Lead People Partner

We are building our People function to support our next phase of growth, and the Lead People Partner will play an important role in helping us scale. This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys both strategy and execution-partnering with leaders to build strong teams, coach managers, solve people challenges, and help employees do their best work. You will build and improve People processes that scale the organization, serving as a trusted partner who elevates the experience for our leaders, employees, and business. Key Responsibilities: Strategic Partnering: Serve as the People Partner for assigned business units. Develop a deep understanding of goals, talent needs, and challenges while building trusted relationships. Manager Coaching: Coach leaders on performance management, feedback, employee development, and team effectiveness. Build their confidence to handle challenges effectively. Employee Relations: Lead employee relations matters with sound judgment, empathy, and consistency. Address issues early, identify root causes, and manage risk appropriately. Organizational Growth: Partner with leaders on workforce planning, organizational design, talent development, retention strategies, and change management. Employee Experience: Maintain a visible, accessible onsite presence to connect with both hourly and salaried employees. Gather feedback and champion improvement initiatives. Scalable Processes: Build, improve, and implement practical HR programs. Look for opportunities to simplify, standardize, automate, and eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy. Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with People Operations to deliver seamless support, establish clear workflows, and improve how the People team operates. Operational Excellence: Balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution. Use data, technology, and emerging AI tools to drive functional effectiveness. Qualifications: Experience: 7+ years of progressive HR experience, with significant time spent as an HR Business Partner or People Partner. Workplace Environment: Prior experience supporting both salaried and hourly workforces. Experience in manufacturing, industrial, engineering, or operations environments is strongly preferred. Core Competencies: Proven expertise in employee relations, employment law, manager coaching, organizational change, and project management. Process Building: Experience creating structure and improving HR workflows within growing or evolving environments. Relationship Focus: Strong business judgment with the ability to communicate candidly and build trust across all organizational levels. Adaptability: Comfort navigating ambiguity and shifting priorities with a high degree of ownership, resilience, and initiative. Tech Literacy: Comfort leveraging data and technology to optimize efficiency, with a curiosity about using AI to improve the employee experience.