Description
Section 1 Position summary
The Human Resources Business Partner is the people leadership presence on the plant floor. The role exists to make the operating plan deliverable through the workforce: staffing the lines, keeping leaders consistent and legally sound in how they manage, and closing the gap between what the plant needs and what the organization currently has.
Rauch North America runs a 24/7 high-speed filling operation across multiple shifts, with more than five hundred employees today and a second manufacturing site preparing to start up. The Business Partner is assigned to a defined set of departments and is the first call for the leaders of those departments on employee relations, workforce planning, performance, and change. The role is not to process transactions. It is to raise the quality of leadership decisions in the areas it supports.
Success requires the credibility to coach experienced operational leaders, the discipline to document and investigate cleanly, and the judgment to know which issues to resolve locally and which to escalate.
Section 2 Key responsibilities
1. Employee relations and investigations 30% of time
Lead complex employee relations matters end to end, including investigations, performance issues, disciplinary action, and separations. Prepare and review corrective actions, Performance Improvement Plans, separation documentation, and investigation summaries with consistency and legal defensibility. Partner with legal counsel and leadership on sensitive or high-risk matters, and resolve workplace conflict in a way that holds the same standard for everyone.
2. Business partnership and leader coaching 25% of time
Serve as a trusted advisor to plant and department leaders, aligning people practice with operational and business goals. Coach leaders on performance management, corrective action, documentation, and communication during change. Challenge decisions where the people dimension is underweighted, and function as a change agent when restructuring, process improvement, or cultural work touches the workforce.
3. Workforce planning, talent, and retention 20% of time
Advise on organizational design, workforce planning, succession planning, and talent development for the assigned departments. Analyze workforce trends and HR metrics, including turnover, absenteeism, engagement, and discipline patterns, and convert them into recommendations leaders can act on. Support talent gap identification, performance review cycles, leadership development, and training programs, with early attrition as the standing priority.
4. Compliance, leave, and workers compensation 15% of time
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment law and consistent interpretation of company policy. Administer workers compensation claims, coordinate return-to-work programs, and manage ADA accommodations, FMLA, and other leave programs in partnership with carriers, medical providers, and leadership. Conduct personnel file, I-9, and HR record audits, and support external audits and regulatory reviews including SMETA and customer audits.
5. HR systems, policy, and continuous improvement 10% of time
Maintain employee data, organizational structures, and personnel actions in SAP, Paylocity, and related systems. Develop and update policies, procedures, Standard Operating Procedures, and management guidance that keep practice consistent across shifts and sites. Partner closely with HR Generalists to ensure clean execution of core processes, and contribute to HR projects and continuous improvement work across the plant. Performs other duties as assigned.
Section 3 Performance standards
Performance is measured against the function scorecard, judged on delivery rather than effort. The standards below define the role at any stage of organizational readiness, whether the site is in startup, ramp, steady state, or expansion. The specific targets, thresholds, and dates attached to them are set each year in the scorecard and the annual objective sheet.
Employee relations matters in the assigned departments are documented to a consistent standard and closed within defined service levels, with outcomes that hold up under legal and audit review.
Retention in the assigned departments trends favorably against the prior period, with early attrition tracked separately and its drivers identified and addressed at the leader level.
Leaders in the assigned departments manage routine performance and attendance matters themselves. Human Resources involvement is coaching rather than ownership of the decision.
Personnel file, employment eligibility, and employment record compliance passes internal and external review without material findings.
Workers compensation claims and leave cases are actively managed, with return-to-work coordinated rather than passively awaited.
Workforce data for the assigned departments is current in the systems of record and is trusted as the basis for staffing and planning decisions.
Staffing levels in the assigned departments support the production schedule, with gaps identified early enough for operations to act.
Policy is applied consistently across shifts, departments, and sites, and inconsistency is surfaced rather than absorbed.
Section 4 Requirements
Education
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field required.
Training and experience
Five or more years of progressive Human Resources experience, with considerable time in a manufacturing or high-volume operational environment.
Demonstrated experience partnering with leadership on employee relations, investigations, and performance management.
Experience supporting a large workforce across multiple shifts strongly preferred.
Experience in a manufacturing environment supporting a 24/7 operation preferred.
Experience managing workers compensation, ADA accommodations, FMLA, and other leave administration programs preferred.
Experience supporting external audits, regulatory compliance, and employment record compliance, including SMETA, I-9, and customer audits, preferred.
Knowledge, skills, and abilities
Strong working knowledge of employment law and Human Resources best practice.
Proven ability to influence and coach leaders at all levels, and to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution in a fast-paced environment.
Strong analytical skills, with the ability to use data to drive recommendations.
Excellent verbal and written communication, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills.
Ability to manage sensitive information with discretion and maintain confidentiality, with an elevated level of professionalism and integrity.
Proficiency with HRIS platforms such as SAP or Paylocity and with the Microsoft Office suite.
Demonstrated ability to build partnerships across Operations, Safety, Finance, Payroll, and other cross-functional teams.
Preferred
SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification.
Experience with consumer-packaged goods, food and beverage, or European parent companies.
Section 5 Authority, scope, and decision making
| Supervisory role | No direct reports. Partners closely with HR Generalists and provides functional direction on assigned casework and processes. |
| Autonomy | Independent judgment on routine employee relations, policy interpretation, and leave administration. Consults the Head of People and Organization on terminations of exempt staff, high-risk investigations, and matters involving legal exposure or precedent. |
| Impact and scope | Primary Human Resources resource for an assigned set of departments across multiple shifts in a 24/7 operation. Decisions directly affect staffing continuity, legal exposure, and retention. |
| Liaisons | Plant and department leadership, HR Generalists, Payroll, Safety, Finance, legal counsel, insurance carriers and medical providers, and external auditors. |
Section 6 Working conditions and compensation
Physical requirements
Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
Must be able to lift up to twenty-five pounds at times.
Work is performed in a combined office and manufacturing setting.
The position is exposed to occupational hazards including high noise levels, physical obstacles, and exposure to chemicals.
Must wear appropriate safety glasses, hearing protection, clothing, and footwear in designated areas and follow all safety practices.
