Human Resources Manager – Manufacturing The Human Resources Manager will take ownership of the people practices and HR infrastructure supporting a multi-site Southern California manufacturing organization. The position has meaningful influence across operations, helping leaders navigate employee relations, compliance, workforce planning, talent, and the realities of managing a predominantly hourly production workforce.
This is a hands-on leadership position. The right person will be equally comfortable advising senior leadership, developing staff, conducting sensitive workplace investigation in English and Spanish, managing an interactive process, and working directly with operations to resolve issues before they become larger business risks. Human Resources is expected to be visible, practical, legally informed, and responsive to the business. The organization needs a leader who understands that strong HR practices must work not only on paper, but on the production floor. What you will do…
- Lead HR strategy and execution across three locations, translating operational priorities into practical people initiatives, policies, processes, and measurable HR improvements.
- Own complex employee relations and workplace investigations, including interviews, findings, documentation, discipline recommendations, terminations, and direct communication with Spanish-speaking production employees.
- Serve as a key resource on California employment compliance, including wage and hour requirements, meal and rest periods, timekeeping, overtime, pay practices, harassment prevention, workplace violence prevention, and other federal, state, and local requirements.
- Manage critical employee health and leave processes, including ADA/FEHA interactive processes, fitness-for-duty evaluations, FMLA, CFRA, pregnancy disability leave, California paid sick leave, State Disability Insurance coordination, workers’ compensation, return-to-work, and modified-duty programs.
- Strengthen talent and workforce practices, overseeing recruiting and selection, staffing strategy, compensation market analysis, job descriptions, succession planning, leadership development, and management training.
- Lead and develop the HR function, establishing department goals and SOPs, supervising HR staff, managing HRIS data and reporting, and using metrics and KPIs to improve service to the business.
- Partner directly with operations and leadership on workforce risk and organizational health, including Cal/OSHA and Injury and Illness Prevention Program matters, occupational health relationships, employee benefits administration, and preparation for employee-related legal matters.
What we’re looking for:
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management, Industrial/Labor Relations, psychology, or another related field.
- At least 10 years of progressive Human Resources experience, including 5+ years managing HR within a manufacturing or industrial production environment.
- Proven experience supporting multiple locations and a predominantly non-exempt, hourly production workforce.
- Strong working knowledge of California employment law and the practical application of wage-and-hour and workplace compliance requirements.
- Experience conducting and thoroughly documenting workplace investigations, including harassment, conduct, and employee relations complaints.
- Fluency in Spanish sufficient to independently conduct investigations, interactive-process conversations, training, and policy communications with production employees without an interpreter.
- Strong command of HRIS reporting and Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, with the ability to use workforce data to identify issues and improve HR services.
- Ability and willingness to travel between the organization’s three Southern California locations as required.
Nice-to-haves:
- SHRM-SCP or SPHR-CA certification.
- Strong experience with talent management, succession planning, leadership development, and management training.
- Experience supporting employee legal matters in partnership with outside counsel, including litigation holds and records retention.
What’s in it for you...
- Real ownership of the HR function with influence over policies, processes, workforce practices, and how HR supports operations.
- Broad leadership scope spanning employee relations, compliance, talent, benefits, workers’ compensation, leaves, training, HR systems, and organizational development.
- Direct operational impact across three manufacturing locations and a workforce where effective HR leadership has an immediate effect on the business.
- An opportunity to build stronger infrastructure, including SOPs, HR metrics, management practices, job documentation, and scalable people processes.
- Professional growth through complexity and visibility, working closely with business leadership while developing the HR team and strengthening the organization’s overall HR capability.
If you are an experienced manufacturing HR leader who understands California employment law and knows how to balance compliance, employee advocacy, and operational realities, we welcome a confidential conversation.