We Grow Our People to Grow Our Business. We champion great people who bring ambition, curiosity, and high performance to the table as the guardians of our iconic and nostalgic brands.
Good isn’t good enough. We choose greatness every day by making bold decisions and challenging what’s ordinary. All while celebrating our WINS — and failures — as we work together to transform the future of food.
The Associate HR Business Partner (HRBP) is a strategic, hands-on HR Generalist responsible for partnering with site leadership to align people programs with business objectives at our Champaign manufacturing facility.
This is an ONSITE position Monday-Friday reporting to the Plant HR Manager and other HR Leaders. It supports cross functional leaders to drive HR strategy and execution across workforce planning, talent acquisition for hourly roles, employee and labor relations in a unionized environment, training and development, HR administration, and compliance. The HRBP will act as a trusted advisor to leaders and a resource to employees, balancing tactical delivery with long-term organizational effectiveness. The position has 1 direct report.
Key Responsibilities
- Partner with site leadership to translate business priorities into HR strategies and programs that support operational performance and employee engagement.
- Lead workforce planning, headcount budgeting, and succession planning activities for the facility.
- Administer compensation, performance management, promotions and merit processes in coordination with corporate HR.
- Own hourly talent acquisition for the site, including sourcing, selection, testing, onboarding and early talent integration.
- Manage employee and labor relations: conduct investigations, resolve employee concerns and grievances, and contribute to the site’s union labor strategy.
- Oversee site training programs, including compliance, onboarding, and on-the-job training; identify skill gaps and support talent development initiatives.
- Manage HR transactional and administrative processes such as FMLA, leaves of absence, worker accommodations, HRIS updates and accurate recordkeeping.
- Ensure compliance with federal, state and local employment laws and company policies; support maintenance of the Affirmative Action/EEO program in partnership with corporate compliance and legal teams.
- Provide timely HR analytics and reporting to inform site decisions and continuous improvement efforts.
- Maintain confidentiality and demonstrate high integrity in all people-related matters.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 5 years of progressive HR experience supporting employees and leaders in fast-paced, ambiguous, manufacturing or unionized environments.
- Demonstrated experience in employee and labor relations, hourly recruitment, and HR process execution.
- Involvement in transformation initiatives such as designing and/or implementing people-related change strategies, promoting adoption of new processes and tools, enabling reskilling/upskilling programs, and embedding continuous improvement and digital ways of working into everyday HR practices
- Strong verbal and written communication and presentation skills; ability to influence and partner with leaders at all levels.
- Proficient computer skills, including HRIS, applicant tracking systems (Workday), and Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
- Proven problem solving, conflict management and decision-making abilities.
- Comfortable with ambiguity and able to prioritize competing demands in a dynamic environment.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or related field.
- HR certification (PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP) preferred.
- Prior experience in a unionized facility and working with collective bargaining processes.
- Experience with Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement methodologies.
Core Competencies
- Business acumen and results orientation
- Collaborative partnership and stakeholder management
- Employee advocacy with a fair and consistent approach
- Change management and organizational effectiveness
- Data-driven decision making
Benefits:
When have a seat at our table, you can expect access to an array of holistic wellness benefits* and perks, including medical, dental and vision coverage, 7% 401(k) matching, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) to help foster diversity, inclusion, and belonging for all employees, an industry-leading total rewards package that emphasizes a high discretionary bonus.
- Benefits begin immediately upon hire for salaried employees.
Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs.
Wellbeing: We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.
You’ll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example:
- Physical – Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments
- Social – Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training
- Emotional – Employee Assistance Program , Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs
- Financial – 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability
