Generalist HR

The Hershey Company; Hershey (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellbeing

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Career development

Job summary

The Hershey Company is seeking an HR Generalist to support employee relations, investigations, onboarding, and policy interpretation with a focus on compliance and engagement. This role partners with leaders to ensure effective people practices and a high-performing workplace.

The successful candidate will manage casework, lead onboarding, support talent development, and analyze workforce trends. A manufacturing environment background is a plus, along with a Bachelor’s degree in HR and SHRM/PHR

Qualifications

• 3+ years of Human Resources experience.
• Experience supporting employee relations, investigations, policy interpretation, and compliance activities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and lead projects to completion.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with data-driven recommendations.
• Ability to build relationships and communicate across levels of the organization.
• Manufacturing environment experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage employee relations casework, including policy questions, conduct concerns, attendance issues, grievances, and workplace conflicts with documentation and escalation.
• Conduct investigations, gather facts, interview stakeholders, analyze findings, and recommend actions.
• Lead onboarding activities and support talent development and learning for hourly and salaried employees.
• Partner with managers to provide guidance on performance management and workforce planning.
• Support compliance programs and ensure consistent application of policies, including FMLA, ADA, FLSA.
• Drive employee engagement initiatives and change management to strengthen culture.
• Analyze workforce trends and metrics to identify performance opportunities and reduce risk.
• Collaborate across functions to deliver high-quality HR services and improve processes.

Skills

Employee relations

Investigations

Onboarding

Performance management

Policy interpretation

Workforce planning

Compliance

Change management

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR / related field

PHR / SHRM certification preferred

Job description

Why Hershey:

At The Hershey Company, our culture is rooted in purpose and inspired by Milton Hershey’s enduring vision that business should create opportunity for others. Through our commitment to corporate philanthropy, we create positive impact by supporting communities, helping children thrive, and operating as a business for good. This includes our deep and long standing partnership with Milton Hershey School, where we invest in education, workforce readiness, and hands on engagement to help students succeed beyond the classroom. Supported by strategic grantmaking, product donations, cross brand collaboration, and strong employee volunteerism, Hershey offers a place to work where making a difference—locally and globally is part of how we do business every day.

Location: Hershey, PA

About The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is an industry-leading snacks company known for making more moments of goodness through its iconic brands. With a strong portfolio across chocolate, confectionery, and salty snacks, Hershey delights consumers every day. Our beloved brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, KitKat®, Dots Pretzels, Lesser Evil, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, and more.

At Hershey, we are committed to making a meaningful difference in the communities where we live, work, and do business. This commitment originated with our founder, Milton Hershey, and continues to shape who we are today.

Guided by our employee value proposition,
Lead Today. Create Tomorrow, we empower our people to drive impact now while shaping what comes next. Our
One Hershey mindset brings teams together across functions, geographies, and businesses, enabling us to operate with speed, collaboration, and shared purpose.

The Hershey Company is proud to be recognized as a top employer in the United States, reflecting our commitment to our people, culture, and purpose.

How will you fit in the big picture?

The HR Generalist plays a critical role in supporting organizational capability, employee experience, and business performance. This position partners closely with leaders and employees to deliver employee relations support, talent initiatives, compliance programs, and engagement activities that help create a high-performing and inclusive workplace. The role operates with general autonomy while leveraging HR expertise to drive consistent, fair, and effective people practices.

What will you do?

• Manage employee relations casework, including policy questions, conduct concerns, attendance issues, grievances, and workplace conflicts while ensuring timely documentation, resolution, and appropriate escalation.
• Conduct investigations, gather facts, interview stakeholders, analyze findings, and recommend actions aligned with company policies and standards.
• Lead onboarding activities and support talent development and learning initiatives for hourly and salaried employees.
• Partner with managers to provide guidance on performance management, employee relations matters, policy interpretation, and workforce planning.
• Support compliance programs and ensure consistent application of employment policies and practices, including FMLA, ADA, FLSA, and other applicable regulations.
• Drive employee engagement initiatives, follow-up actions, and change management efforts that strengthen culture and organizational effectiveness.
• Analyze workforce trends and metrics to identify opportunities that improve performance, reduce risk, and enhance employee experience.
• Collaborate across functions to deliver high-quality HR services and continuously improve HR processes and programs.

Minimum Education & Requirements

Experience:

• 3+ years of Human Resources experience required.
• Experience supporting employee relations, investigations, talent processes, policy interpretation, and compliance activities.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and lead projects to completion.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with the ability to leverage data to make recommendations.
• Ability to build effective relationships and communicate across all levels of the organization.
• Manufacturing environment experience preferred.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, or a related field preferred.
• PHR and/or SHRM certification preferred.

Benefits and Perks

At Hershey, we offer competitive pay and a comprehensive total rewards package designed to support your wellbeing, financial security, and life outside of work.

• Health & Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus wellness programs that support your physical and mental health.
• Financial Security: Competitive pay, annual incentive opportunities, and a 401(k) with company match.
• Time Off & Flexibility: Paid time off, company holidays, and flexible ways of working where applicable.
• Growth & Development: Career development programs, learning opportunities, and internal mobility.

The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The policy of The Hershey Company is to extend opportunities to qualified applicants and employees on an equal basis regardless of an individual's race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other categories protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.
The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Minority/Female/Disabled/Protected Veterans.

You may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our online application process as a result of a disability.
You can request an accommodation via phone or email.

To request an accommodation via phone, please call [phone] and leave a voicemail with your contact information. You may also email a request for accommodation to [e-mail]. Please be sure to include “Accommodation Needed” in the subject line. This will ensure that your email is routed to the appropriate contact who will handle your request.