HR Generalist

Volpi Foods; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Volpi Foods is seeking an HR Generalist to build relationships, support employees, and optimize HR systems and processes. The role requires frequent travel between Volpi's two MO plants (St. Louis City and Union) and partnering with leaders to drive engagement and business success.

The ideal candidate will manage employee relations, performance management, compensation, benefits, leave administration, and HR compliance, while advancing HR analytics and process improvements.

Qualifications

• Proactive HR generalist with focus on employee lifecycle and performance management.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance on workplace concerns, investigations, and policy interpretation.
• Coordinate performance management, coaching, and development planning.
• Administer compensation and benefits programs; oversee annual reviews.
• Ensure compliance with FLSA, wage/hour laws, and required disclosures.
• Manage leaves of absence, return-to-work processes, and ADA/FMLA compliance.
• Oversee retirement plans, audits, and employee education on benefits.
• Maintain HR records, policy updates, and HRIS data integrity.
• Collaborate with leaders to improve HR processes and analytics.

Skills

Employee relations

Investigations

Communication

Problem solving

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business/Organizational Development

Tools

ADP

Excel (pivot, VLOOKUP)

HRIS reporting tools

Job description

Join a Company Where People Matter as Much as the Product!

We're seeking an HR Generalist who thrives on building relationships, supporting employees, and creating positive workplace experiences while also bringing the technical expertise needed to improve and optimize HR systems and processes. If this sounds like you, we'd love to meet you.

Volpi Foods is a growing, family-owned producer of authentic dry-cured Italian meats with a long-standing commitment to quality, customer service, and taking care of our employees. As we continue to expand, we are looking for an HR Generalist who will play a key role in supporting our workforce, strengthening our culture, focusing on continuous improvement, and partnering with leaders across the organization to drive employee engagement and business success.

Position Summary:

The HR Generalist serves as a key member of the Human Resources team, supporting all aspects of the employee lifecycle. The ideal candidate is a proactive, people-and-systems-focused HR professional who enjoys solving problems, building trust, and driving operational excellence. This position requires frequent travel between Volpi's two plant locations – St. Louis City and Union, MO.

Key Responsibilities:

Employee Relations

• Provide guidance and support to employees and supervisors regarding workplace concerns, conflict resolution, attendance issues, corrective action, and policy interpretation.
• Conduct prompt, thorough and objective investigations and resolve employee relations and workplace compliance matters.
• Facilitate effective communication between employees and management.
• Promote employee engagement, recognition, retention, and morale initiatives.
• Coach managers on employee relations best practices and effective leadership strategies.
• Maintain confidentiality of employee information and sensitive matters.

Performance Management

• Coordinate and administer company performance management programs.
• Train managers on goal setting, coaching, performance evaluations, and employee development planning.
• Assist leaders with performance improvement plans (PIPs), disciplinary actions, and documentation.
• Support succession planning and talent development initiatives.

Compensation

• Assist with wage and salary administration programs, including benchmarking.
• Maintain salary structures and analyze internal pay equity.
• Support and coordinate annual compensation review processes.
• Ensure compliance with Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requirements.
• Monitor compliance with state and federal wage and hour laws.
• Maintain accurate compensation records and audit documentation.

Benefits Administration

• Administer medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, and voluntary benefit programs.
• Serve as the primary contact for employee benefit questions and enrollment assistance.
• Coordinate benefit onboarding and life event changes.
• Manage vendor relationships and resolve employee benefit issues.
• Coordinate annual Open Enrollment planning, communication, and execution.
• Reconcile benefit invoices and eligibility reports.
• Conduct employee education regarding available benefits.
• Ensure compliance with: ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, ERISA, Section 125, and annual disclosures, notices and reporting.

Leave of Absence Administration

• Manage employee leave requests from initial inquiry through return-to-work.
• Ensure timely notice requirements and leave determinations.
• Serve as liaison between employees, supervisors, and leave administration vendors.
• Coordinate leave tracking, documentation, and communication and compliance with FMLA, ADA, and other federal, state and local leave laws as applicable.
• Monitor attendance patterns and leave utilization.
• Support reasonable accommodation requests and interactive process discussions.
• Manage return-to-work and fitness-for-duty processes.

Retirement Program Administration

• Administer 401(k) and retirement savings plan and serve as a resource for employee retirement-related questions.
• Work with retirement plan vendor and advisors.
• Support annual plan audits, 5500 preparation, and nondiscrimination testing.
• Coordinate employee education and retirement planning resources.

HR Compliance & Policies

• Maintain employee personnel files and HR records, including I-9 and EEO-1 compliance.
• Update and administer employee handbook, policies, and procedures.
• Conduct periodic policy and compliance audits.
• Monitor changes in employment laws and recommend policy updates.
• Assist with audits, investigations, and reporting requirements.
• Maintain required workplace postings.
• Support new policy rollouts and employee communications.

Safety & Worker's Compensation

• Maintain OSHA recordkeeping and reporting.
• Manage workers' compensation claim administration.
• Handle incident reporting and return-to-work coordination.

HR Systems, Analytics & Process Improvement

• Serve as primary HRIS administrator and subject matter expert.
• Support payroll, benefits, timekeeping, applicant tracking, and leave management systems.
• Maintain HRIS data integrity, workflows, security roles, and reporting functionality.
• Identify opportunities to automate and streamline HR processes.
• Train employees and managers on HR systems and self-service tools.
• Support implementation of new HR technologies and system upgrades.
• Develop reporting solutions that support strategic workforce planning.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Expertise in employee relations, investigations, benefits administration, leave management, talent acquisition, and HR systems and compliance.
• Excellent problem-solving, coaching, teambuilding, conflict resolution, and decision-making abilities.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
• Excellent ability to multi-task and prioritize in a busy, fast-growing environment.
• Proficiency with HRIS systems, reporting tools, and employee self-service platforms.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel, including data analysis, pivot tables, VLOOKUPs/XLOOKUPs, and reporting.
• Experience managing data integrity, system configurations, workflows, and process automation preferred.
• Knowledge of HR technology implementation, upgrades, testing, and user training preferred.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, Communication, or a related field required.
• Minimum of 3 years of progressive Human Resources experience, preferably in a manufacturing, food production, distribution, or industrial environment.
• Demonstrated experience supporting employee relations, benefits administration, leave management, and HR compliance programs.
• Experience administering and maintaining Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), preferably ADP.
• Experience generating HR metrics and reports.
• Knowledge of federal and state employment laws and regulations.
• Experience conducting workplace investigations and managing sensitive employee matters.
• Professional certification such as SHRM-CP or PHR preferred.

Travel and Schedule Requirements

• This position requires regular travel between Volpi's St. Louis City and Union, Missouri manufacturing facilities.
• Occasional weekend support may be required to meet business needs and provide HR support for weekend shift operations.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, stoop, and reach throughout the workday.
• Ability to move between office and manufacturing environments regularly.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry materials weighing up to 20 pounds, such as files, office supplies, training materials, and presentation equipment.
• Ability to use a computer, keyboard, telephone, and other standard office equipment for extended periods.