Vaco is partnered with a food manufacturing company in Austin, IN to hire a full time, direct hire Manufacturing Floor Training Specialist.
- Location: This role will work onsite at the facility in Austin, IN
- Schedule: Monday–Friday, 1st shift (approx. 8:00 AM–5:00 PM), with required flexibility to support 2nd/3rd shift and occasional weekends
About the Company
Our client is a well-established, privately held food manufacturer with a proud history spanning more than 125 years. Now in its fifth generation of family ownership, the company has built a reputation as an industry leader in quality and innovation, producing food products found in households across the country. Despite its long history, the organization continues to actively evolve — making this a great fit for someone who enjoys building and shaping programs rather than simply maintaining what already exists.
About the Role
This is a highly operational, floor-based role — approximately 80% of the position is spent directly on the manufacturing floor working with employees, not behind a desk. The HR Trainer will be responsible for ensuring employees across a 3-shift manufacturing facility are effectively trained, qualified, and equipped to perform their jobs safely and successfully.
This role goes beyond training delivery. Our client is looking for someone who can think strategically about the training function as a whole — evaluating what an effective training program looks like, establishing meaningful training metrics, and building systems that drive performance, safety, quality, and engagement across the workforce. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to take ownership of a critical function and grow their career in manufacturing training and development.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as the primary plant floor training resource, supporting food safety, employee safety, and food quality standards.
- Act as subject matter expert for training and employee development, evaluating training needs across departments and recommending effective solutions.
- Partner with supervisors and managers to identify skill gaps and workforce development opportunities.
- Develop training curricula and learning materials, and facilitate engaging, multimodal training (classroom and hands-on) using a person-centered, coaching approach.
- Lead onboarding for new hires as well as ongoing training and development for existing employees.
- Maintain training records, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and related compliance documentation to support company audits; conduct regular plant floor observations and SOP audits to evaluate training effectiveness.
- Monitor, analyze, and report on training effectiveness through audits and metrics.
- Serve as an HR core team member supporting SQF and HACCP compliance.
- Partner with and coordinate training opportunities with outside training consultants as needed.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives and special projects related to workforce capability and organizational development.
- Build strong working relationships across all levels of the organization — from frontline production employees to senior operations and manufacturing leadership.
What You'll Need to Succeed
- Bachelor's degree preferred (HR, training, organizational leadership, or related field); equivalent hands-on training experience and knowledge may be considered in lieu of a degree.
- Manufacturing operations background required — food manufacturing experience is a plus but not required.
- Demonstrated experience training or developing employees within a manufacturing, warehousing, or operations environment.
- Comfort and versatility delivering both traditional classroom-style training and hands-on, floor-based instruction.
- Ability to adapt communication style and approach across a wide range of audiences — from frontline, union-represented employees to senior manufacturing leadership.
- Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and the ability to learn training management, HRIS, and learning management systems (prior experience with a specific LMS is not required).
- Genuine comfort operating in an environment that is still building out formal systems and documentation — this is not a role for someone who needs an existing playbook to follow.
- Ability to work flexible hours as needed, including occasional 2nd/3rd shift and weekend coverage.
- Bilingual English/Spanish skills highly desired, given a significant Spanish-speaking population within the workforce.
- Certified Professional Training Management (CPTM) credential, or ability to obtain within 18 months of hire.
Preferred Qualifications
- SQF (Safe Quality Food) knowledge
- HACCP knowledge
- OSHA Authorized General Industry Trainer designation
- Lean / Six Sigma certification
- ERP system experience (e.g., SAP) is a plus
By submitting to this position, you are agreeing to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions.
Vaco by Highspring is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by federal, state or local law.
Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [email protected].
Vaco by Highspring also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal.
By submitting to this position, you agree that you will be giving Vaco by Highspring the exclusive right to present your as a candidate for the foregoing employment opportunity. You further agree that you have represented information about yourself accurately and have not affirmatively misrepresented your qualifications. You also agree to maintain as confidential, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any information you learn from Vaco by Highspring about the position and you will limit disclosure of information about the position only to the extent necessary to perform any obligations in furtherance of your application. In exchange, Vaco by Highspring agrees to exercise reasonable efforts to represent you through all solicitation, job screening and resume dispersal.
For residents of Ontario, Canada: Based on Highspring’s discussions with its Client, Highspring’s understanding is that this position for employment is a current vacancy (either through Highspring as a contractor or with the client directly).
Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries (“we,” “our,” or “Vaco by Highspring”) respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies.
- California residents may access Vaco by Highspring HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here.
- Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here.
- Residents of all other states may access our policies here.
- Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here.
- Residents of countries governed by GDPR may access our policies here.
Additionally, submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. More details about Vaco by Highspring’s use of AI can be found here (https://www.highspring.com/ai-use-notices/). Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase will be conducted by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco by Highspring does not know and cannot opine on if its client’s use of AI products in hiring.
Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco by Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to:
- the individual’s skill sets, experience and training;
- licensure and certification requirements;
- office location and other geographic considerations;
- other business and organizational needs.
With that said, as required by local law, Vaco by Highspring believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses.
