HR Manager Manufacturing

AFL manufactures industry-leading fiber optic cable connectivity and accessories and provides engineering and installation services for some of the largest telecom customers in the world. Our company was founded in 1984 with a single fiber optic cable and today we manufacture thousands of products generate an excess of $3B in revenue and employ approximately 12000 associates worldwide. At AFL we recognize that our employees are our greatest asset. We hire and train each individual investing in them to ensure success in their careers. With a commitment to professional development and growth let us connect you to your next career opportunity.

What We Offer:

• Flexible time off policy
• 401K Company match (up to 4% - dollar for dollar)
• Professional development training and tuition reimbursement programs
• Excellent medical dental vision and life insurance policy options
• Opportunities for career advancement with an industry leading company!

Position Summary

The Human Resources Manager partners with plant leadership and frontline teams to deliver HR programs that support safe compliant and efficient manufacturing operations. This role leads employee relations staffing performance management and HR compliance for hourly and salaried populations while driving continuous improvement through workforce analytics and standardized processes.

The HR Manager maintains strong business literacy for the plant (production goals labor spend overtime turnover and attendance trends) and acts as a trusted advisor to supervisors and managers to improve engagement retention and productivity across all shifts.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Partner with Plant Manager and department leaders to execute the site people plan aligned to safety quality delivery cost and morale objectives.
• Support hourly workforce staffing for multiple shifts (recruiting selection onboarding orientation) including coordination with temporary labor partners as applicable.
• Coach leaders on performance management attendance corrective action and consistent application of policies and work rules.
• Manage complex employee relations investigations and resolutions conflict resolution and escalation management.
• Ensure compliance with employment laws and plant requirements (e.g. wage and hour leave administration recordkeeping) and partner with Legal/Corporate HR as needed.
• Support a safety-first culture by partnering with EHS on training coordination incident/near-miss follow-up support and required documentation processes.
• Drive training and development for supervisors and hourly teams (onboarding skills/qualification tracking leadership fundamentals and compliance training).
• Support workforce planning org changes succession planning and internal mobility to meet changing production demands.
• Partner with Payroll/Timekeeping on accurate time capture schedule setup overtime monitoring and pay practice adherence.
• Track analyze and communicate HR KPIs (turnover absenteeism overtime time-to-fill safety training completion and engagement indicators) and lead countermeasures.
• Continuously improve HR processes through standard work audits and simplificationensuring a consistent employee experience across departments and shifts.
• Maintain HRIS data accuracy and confidentiality; ensure personnel file administration meets internal and regulatory requirements.

Core Competencies

• Hands-on leadership and ability to influence in a fast-paced production-driven environment.
• Strong employee relations capability with sound judgment and discretion.
• Working knowledge of wage and hour attendance practices investigations and documentation standards.
• Ability to build trust with hourly teams and supervisors across all shifts.
• Process improvement mindset; comfortable using data to identify root causes and drive countermeasures.
• Clear communication skills for shop-floor audiences (written verbal and group facilitation).
• High organization and follow-through; able to manage multiple priorities and time-sensitive issues.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Human Resources Business Administration or related field; Masters degree and/or SHRM/PHR certification preferred.
• 7 years of progressive HR experience including significant employee relations and performance management responsibility.
• 3 years of HR experience in a manufacturing/industrial environment supporting an hourly workforce; multi-shift operations experience strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of wage and hour compliance timekeeping practices and leave administration.
• Experience partnering with EHS and Operations in a safety-critical environment; familiarity with OSHA recordkeeping and training coordination preferred.
• Demonstrated capability using HR metrics (turnover absenteeism overtime time-to-fill) to drive actionable improvement.
• Proficiency with HRIS timekeeping and Microsoft Office tools (Word Excel PowerPoint).

Working Conditions

• Split time between office/administrative work and production floor presence; required to wear appropriate PPE while in manufacturing areas.
• Support across shifts as needed; may include early mornings evenings or occasional weekend coverage based on operational needs.
• Occasional travel may be required for training benchmarking or multi-site support.

Required Experience:

Manager