Director of Human Resources

Grand Rapids Chair Company•Byron Center, MI

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Human Resources is a pivotal leadership role at Grand Rapids Chair, a made-to-order custom furniture manufacturer committed to craftsmanship, quality, and its people. This is not a maintenance role — it is a culture and talent transformation role. The Director will serve as the primary HR business partner to the CFO and senior leadership team, responsible for building a people strategy that supports GRC’s growth objectives and strengthens the engagement, retention, and development of its workforce across office and production floor environments. This role is intentionally designed to grow. The right candidate will operate in a hands-on, operational capacity today while building the strategic foundation for an expanded HR leadership function. High performers will have the opportunity to earn a seat at the Senior Leadership Team table as the organization evolves.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field required
7–10 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 3 years in a director-level or senior HR leadership role.
Experience in a manufacturing, industrial, or skilled-trades environment strongly preferred; direct experience managing an hourly production workforce is highly valued.
Demonstrated track record of leading culture change and improving employee engagement in a hands-on operational setting.
Experience managing the full employee lifecycle: recruiting, onboarding, development, performance management, and offboarding.
Deep knowledge of federal and Michigan employment law and HR compliance requirements.
Strong business acumen; able to connect HR strategy to financial and operational outcomes.
Proficiency with HRIS platforms and HR data analytics; comfort translating data into actionable recommendations for leadership.
High emotional intelligence — able to build trust across all levels of an organization, from the production floor to the executive team.
Excellent judgment in sensitive employee relations situations; discreet, fair, and consistent.
Strong written and verbal communication skills; comfortable presenting to leadership and facilitating group conversations with hourly employees.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or MBA a plus.
SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Culture & Employee Engagement Lead a comprehensive assessment of GRC’s current culture — including floor-level listening sessions, stay/exit interview analysis, and leadership alignment reviews — and develop a roadmap for meaningful, sustainable improvement.
Design and implement employee engagement strategies tailored to a manufacturing environment, with particular attention to production workforce morale, voice, and recognition.
Serve as a trusted and accessible resource for all employees; build credibility across both office and shop floor populations.
Champion a culture of accountability, respect, and continuous improvement that reflects GRC’s values as a craft manufacturer.
Partner with department managers to model and reinforce cultural expectations; develop manager capability as a key lever for culture change.
Talent Acquisition & Retention Develop and execute recruiting strategies that attract skilled production talent, technical staff, and leadership candidates in a competitive regional labor market.
Build and maintain relationships with trade schools, community colleges, workforce development programs, and other talent pipelines relevant to custom furniture manufacturing.
Lead onboarding programs that accelerate time-to-productivity and reinforce cultural fit from day one.
Analyze retention data by department, tenure, and role to identify root causes of turnover and drive targeted countermeasures.
Build and maintain a total rewards framework — compensation, benefits, and non-monetary recognition — that positions GRC competitively in the West Michigan labor market.
HR Strategy & Business Partnership Serve as a strategic HR partner to the CFO and leadership team, translating business objectives into people plans with measurable outcomes.
Contribute to workforce planning, including labor capacity modeling, second-shift readiness, and succession planning for key roles.
Evaluate and advise on the people implications of long-range planning, operational changes, and organizational design decisions.
Lead HR’s contribution to the annual operating and strategic planning cycle.
Compliance, Policy & HR Operations Maintain and enforce HR policies and procedures in compliance with federal and Michigan state employment law, including FMLA, ADA, OSHA, EEO, and FLSA.
Manage and continuously improve the HRIS platform to ensure data integrity and provide timely workforce analytics to leadership.
Oversee benefits administration, open enrollment, leave management, and workers’ compensation programs.
Administer and evolve GRC’s performance management process, ensuring consistency, fairness, and alignment to business goals.
Manage employee relations matters with sound judgment, discretion, and a bias toward resolution and organizational health.
Safety & Work Environment Actively participate in the safety committee and support a zero-incident safety culture on the production floor.
Ensure HR practices support OSHA compliance and that safety training, recordkeeping, and incident response are well-managed.
Serve as a visible, floor-present HR leader who understands the physical work environment and the people within it.
Team Leadership & HR Function Development Directly manage the HR Generalist and oversee day-to-day HR operations; provide clear direction, development, and accountability.
Evaluate the structure and capability of the HR function and develop a roadmap for building team capacity aligned to organizational growth.
Manage the HR department budget with financial discipline and an ROI mindset.