HR Manager

HR Manager – Multi-Site Manufacturing (Hybrid)

Northbrook / Wheeling Corridor • $90K–$120K + 10% Bonus • Succession Path to HR Director

About the Company

This is a growing, nearly $1B manufacturing and distribution company that hits the sweet spot:

big enough for resources and scale, small enough for your voice to matter.

They operate as a 600-employee enterprise with a sharp, high-performance corporate headquarters. HR has a seat at the table here — not on the sidelines.

The company has recently brought key manufacturing operations in-house, strengthening quality, culture, and leadership consistency across sites. They’re scaling fast and investing in people, structure, and the next generation of leadership.

You’ll report to a veteran VP of HR with 10 years in the organization, known for developing talent and creating real upward mobility. There’s a 12–24 month runway to the HR Director role open for the right high-potential leader with nproven success. Someone hungry to be a bigger fish in a more agile, entrepreneurial environment.

If you prefer HR that feels like business, not bureaucracy, this is the lane.

About the Role

The HR Manager – Multi-Site Manufacturing is a strategic and operational HR partner supporting facilities across IL, MN, MI, LA, IA and CA (up to 30% travel). You’ll lead core HR functions, partner closely with plant leadership, and build scalable people processes during a period of real growth and modernization.

This is not a back-office role — it’s hands-on, people-facing, and central to the company’s leadership evolution.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead HR support for multiple manufacturing sites across IL, MN, MI, LA, IA and CA
• Serve as the primary HR partner to plant leadership and operations teams
• Manage employee relations, investigations, and coaching with a commercial mindset
• Lead the full performance management lifecycle (goal setting → calibration → development)
• Drive workforce engagement, retention strategy, and leadership development
• Navigate both union and non-union environments
• Mentor and guide early-career HR talent (direct report + future expansion)
• Build and refine scalable HR systems, processes, and metrics
• Support corporate HR initiatives and adapt them to plant-level realities
• Partner with the VP of HR and HR Director on org design and succession planning

Qualifications

• 7+ years of HR experience in manufacturing, distribution, or industrial operations
• Experience supporting multi-site or plant-based workforces
• Strong background in employee relations, coaching, and leadership support
• Comfort working in environments where HR is evolving, modernizing, and scaling
• Ability to build structure without slowing down the business
• Strong analytical, KPI-driven approach to performance and people strategy
• Union experience a plus
• Bilingual English/Spanish a plus
• Willingness to travel up to 30%

What Makes You a Fit

• A high-potential HR leader ready for more scope and influence
• Someone who can influence up, down, and across an operations-heavy organization
• Comfortable with ambiguity and excited to build structure
• Naturally commercial — you think in terms of impact, outcomes, and the business story
• Motivated by being a bigger fish in a tight, collaborative, growth-minded environment

Why People Stay

• True hybrid schedule (Tue–Thu onsite)
• Strong leadership from a VP of HR who grows people
• Stable, profitable company with serious momentum
• Resources of a $1B business + agility of a 600-person organization
• Direct succession path to HR Director
• High-impact role with visibility across operations and corporate

If you’re a forward-thinking HR leader looking for a role with real runway — not lip service — let’s talk confidentially. Please email zach@crucialhire.com: "HR Manager (multi-site) 1017" for fastest results.

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