HR Generalist
HR Generalist (Onsite | Manufacturing Environment)
Location: Twin Cities Area
Compensation: $70,000 – $80,000 base
Schedule: 100% onsite (5 days/week)
About the Opportunity
We’re partnering with a well-established, family-owned manufacturing organization to hire a hands-on HR Generalist. This role is open due to a long-tenured employee retirement and is critical in maintaining the day-to-day HR function.
This is a true HR operations role, ideal for someone who enjoys being close to the business, supporting employees and leaders directly, and owning execution across the employee lifecycle.
What You’ll Do
You’ll serve as the primary operational resource for HR, ensuring processes are executed accurately, consistently, and in compliance.
Key responsibilities include:
- Own full-cycle recruiting (job postings, scheduling, offers, onboarding coordination)
- Manage FMLA / PFML / leave administration (tracking, documentation, coordination with payroll/vendors)
- Serve as the first point of contact for employee and manager HR questions
- Support employee relations and frontline supervisor guidance
- Administer benefits processes (enrollments, changes, open enrollment support)
- Maintain HRIS data, employee records, and compliance documentation
- Support reporting and compliance (EEO-1, OSHA, unemployment, audits, etc.)
- Partner closely with payroll on employee changes and leave tracking
- Help bring structure to HR operations by documenting processes and creating SOPs
What Success Looks Like (First 3–6 Months)
- Independently managing day-to-day HR operations
- Confidently handling FMLA/PFML and leave-related questions
- Keeping recruiting moving with minimal oversight
- Building trust with employees and leaders across the organization
- Bringing organization and structure to existing HR processes
What You Bring
- 5+ years of broad HR Generalist experience
- Strong end-to-end recruiting ownership
- Deep knowledge of FMLA, PFML, and leave administration
- Experience supporting employee relations in a hands-on environment
- Ability to manage a high-volume, transactional workload with strong follow-through
- Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills
- Experience with HRIS systems (ADP preferred) and Excel
- Manufacturing or similar environment experience strongly preferred
Work Environment
- 100% onsite, this is a highly employee-facing role
- Manufacturing setting with both office and production floor interaction
- Occasional flexibility needed to support different shifts
- Collaborative, team-oriented, and non-corporate culture
What Makes This Role Unique
- High visibility within a small HR team (HR Leader + Payroll + this role)
- Opportunity to own and stabilize HR operations
- Work in a values-driven, family-owned environment where relationships matter
- Ideal for someone who prefers hands-on execution over strategy
Who This Role Is (and Isn’t) For
You enjoy being in the details and making HR run smoothly
You like being onsite, building relationships, and solving issues in real time
You take ownership and don’t need heavy structure to be successful
*Not a fit for someone seeking a remote or hybrid, highly strategic, or heavily resourced HR role
Submit Your Resume
ABOUT SKYWATER SEARCH
Start with your Short List
Led by a group of seasoned search industry professionals, SkyWater Search Partners brings new focus to a novel concept, “Short List Search.” Our purpose is to leave a lasting impression on the clients we serve by providing individuals who will make a measurable difference in their business. We strive to consistently deliver great results to our clients in a very timely manner.
Practice Areas
Our practice areas are led by highly experienced executive recruiters who take great care in fully understanding client requirements and candidate qualifications.
• Accounting and Finance
• Information Technology
• Operations
• Engineering
• Sales
• Marketing
• Human Resources
• Legal
• Construction
• Supply Chain
• Consumer Package Goods (CPG)
Founded on long-standing relationships and hundreds of successful placements throughout the Twin Cities business community, SkyWater Search Partners is a proven resource for clients and candidates looking to quickly and confidently explore their “short list” of best choices. Count on us to find the best people – and the best fit.