Human Resources Generalist

Wood Pond Search Partners; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) with company match (5%)

Relocation assistance (limited)

Job summary

Wood Pond Search Partners assists a well-established food manufacturing organization in Cincinnati with a Plant HR Specialist/Generalist role for a union facility. You will support approximately 150 hourly and salaried employees in a fast-paced production environment, handling employee relations, payroll, recruiting, and compliance.

Ideal candidates have 3+ years in plant HR, a Bachelor's in HR/Business, exposure to labor relations or collective bargaining, and HRIS experience (Workday

Qualifications

• 3+ years of HR experience in manufacturing or hourly work environments.
• Experience with employee relations and labor relations preferred.
• Knowledge of payroll processes and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Support day-to-day HR activities for a union plant, including ER, policy interpretation, performance management, and compliance.
• Partner with plant leadership to foster a positive, collaborative workforce.
• Assist with labor relations activities and upcoming contract negotiations.
• Manage recruiting for hourly and salaried positions.
• Support onboarding, training coordination, and new hire integration.
• Handle leave management and payroll backup tasks as needed.
• Maintain HR records and confidential employee information.
• Assist with unemployment claims, EEOC responses, and investigations.
• Provide HR data and insights to leadership for decision making.

Skills

Employee relations

Communication

HRIS experience

Payroll basics

Recruiting

Labor relations

Confidentiality

Microsoft Office

Policy interpretation

Training coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources/Business

Tools

Workday

MS Office

SharePoint

Job description

Industry: Food Manufacturing / Consumer Packaged Goods

Reports to: Senior HR Leader

Relocation: Limited assistance may be considered for the right candidate

About the Opportunity

A well-established food manufacturing organization is seeking a Plant HR Specialist / Generalist to support a union manufacturing facility in the Cincinnati area. This is a hands-on plant HR role supporting approximately 150 employees in a busy, fast-paced production environment.

This position is ideal for an early-to-mid career HR professional who wants to grow beyond transactional HR and gain deeper exposure to employee relations, labor relations, payroll, recruiting, compliance, and overall plant HR operations. The site has a collaborative union relationship and an upcoming contract negotiation, creating a strong learning opportunity for someone who wants to develop in labor relations under an experienced HR leader.

The company is looking for someone ambitious, curious, and eager to learn. The right person does not need to be a finished labor relations expert, but they should have a solid HR foundation, good judgment, and the ability to build trust with both hourly employees and plant leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Support day-to-day HR activities for a union manufacturing plant, including employee relations, policy interpretation, performance management, and HR compliance.
• Partner with plant leadership and employees to foster a positive, engaged, and collaborative work environment.
• Assist with labor relations activities, including contract interpretation, documentation, grievance preparation, and support through an upcoming collective bargaining process.
• Manage internal and external recruiting processes for hourly and salaried plant positions.
• Support onboarding, employee communication, training coordination, and new hire integration.
• Administer leave management processes, including communication with employees and third-party vendors.
• Serve as a backup for payroll and learn contract-related pay practices, including straight time, overtime, double time, call-ins, and other union pay provisions.
• Maintain HR records, personnel files, compliance documentation, and confidential employee information.
• Assist with unemployment claims, EEOC/civil rights responses, investigations, reporting, and other compliance-related matters.
• Provide HR data, reports, and insights to plant and HR leadership to support fact-based decision making.
• Support employee engagement programs, recognition events, plant activities, and internal initiatives.
• Partner with payroll, benefits, EHS, training, and operations teams to support smooth HR processes.
• Promote a safe work culture and assist with safety-related employee matters as needed.
• Contribute to HR process improvements and take on new projects as the function continues to evolve.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 3+ years of human resources experience, preferably in a manufacturing, food manufacturing, industrial, or hourly workforce environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field preferred.
• Experience supporting employee relations matters in a plant, distribution, manufacturing, or similar hourly workforce setting.
• Some exposure to labor relations, union environments, contract interpretation, grievances, or collective bargaining preparation is strongly preferred.
• Experience with HRIS systems; Workday experience is a plus.
• Comfortable learning payroll processes and understanding how union contract language impacts pay practices.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively with hourly employees, supervisors, managers, and senior HR leadership.
• Professional maturity, confidentiality, strong judgment, and the ability to handle sensitive employee matters.
• Organized, detail-oriented, and willing to help with both tactical HR administration and broader plant HR initiatives.
• Ambitious, coachable, and interested in growing into a stronger plant HR professional over time.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office; experience with SharePoint, PowerPoint, and Adobe is helpful.

Why This Role Is Compelling

This is a strong development opportunity for someone who wants to build a deeper HR career in manufacturing. The selected candidate will work closely with an experienced HR leader and gain exposure to meaningful plant HR work, including employee relations, union contract language, payroll, compliance, recruiting, engagement, and labor relations preparation.

The role offers visibility, variety, and the chance to become a key HR resource within the plant. For someone who wants to move from a narrow HR lane into a more complete plant HR generalist path, this could be an excellent next step.

The role is eligible for annual merit increases. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, and a 401(k) with company match of 5% . Relocation assistance is not formally budgeted, but limited support may be considered for the right candidate.