People & Culture Generalist at AeroVironment in Huntsville, AL

People & Culture Generalist
Location: Huntsville, AL
Worker Type
Regular

Job Description

Summary
The People & Culture (P&C) Generalist provides day-to-day support across the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding POC, offboarding, compliance, employee experience, and process improvement initiatives. This role assists in the implementation and administration of P&C policies, programs, and initiatives to meet the needs of the organization and its employees. In this position, the People & Culture Generalist will use their HR functional expertise to align critical HR principles with business objectives across the various enterprise locations it supports.
Position Responsibilities
Provide general P&C support to employees and managers, including responding to inquiries, addressing employee concerns, and providing guidance and interpretation on P&C policies and procedures.
Serve as a first point of contact for employment-related inquiries from employees and managers, escalating complex and/or sensitive matters to appropriate P&C staff.
Assist employees with day-to-day P&C inquiries; partner with internal Centers of Excellence (e.g., Benefits, Compensation, HRIS, Talent Acquisition) to ensure questions are answered thoroughly and in a timely manner, with full follow-through and closure.
Run daily P&C functions, including onboarding new employees, administering benefits and leave processes, and ensuring consistent enforcement of company policies and practices.
Perform administrative P&C processes in Workday to support the full employee lifecycle, including new hires, promotions, separations, work location changes, and other employee data changes.
Open business needed requisitions within the Recruiting tool and monitor progress with the Talent Acquisition team.
Manage and/or support the employee separation and exit process, including scheduling and conducting exit meetings, processing separations in Workday, completing separation paperwork, and ensuring proper documentation.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date HR files, records, and documentation in accordance with company policy and legal requirements.
Support efforts to maintain compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations; recommend best practices and support the review and updating of policies and procedures to ensure ongoing compliance.
Maintain current knowledge of HR trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and new technologies, and apply this knowledge to P&C practices and recommendations.
Manage and/or support the implementation of approved P&C and business strategies, programs, and process improvement initiatives, including large, company-wide program implementations as assigned.
Identify opportunities to improve P&C processes and systems and help develop and implement solutions that enhance efficiency, employee experience, and data integrity.
Reinforce AV company values and promote positive employee experience.
Collaborate effectively with cross-functional partners and P&C team members to support organizational goals and ensure alignment of HR practices with business objectives.
Perform other duties as assigned to support the P&C function within the organization.
Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)
The position is an in-person role and will be located in Huntsville, AL.
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
2+ years of related experience working in Human Resources.
Knowledge and understanding of key HR functional areas, including onboarding, offboarding, performance management, compensation, and benefits.
Current understanding of federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and Microsoft operating systems.
Proficiency with, or ability to quickly learn, HRIS and talent management systems.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and “think on one’s feet” in high-pressure situations.
Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
Strong time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple priorities successfully.
Ability to act with integrity, professionalism, and maintain strict confidentiality.
Highly collaborative style with the ability to work effectively across multiple functional areas and levels to represent the P&C team.
Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies
Prior HRIS experience (Workday preferred).
Experience with multiple large, company-wide program implementations, to include mergers and acquisitions.
Proven ability to work effectively and efficiently across functions and multiple levels of an organization.
Ability to excel in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment where small teams share a broad variety of duties.
Strong initiative and drive to accomplish goals and meet company objectives.
Takes ownership and responsibility for current and past work products.
Commitment to learning from mistakes and continuously improving performance of oneself, others, and the company.
Strong team orientation and focus on putting the success of the team above one’s own interests.
Physical Demands
Ability to work in an office environment (Constant)
Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Frequent)

Special Requirements
U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) or asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) required.

Clearance Level

No Clearance
The salary range for this role is:
$64,500 - $98,250
AeroVironment considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the location, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.
ITAR Requirement:
This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.
Benefits:  AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown.  For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit:  http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits.
We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.
Principals only need apply.  NO agencies please.
About AV:
AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best.
We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve.
Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next.
If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.
We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.
ITAR
U.S. Citizenship required