HR Generalist at Nielsen-Massey Vanillas in Waukegan, IL

Position: HR Generalist

Reports to: Vice President of Human Resources

Location: Waukegan, Illinois, about 40 miles north of Chicago’s loop (full time on site).

Salary Range: $70k-$75k (compensation is based on education, skills, experience and other job-related factors.)

Position Summary:

The HR Generalist is the onsite HR leader responsible for translating HR strategy into consistent, practical execution for the onsite workforce. This role partners with onsite employees to strengthen workforce performance, employee engagement, compliance, and day-to-day HR service delivery while supporting Nielsen-Massey Vanillas Inc.’s family-owned culture.

The position provides hands-on leadership across onsite HR operations, including employee relations, recruitment and onboarding, performance management, learning coordination, payroll and compensation administration, HR technology, workforce reporting, and compliance. The successful candidate will bring sound judgment, operational discipline, confidentiality, and the ability to balance priorities with responsive onsite support.

Key Responsibilities:

• Onsite HR Leadership and Business Partnership: Serve as the primary onsite HR partner for employees, translating HR strategy into day-to-day execution that supports business goals, workforce stability, employee engagement, and Nielsen-Massey Vanillas Inc.’s family-owned culture.

• Workforce Performance, Performance Management and Learning: Support a high-performance culture by partnering with managers on goal setting, coaching, corrective action, performance documentation, employee development, training coordination, and learning initiatives that improve workforce capability, accountability, retention, and readiness.

• Recruitment, Onboarding and Workforce Planning: Own onsite recruitment processes through the HRIS/applicant tracking system, including job posting support, candidate coordination, interview scheduling, hiring documentation, onboarding, temporary labor coordination, and reporting that ensures staffing needs are met efficiently and compliantly.

• Employee Relations and Compliance: Manage onsite employee relations matters with sound judgment, confidentiality, and consistency; conduct thorough and objective investigations; support policy interpretation, documentation, FMLA/leave administration, verification of employment, exit interviews, and compliance with applicable federal, state, local, and company requirements.

• HR Operations and Technology: Ensure accurate, timely, and well-controlled HR operations through effective use of HRIS and related systems; maintain employee data integrity, HR records, reporting, HRIS invoicing, state tax setup and updates, process documentation, audit readiness, and continuous improvement of onsite HR workflows.

• Payroll and Compensation Administration: Administer US payroll processes and compensation-related activities with accuracy and confidentiality, coordinating timekeeping, pay changes, weekly payroll inputs, temporary employee reporting and invoicing, and issue resolution in partnership with HR and Finance.

• HR Metrics, Workforce Analytics and HR Costs: Track and communicate practical HR measures such as turnover, attendance, recruitment cycle time, open roles, temporary labor usage, payroll accuracy, leave activity, training completion, employee relations trends, workforce performance indicators, and HR costs to support disciplined decision-making and continuous improvement.

• Employee Engagement, Recognition and Communications: Support employee communications and culture-building activities, including the HR quarterly newsletter,

employee birthdays and anniversaries, rewards and recognition programs, and other onsite initiatives that reinforce collaboration, quality, integrity, innovation, heritage, and expertise.

• Continuous Improvement and Special Projects: Identify opportunities to improve HR service delivery, reduce administrative friction, strengthen compliance, manage HR costs responsibly, and advance business priorities through hands-on execution of HR projects and other related responsibilities as assigned.

Company Values:

• Collaboration-We engage with one another with positive intent, through trust, respect, and open communication, to achieve our shared goals.

• Heritage-As a family-owned company, we value relationships and take pride in our commitment to quality and a people-first approach. Heritage connects who we are today with the people and values that built our organization. Our success is measured by how we honor our past while delighting our customers for generations to come.

• Innovation-Innovation drives our growth and keeps us ahead in a changing world. Our success is measured by how we turn ideas into meaningful and continuous improvements for our people, products, processes and customers.

• Integrity-Integrity is the foundation of our culture, guiding our actions, decisions, and relationships. Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching. Our success is measured by the trust we earn and the consistency between our words and actions.

• Quality-We are committed to delivering exceptional products and services that consistently exceed expectations. This level of quality is not just a goal—it’s embedded in everything we do. Our success is measured by the trust and satisfaction of those we serve internally and externally.

• Experts-Expertise is a defining strength of our organization, reflected in our knowledge, insight, and innovation. Our success is measured by the confidence and trust we inspire in our industry, customers, and consumers.

Knowledge and Characteristics:

MUSTS:

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university; PHR or SHRM-CP certification preferred.

• Demonstrated onsite HR generalist experience, preferably in a manufacturing, production, or hourly workforce environment.

• Strong working knowledge of HRIS platforms required, with hands-on ADP experience, including HRIS administration, employee data management and maintenance, recruiting and onboarding workflows, payroll support, reporting, audit readiness, state tax administration, and coordination of system updates or issue resolution with internal stakeholders and external providers.

• Practical knowledge of performance management, employee relations, recruiting, onboarding, learning coordination, payroll and compensation administration, leave management, and HR compliance.

• Ability to use HR data, workforce metrics, and HR cost information to identify trends, improve onsite HR execution, and support disciplined business decisions.

• Knowledge of artificial intelligence and how to use AI responsibly in HR to improve efficiency, employee communications, recruiting support, learning materials, reporting, process documentation, and workforce insights while protecting confidentiality, fairness, data quality, and human judgment.

• Proven ability to develop, coordinate, and deliver practical HR training and learning resources that support managers, employees, compliance, and workforce performance.

• High integrity, sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to maintain strict confidentiality while interacting effectively with employees and leaders at all levels of the organization.

• Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish required, including the ability to communicate clearly and professionally with employees, candidates, managers, and external partners; support accurate understanding of HR policies, benefits, onboarding, training, employee relations, and compliance matters; and build trust across a diverse workforce.

Benefits

• Retirement: 401k plan and up to 4% company matching

• Health and Wellness: health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, HRA or HSA, and FSAs for health, dependent care, and commuter expenses

• Time Away: paid holidays, Paid Time Off (PTO), paid parental leave, and bereavement

• Income Protection: short- and long-term disability

• Pay and Recognition: weekly paychecks, rewards and recognition programs, employee referral program, employee assistance program (EAP), and annual bonus program

• Development: tuition reimbursement