Client:
A Tier 1 automotive parts manufacturer, newly launched U.S. plant.
Role Title:
HR Manager, Plant
Location:
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Reports To:
Senior or General Manager, Plant
Direct Reports:
3 to 12
Indirect Reports:
0
Why Now:
Growth. The plant went live in December 2025 and is scaling. This is a build, not a maintenance hire.
This plant has been running for less than a year. Every system this HR Manager touches, team member relations, staffing, safety, training, is being built from the ground up while production ramps. The person in this seat is not inheriting a mature HR function. They are building one while the plant is still finding its rhythm.
That is the opportunity and the challenge in the same sentence. A plant at this stage needs someone who can build a structure without waiting for someone else to hand it to them, because right now, nobody has it to hand over.
In the first 12 months, build a Human Resources function for a plant still in its first full year of production, covering staffing, employment, HRIS, payroll, safety and health, team member relations, and training and development, and get it stable enough to run without the founder-stage improvisation that got the plant through its launch.
1.
Build and stabilize a full plant HR function, spanning benefits, compensation, employment, HRIS, payroll, safety, security, staffing, team member relations, and training, within the plant's first full year of production.
2.
Establish team member relations systems, involvement meetings, conflict resolution, corrective action, and investigations, that resolve issues at the plant level, measured by grievances closed without third party intervention.
3.
Stand up consistent HR policies, practices, and procedures across a workforce scaling from startup headcount toward full production capacity, measured by consistent application and a falling rate of policy related inquiries.
4.
Build workforce planning and staffing pipelines for both hourly and salaried roles that keep pace with the plant's production ramp, measured by requisitions filled within target cycle time.
5.
Stand up the plant's safety and health program from the ground up, measured by safety and PPE compliance and a downward trend in workers' compensation claims.
6.
Build and own the HR annual budget and business plan for the plant's first full operating year, aligned to overall plant goals.
Builder, Not Maintainer
Comfortable creating systems where none exist yet, rather than refining what is already running.
Signal: the role calls for someone to "enhance and/or develop, implement, and enforce" HR policy from scratch, not administer an inherited one.
Independent Judgment Under Ambiguity
Makes calls without waiting for direction, especially when something breaks off hours.
Signal: the role requires the "ability to exercise exceptional independent judgment and discretion" and to "maintain on call flexibility to control abnormal conditions."
Cross-Level Communicator
Equally comfortable on the floor and in front of executive staff.
Signal: the role requires the "ability to communicate and work well with all levels of the organization" and prior experience "creating presentations and delivering to large groups."
Composure in a Fast-Paced, Multicultural Environment
Stays level when the plant is moving fast and the workforce is diverse.
Signal: the role explicitly requires the "ability to work in a fast-paced, multicultural work environment" and to "handle stressful situations."
Discretion and Integrity
Can be trusted with sensitive information without exception.
Signal: the role requires the ability to "maintain the confidentiality of any information s/he encounters" and hold "the highest standards of personal and professional integrity."
If you managed personnel actions, discipline, morale, and readiness for a company or battalion, you have already run a version of this job. The scale is different. The responsibility for people is the same.
This plant runs on the same fundamentals that make a military unit function: early starts, direct communication, and accountability that moves at the speed of the operation. It is also less than a year old, which means the systems that will define how this plant treats its people are still being written, not maintained. That is exactly the kind of ground a builder wants under their feet.
VHS matched this role because the performance objectives and the operational tempo of a newly launched plant align closely with veterans who have held personnel or command billets: S1 officers and NCOs, First Sergeants, Career Counselors, and human resources specialists who know how to build a function under real time pressure instead of inheriting one that already works.
1. Requirement:
Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, or related field, or equivalent experience
Military Equivalent:
Adjutant General Corps officer training, or hands-on HR leadership gained in a personnel-focused billet such as S1 or Career Counselor
Maps To:
Build and stabilize a full plant HR function
2. Requirement:
8 or more years HR generalist experience, manufacturing or automotive preferred
Military Equivalent:
Battalion or Brigade S1, First Sergeant, or Senior Career Counselor managing the full range of personnel actions, staffing, discipline, benefits, records, and morale for a unit of comparable size
Maps To:
Build and stabilize a full plant HR function; Establish team member relations systems
3. Requirement:
4 or more years supervisory experience in a manufacturing environment
Military Equivalent:
Platoon Sergeant, Company First Sergeant, or Division Officer directly supervising and developing subordinate personnel in a high tempo environment
Maps To:
Build workforce planning and staffing pipelines
4. Requirement:
Experience creating and delivering presentations to large groups
Military Equivalent:
Briefing commanders, staff, and formations as an S1, Career Counselor, or senior NCO
Maps To:
Build and own the HR annual budget and business plan
5. Requirement:
Working knowledge of federal and state employment law: ADA, FLSA, HIPAA, FMLA, NLRA, Title VII
Military Equivalent:
Direct exposure to the UCMJ, EO complaint processes, and administrative separations through a personnel, legal, or Inspector General billet
Maps To:
Stand up consistent HR policies, practices, and procedures
6. Requirement:
Ability to manage a safety and health program
Military Equivalent:
Unit Safety NCO or Safety Officer enforcing safety standards, PPE compliance, and incident reporting across a company or battalion
Maps To:
Stand up the plant's safety and health program
Base Salary:
$90,000 to $120,000
Relocation expenses covered. Full medical, dental, vision, 401K, tuition reimbursement
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