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Human Resources Manager

NC - Lexington

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Leverage Your HR Leadership Talent & Multicultural Understanding to Drive HR Operations & a Best-in-Class Culture for a Global Industry Leader

We've built the corporate office staff, including a 7-member HR team, and need a strong leader as we scale for production starting in 2020.

If you combine broad HR experience, including proven leadership skills, with knowledge of U.S. state and federal labor laws and a background working with international and/or multi-cultural stakeholders, the role of Human Resources Manager with EGGER offers an array of interesting opportunities. Consider:

You will come in near the ground floor. We've been building our corporate team -- a mix of national and international talent -- and are almost ready to bring on a production staff of 250 over the next 12-18 months!
EGGER has built a strong values-based, employee-focused culture at locations across the globe. You and your team will continue to promote the values of respect, quality and progress in North America to build a best-in-class organization where people want to work.
You can make your mark creating and molding the team in the U.S. while also leveraging synergies, such as processes, from other locations. Our teams enjoy an international exchange of world-class ideas.
EGGER is a successful and growing European company launching new operations in the U.S. We are building a modern, state-of-the-art plant in Lexington and are on schedule to begin operations in mid-2020.
This is a multifaceted role where you can continue to develop and evolve your skills. And since we're at the beginning of our U.S. venture, and already have built business relationships across the Americas and Canada, the sky's the limit. We anticipate additional opportunities to grow your career.

EGGER is a market leader in decor and texture developments for wood-based products, using global trends in Architecture and fashion to create solutions for interior design and furniture. The diversity of our 9,600 employees in our 19 plants and 60 countries makes us a strong team. We are a family owned business with 2017/18 revenues of 2.684 billion Euros. We have distributors and furniture & interior design industry customers across North America.

The Requirements

To be a good fit for the Human Resources Manager opportunity, you should have:

8-10+ years of progressive HR experience an industrial environment, ideally a production or manufacturing facility, including at least 5 years in a management role.
A bachelor’s degree in Human Resources or a related field; a master’s degree in Human Resources or an MBA with a concentration in HR is an advantage. Quick question for you - click here
Broad experience including expertise in staffing/recruiting, employee relations and employee development.
Knowledge and experience with payroll and payroll systems, ideally SAP, and benefits.
Experience building up and aligning HR programs and structures with business needs in the U.S.
Deep knowledge of U.S. labor laws.
Experience working with diverse groups. International business experience, ideally European, particularly Austria and/or Germany, is highly preferred. Quick question for you - click here
The ability to work as a business partner with exceptionally strong communication, negotiation, presentation and influencing skills.
Skill as a team player who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where quality and speed of decision-making are critical to maintaining a leadership position.
Demonstrated experience managing HR processes and practices.
Strong problem-solving skills and business acumen.
Strong organization skills, systematic and analytical thinking, and the ability to work and prioritize under stress.
Proficiency in MS PowerPoint, Word and Excel.

Preferred but not required:

SAP HR is a plus.
PHR or SHRM – CP Certification is a plus.
Experience in a European-headquartered company is a plus.

You’ll travel to Europe for a few weeks for your initial training and possibly once or twice per year after that for training and meetings.

The Role

We began our expansion to the U.S. in 2017 and have grown from 3 to 97 employees, including leadership and a Human Resources team of 7, which you will lead. The production facility and offices are well underway and we are beginning to prepare for production beginning in 2020.

You will report to the CFO - Plant Manager Finance/Administration in Lexington, and have a dotted line to the Head of Corporate HR in Austria. As Human Resources Manager, you will be the driver for all things related to Human Resources in the U.S. You'll also serve as our subject-matter-expert on U.S. employment law.

You will enjoy strong training on our company, culture and systems, then take ownership of the HR team and work to build an organization which will ultimately be approximately 400 people working 2 shifts, 7 days per week. While you will be responsible for a wide array of Human Resources initiatives, sourcing, recruiting and hiring will be a primary focus over the first two years. You and your team will write and modify the handbook as needed, create job descriptions, and work with local management, as well as European headquarters, on U.S. labor law to ensure we remain compliant. You’ll also roll out programs that will make us an employer of choice, as well as build connections in the local community to attract strong talent. Quick question for you - click here

Some of your specific tasks will include, but not be limited to:

Leading consistent staffing processes and hiring talent that will have a high degree of success in their new roles.
Continuing to develop and consistently administering compensation and benefits programs, considering internal equity and salary/budget constraints.
Maintaining discipline and attendance records, as well as employee and medical files, in accordance with state and federal laws.
Providing advice and direction on employee-related legal matters.
Setting up and managing employee information in the company HRIS and payroll system (SAP).
Reinforcing open communication channels and apply policies and practices in a fair and consistent manner in order to minimize legal risk.
Building and maintaining strong relationships with business leaders in key positions within the organization.
Maintaining local relationships and supporting local community groups and events.
Mentoring and developing the Human Resources staff.
Ensuring that the company's HR practices and values are understood and followed.
Working with Corporate HR and your supervisor to ensure any policy/procedural changes are discussed prior to implementation, and to communicate policy changes to the organization.
Demonstrating our company’s core values, fostering continuous improvement, sharing strong practices, and learning at all levels of the organization.
Utilizing metrics/KPIs to measure the success of Human Resources initiatives on business growth and development.

Note: this description is intended to give you a general overview of the position and is not an exhaustive listing of duties and responsibilities.

What's in it for you?

Successful Model Worldwide
We’ve enjoyed success across the globe and expect to see strong growth in short order. We are dedicated to building our business over the long haul. So while you’ll work on building our U.S. HR function, you’ll have the strong support of a company that has done this before and has many resources to help you apply our success in the U.S.

Professional Development
We’re a strong and growing company where you can build your career. Though you’ll need to have knowledge across all aspects of HR and U.S. state and federal labor laws, we’ll train you on our business and systems, and help you network throughout our organization. As we grow, you’ll also have plenty of opportunities to enhance your knowledge, skills, and career.

Family Culture
We are a family-owned business and a company that respects and values our employees. You will never be just a number here. At EGGER, every human being has relevance and makes a difference. We appreciate our employees and value their contributions, and we have strong company values that ensure we stay on the right path, and help the organization to remain strong even through growth.

Excellent Compensation
In addition to a competitive salary and bonus opportunity, we offer a benefits package including medical and other insurances, paid time off, a 401(k) plan, and more. You'll help us continue to evolve our benefits as we grow.

Keys to Success

To excel in this role you’ll need to have the requisite knowledge, but just as important, you’ll need to be a strong leader who can earn credibility and maintain calm and efficiency even as the environment is rapidly changing and growth is exponential. You will bring professionalism, and either have or quickly gain an understanding of our European business model.

Our ideal candidate will also be good at gaining buy-in to convince managers that they need to follow the prescribed processes and procedures. You’ll need to have a great understanding of the bigger picture, and be able to explain the why behind each procedure, helping others to understand and get behind them. You won't be building from scratch but will understand the strength in synergies shared companywide.

Picture: Future EGGER offices in Lexington.