Position Title: HR Manager Manufacturing
Reports To: VP, Human Resources
FLSA Status: Exempt
Job Grade: 10
Pay Range: $103,875-$133,500
Date Revised: March 2026
Position Overview:
The Human Resources Manager plays a critical role in supporting a fast-growing dairy manufacturing organization by leading talent acquisition, strengthening employee relations, and partnering directly with operations to build a stable, high-performing workforce.
This role operates in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and requires a hands-on HR leader who is comfortable spending significant time on the production floor working alongside plant leadership and employees. The primary focus of the position is developing and executing high-volume recruiting strategies for hourly manufacturing roles, ensuring the organization can rapidly scale while maintaining workforce quality, engagement, and retention.
The HR Manager will also support employee relations, management development, and training initiatives that help build a strong organizational culture rooted in accountability, safety, and continuous improvement. In addition, this role will help modernize HR processes by leveraging data analytics and transitioning manual, paper-based processes to electronic documentation and HR systems that improve efficiency, reporting capability, and compliance.
This position is ideal for a high-potential HR professional seeking to grow into a senior HR role within a dynamic and expanding organization.
Key Responsibilities
High-Volume Talent Acquisition
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Lead full-cycle recruiting for hourly and some salaried roles across manufacturing, maintenance, quality, warehouse, and administrative functions.
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Develop and execute high-volume recruiting strategies to support rapid workforce growth in a 24/7 dairy manufacturing environment.
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Build and maintain strong talent pipelines through partnerships with:
- Local technical schools and colleges
- Workforce development organizations
- Community organizations and job centers
- Industry networks and recruiting platforms
- Implement creative sourcing strategies to attract manufacturing talent in a competitive labor market.
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Manage recruiting metrics including time-to-fill, candidate flow, offer acceptance rates, and early retention.
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Continuously improve hiring processes to ensure efficient onboarding of new employees while maintaining hiring quality.
Operational Partnership
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Serve as a hands-on HR business partner to plant leadership, working closely with operations managers, supervisors, and shift leaders.
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Maintain a strong presence on the production floor to build relationships with employees and understand operational challenges.
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Provide guidance to managers on workforce management, performance expectations, coaching, and employee engagement.
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Support operations in maintaining a stable workforce capable of meeting production demands while maintaining safety and quality standards.
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Assist leadership with workforce planning to anticipate hiring needs related to production expansion, seasonal demand, or operational changes.
Employee Relations
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Serve as a trusted advisor to employees and supervisors on workplace concerns, policy interpretation, and conflict resolution.
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Address employee relations matters in a timely, fair, and consistent manner.
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Conduct investigations related to workplace concerns or policy violations as necessary.
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Support performance management processes including coaching, corrective action, and employee development.
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Promote a positive workplace culture that values communication, accountability, and respect.
Training & Workforce Development
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Partner with operations leadership to develop and support training programs for manufacturing employees, including:
- New employee onboarding
- Supervisor and leadership development
- Skills training for production roles
- Workplace compliance training
- Help establish structured onboarding programs that improve new employee retention and engagement.
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Support development of career pathways for high-performing hourly employees.
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Assist in building leadership capabilities among frontline supervisors and managers.
HR Data, Analytics & Process Modernization
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Utilize HR data and analytics to support informed decision-making related to recruiting, retention, workforce stability, and employee engagement.
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Track and analyze key HR metrics such as:
- Time-to-fill
- Turnover rates
- Early tenure retention
- Workforce trends
- Recruiting pipeline effectiveness
- Lead initiatives to transition HR processes from paper-based systems to electronic documentation and digital HR platforms.
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Identify opportunities to maximize the capabilities of the HRIS (Paylocity).
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Partner with leadership to implement HRIS and applicant tracking systems that improve efficiency, data accuracy, and reporting capabilities.
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Ensure HR records and documentation are maintained in secure electronic systems in compliance with company policy and regulatory requirements.
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Use workforce data to identify trends and recommend improvements to hiring strategies, retention programs, and workforce planning.
HR Operations & Compliance
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Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws as well as company policies.
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Maintain accurate HR documentation and employee records.
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Assist in administration of HR programs including performance management, onboarding, and employee engagement initiatives.
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Support benefits administration and employee communication regarding HR policies and programs.
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Assist with development and implementation of HR policies and employee handbook updates.
Culture & Organizational Development
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Help foster a strong workplace culture aligned with the company’s values of safety, quality, teamwork, and accountability.
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Support initiatives aimed at improving employee retention, engagement, and workforce stability.
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Contribute to HR strategies that support organizational growth and operational excellence.
Qualifications
Education
Bachelor’s Degree in:
- Human Resources
- Business Administration
- Organizational Development
- or related field preferred
HR certification (SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR) preferred but not required.
Experience
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5+ years of progressive HR experience, with 2+ years as a Manager or Business Partner
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Demonstrated experience leading high-volume recruiting initiatives
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Experience supporting manufacturing, food processing, or industrial environments strongly preferred
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Experience working in fast-paced or high-growth organizations
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Experience managing employee relations matters and workplace investigations
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Experience supporting training or workforce development programs
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Experience implementing or utilizing HRIS systems (preferably Paylocity) and data reporting tools.
Technical Skills
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Strong knowledge of employment laws and HR best practices
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Experience with HRIS, Applicant Tracking Systems, and digital HR platforms
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Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel for data analysis
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Ability to analyze HR data and translate insights into actionable workforce strategies
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Strong organizational and project management skills
Core Competencies
High-Volume Recruiting Leadership
Ability to build scalable recruiting processes that support rapid workforce growth.
Operational Partnership
Comfortable working directly with plant leadership and engaging employees on the production floor
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Employee Relations Expertise
Strong ability to manage workplace issues professionally and fairly.
Data-Driven Decision Making
Ability to leverage HR data and analytics to improve workforce planning, recruiting strategies, and retention.
Process Improvement
Interest and capability in modernizing HR systems and transitioning manual processes to digital platforms.
Management Development
Proven experience in developing supervisors and future leaders within the organization.
Working Conditions
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Combination of office and manufacturing plant environment
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Significant time spent in production areas interacting with employees and supervisors
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Exposure to varying temperature and noise levels typical of dairy manufacturing facilities
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Regular collaboration with operations, safety, and quality leadership
Career Development Opportunity
This role is designed for a high-performing HR professional seeking to grow into a senior HR position. The position offers significant exposure to operational leadership, workforce strategy, and organizational development in a rapidly expanding manufacturing organization.
Successful candidates will have the opportunity to develop expertise in manufacturing workforce strategy, leadership development, HR analytics, and operational HR leadership, positioning them for future advancement within the organization.
Physical Requirements:
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Ability to navigate all areas of the facility, including office spaces, warehouse areas, and the exterior perimeter.
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Must wear required personal protective equipment (PPE) as necessary to safely perform job duties.
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Ability to stand, sit, and carry out tasks throughout a full shift, with appropriate meal breaks.
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Physically capable of standing, bending, stooping, kneeling, reaching, twisting, lifting, pushing, pulling, climbing, balancing, and crouching as needed.
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Able to lift and move items weighing up to 50 pounds independently and heavier objects with reasonable accommodations.
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Visual acuity sufficient to perform job duties accurately.
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Capable of assessing weights, judging distances, and working at various heights.
Work Schedule:
Typically, Monday-Friday 8am-5pm with varying start and stop times. Must be available to meet with off-shift personnel as necessary. Must be available to support a 24/7/365 operation as necessary. Job is onsite with consideration given for occasional remote work to support work-life balance.
Compensation:
At Cayuga Milk Ingredients, we value a fair and comprehensive approach to compensation. Our wage range for this role is determined by various factors, including skill sets, experience, training, licensure, certifications, and organizational needs. It is not typical for an employee to start at or near the top of the range for the position. Compensation decisions are made based on individual job circumstances considering skill level, previous experience, and education requirements.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
Cayuga Milk Ingredients is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
Non-Discrimination Policy:
The contractor will not discriminate against employees or applicants for discussing or disclosing their own pay or the pay of others. However, employees with access to compensation information as part of their job duties are prohibited from disclosing this information to unauthorized individuals, except in specific circumstances outlined by applicable laws and regulations (41 CFR 60-1.35(c))
General Statement:
All Cayuga employees recognize that the success and prosperity of the company is everyone’s responsibility. All employees are expected to treat each other in a positive, respectful, and professional manner, to be at work for their assigned shift and to work safely as a team. Employees must be self-starters who can relate to all levels of the organization.
Disclaimer:
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All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.
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This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor.
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The company reserves the right to add to or revise an employee's job duties at any time at its sole discretion.
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This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” employment relationship.
Disclaimer: For Recruiter’s and Staffing Agencies
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At Cayuga Milk, our Human Resources Team leads most of our hiring efforts and takes pride in connecting directly with talented individuals who share our values and passion for what we do. Most of our roles are filled through applications submitted via our careers site or through direct outreach from our team.
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While we occasionally partner with external recruitment agencies, we do so only with those on our existing, pre-approved vendor list. Currently, we are not adding new agencies to that list.
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If an unsolicited resume or candidate submission is received from an agency or recruiter not authorized by our Human Resources Team, it will be treated as a direct application. Cayuga Milk will not be responsible for any placement or referral fees related to these submissions.
