identify and address performance gaps through structured development plans, coaching frameworks, and progressive discipline where appropriate. Drive performance review cycles and merit planning processes and calibration sessions within assigned operational groups. Identify training needs based on operational priorities, compliance requirements, safety obligations, and workforce skill gaps. Partner with the Corporate HR team to deploy and educate on relevant programs and benefits for frontline leaders and hourly or non-exempt employees. Support onboarding effectiveness and reduce time-to-productivity for new hires across operations. Partner with the Corporate HR team to ensure competitive and equitable compensation practices within Operations. Advise managers on compensation decisions including offers, promotions, and market adjustments; ensure pay equity is maintained. Guide employees through benefits enrollment, leave administration, and life event changes. Leverage HR data and metrics — including turnover, absenteeism, headcount trends, and engagement scores — to inform recommendations and track progress against people priorities. Prepare and present regular HR scorecards and workforce dashboards for Operations leadership. Identify trends and proactively address root causes of workforce challenges before they escalate. Support organizational change initiatives, restructuring, and continuous improvement efforts through effective change management practices. Facilitate team effectiveness workshops and organizational design activities in partnership with Operations leadership. Reinforce company values and culture alignment through visible HR presence and people-focused leadership. REQUIRED EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: 5+ years of progressive HR experience, with at least 2 years in an HR Manager or Senior Generalist leadership role supporting Operations, Manufacturing, or Logistics environments. Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Psychology, or a related field required; Master’s degree or MBA preferred. Demonstrated experience managing employee relations matters and conducting workplace investigations to resolution. Experience partnering across multiple operational sites or a geographically dispersed workforce is strongly preferred. Ability to travel up to 50% of the time supporting multiple facilities or bus