HR Business Partner

Kitchen Food Company•Hopkinsville, KY

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Human Resources Lead is a key member of the Hopkinsville site leadership team and reports to the Head of Operations. This role partners closely with site leaders to drive a culture of high performance, with a strong focus on employee career development, performance management, talent calibration, and retention. The Human Resources Lead manages three direct reports who collectively deliver the site’s people strategy. In addition, the role holds accountability for specific strategic HR portfolios, including diversity and inclusion initiatives and the development and execution of the site’s labor relations strategy.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business Administration, or related field preferred.
5+ years’ experience working primarily as an HR generalist ideally in food manufacturing or high-volume production.
Ability to successfully influence and lead in a variety of situations adapting personal style and approach as needed
Can make difficult decisions and challenge leaders/managers/employees thinking
Self-starter with ability to operate autonomously and versatility able to easily move between long-term strategic and short-term operational objectives
Ability to influence and deliver results through others
Willingness to work flexible hours, including some evening hours to connect with Australian based colleagues
Working knowledge of U.S. federal and local labor laws and employment regulations
Experience with HRIS systems and recruitment platforms.
Highly effective communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Strong organizational and documentation skills.
Problem-solving and conflict resolution abilities.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement HR policies and procedures aligned with labor laws and best practice in food manufacturing.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment regulations (e.g., OSHA, FMLA, EEOC).
In collaboration with business leaders across the facility in Hopkinsville, KY to drive business performance using developed HR and labor relations knowledge, change management expertise and business acumen.
Manage site employee relations, conflict resolution, and disciplinary actions. Counsel Managers and employees consistent with Kitchen Food Company policies/practices, legal considerations.
Lead change initiatives including optimal use of HRIS technology and standardisation initiatives.
Assess organisational design with department heads to ensure the right people are in the right roles at the right time. Support short and long term business requirements in relation to employee movement, development and succession planning aiding employee retention.
Partner with WHS Specialist to deliver on annual priorities.
Identify opportunities to design people solutions that drive operational excellence and impact commercial outcomes.
Embed Kitchen Food Company values across departments. Develop and promote the employer value proposition and employee engagement strategy and plan impactful site events/community connections/communications.
Manage the site HR budget in consultation with the Finance Manager. Work to understand the business metrics/financials and the opportunities HR has to impact on these.
Ensure the HR team’s accurate and timely administration of compensation and benefits.
Refine the performance management framework for the site and manage its implementation.
Promote a culture of safety first, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Lead, coach and manage direct HR reports through setting and communicating clear expectations, ensuring adherence to processes and procedures and are supported to deliver in an agile work environment.
Work with the site leadership team to create a culture of accountability, performance management, and continuous improvement.
Coordinate and manage site-based social audits against SMETA and other ethical standards, performing internal compliance audits, identifying gaps, and monitoring corrective action plans through to closure.
Represent Kitchen Food Company Limited when liaising and meeting with external stakeholders such as our external auditors, state and local government.
Collaborate with Recruitment Specialist on development and execution of the site talent management plan ensuring alignment with the manpower plan. Ensure a fair and transparent, merit-based performance environment.
Lead and continuously improve recruitment policies and processes for hourly and salaried roles across the site, leveraging HRIS optimisation to enhance candidate quality, streamline workflows, and accelerate hiring timelines.
Champion and support the development and delivery of site wide training that promotes career development, employee retention, multi-skilling and compliance.
Build HR capability within the HR team and people management skills through ad hoc coaching of people managers.
With the OHSA Specialist champion workplace safety in compliance with OSHA regulations and company safety policies.
Oversee that the HR team is working in a safe manner following all company occupational safety and health policies, contributing to risk assessments as needed.
Promote safety first where hazards, near misses, and incidents are promptly reported and addressed.
Support company wide and site continuous improvement initiatives.
With the leadership team ensure operations are according to our food safety policies and processes including our HACCP and GMP programs.
Ensure control of any food safety risks.