Senior HR Manager

Senior HR Manager

Our client, a growing custom machinery and equipment manufacturer, is seeking an experienced Senior HR Manager to lead the Human Resources function and serve as a strategic partner to company leadership.

This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership role supporting a technical manufacturing environment made up of engineering, machine build, controls, skilled trades, operations, and corporate professionals. The Senior HR Manager will be responsible for strengthening the company's people strategy while remaining actively involved in recruiting, employee relations, performance management, compensation, compliance, workforce planning, and organizational development.

The ideal candidate brings strong HR leadership experience within manufacturing, custom machinery, automation, capital equipment, or another engineering-driven environment and understands the challenges of attracting and retaining specialized technical talent.

Key Focus

• Lead the overall HR function and partner directly with senior leadership.
• Develop HR strategies that support company growth, workforce needs, and business objectives.
• Strengthen recruiting and retention efforts for engineering, technical, skilled trades, and leadership positions.
• Provide hands-on leadership across employee relations, performance management, compensation, benefits, compliance, and organizational development.
• Build scalable HR processes, policies, and programs while maintaining a practical, employee-focused approach.

What You'll Do

• Serve as a trusted HR advisor to executive leadership, managers, and employees.

• Lead workforce planning and talent strategies aligned with current and future business needs.

• Oversee recruiting and talent acquisition across engineering, controls, machine build, manufacturing, skilled trades, and professional positions.

• Develop strategies to attract and retain difficult-to-find technical talent.

• Coach managers on employee relations, performance management, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness.

• Manage complex employee relations matters, investigations, corrective actions, and conflict resolution.

• Lead performance management and employee development initiatives.

• Evaluate organizational structure, staffing levels, succession needs, and leadership capabilities.

• Oversee compensation, benefits, policies, HR systems, and HR administration.

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.

• Develop and maintain HR policies, procedures, employee communications, and documentation.

• Partner with leadership on compensation planning, promotions, organizational changes, and succession planning.

• Use HR metrics and workforce data to identify trends and support business decisions.

• Identify opportunities to improve HR processes, systems, reporting, and employee experience.

• Support company culture and engagement initiatives while maintaining accountability and performance expectations.

• Manage relationships with external HR, benefits, recruiting, legal, and other service providers as needed.

• Lead and develop HR team members while remaining willing to work directly on day-to-day HR priorities.

• What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field.

• Significant progressive Human Resources experience, including HR leadership responsibility.

• Strong experience supporting a manufacturing, engineering, machinery, automation, capital equipment, or similarly technical organization.

• Demonstrated experience partnering with senior and executive leadership.

• Strong background in employee relations, talent acquisition, performance management, workforce planning, compensation, and HR compliance.

• Experience recruiting and retaining engineers, technical professionals, skilled trades, and manufacturing talent.

• Ability to operate effectively in a hands-on, fast-moving environment where priorities can change quickly.

• Strong judgment and the ability to handle sensitive employee and business matters with discretion.

• Proven ability to coach managers and influence leaders across multiple functions.

• Strong communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills.

• Comfortable balancing strategic HR leadership with hands-on execution.

• Ideal Background

• The strongest candidate will have supported an organization where engineers, controls professionals, machine builders, electricians, technicians, project managers, and manufacturing employees work together to design and build complex equipment. Experience in a custom or engineered-to-order environment is particularly valuable because of the specialized workforce, project-driven nature of the business, and importance of retaining highly skilled technical employees.