The HR Manager is a hands-on leader responsible for day-to-day HR operations and people programs in a fast-paced, private equity–backed industrial distribution environment. This role owns onboarding and employee lifecycle processes, benefits administration, HR policy development, training coordination, compliance, and payroll processing. The HR Manager also plays a critical role in acquisition onboarding and integration, ensuring newly acquired employees' transition smoothly into the organization’s culture, systems, and HR policies while maintaining compliance and operational continuity.

Key Responsibilities

Corporate Culture & Employee Experience (Culture Champion)

· Champion and operationalize company culture, values, and leadership expectations across field and corporate locations.

· Partner with leadership to strengthen engagement, communication, and performance accountability in a PE-backed, results-oriented environment.

· Support change management efforts related to growth, organizational design, and acquisition integration.

New Hire & Employee Onboarding (Core + Acquisitions)

· Own end-to-end new hire onboarding, including offer-to-start workflows, I-9/E-Verify (as applicable), systems access coordination, and orientation.

· Build repeatable onboarding playbooks and manager toolkits to accelerate productivity and retention.

· Lead acquisition employee onboarding, including “Day 1” readiness, HR data migration support, handbook/policy alignment communications, and training on company tools and processes.

Benefits & Leave Administration

· Manage benefits programs (medical, dental, vision, disability, life, retirement plans), annual renewals, open enrollment, and employee communications.

· Partner with brokers/TPAs and finance to monitor cost trends, claims experience, and plan design recommendations.

· Oversee leave administration (FMLA/ADA accommodations coordination as needed) and ensure consistent, compliant practices.

HR Policy Development & HR Operations

· Develop, implement, and maintain HR policies, procedures, employee handbook updates, and internal controls for consistent application across the organization.

· Maintain accurate employee records and HR documentation in HRIS; ensure clean data governance and audit readiness.

· Drive standardization across locations while preserving flexibility for operational needs.

Training & Development

· Coordinate and deploy training programs (manager training, harassment prevention, safety and compliance training, performance management process).

· Support leadership development initiatives and onboarding training for supervisors and people managers.

Compliance, Employee Relations & Risk Management

· Ensure compliance with federal/state/local employment regulations and support internal investigations, corrective action processes, and documentation standards.

· Lead workers’ compensation administration and support safety-related HR reporting and training coordination.

· Identify risk areas proactively and recommend practical solutions consistent with PE expectations for control and scalability.

· Manage Employee Handbook updates & distribution

Payroll Processing & Administration

· Own payroll processing (weekly/bi-weekly) in partnership with finance/payroll provider, including timekeeping, deductions, garnishments, and payroll reconciliations.

· Ensure accurate payroll reporting, tax filings coordination (with providers), and timely resolution of payroll issues.

· Maintain payroll SOPs and controls, especially during acquisitions or system transitions.

HR M&A Due Diligence & Integration Support

· Support HR-related acquisition due diligence: headcount/compensation validation, benefits review, policy gaps, classification issues, and integration cost-to-achieve estimates.

· Execute integration plans for HR processes, benefits transitions, payroll conversions, and onboarding communications.

Requirements

Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or related field (HR certifications a plus: SHRM-CP/SCP, PHR/SPHR).

· 5–10+ years of progressive HR experience, ideally in industrial distribution, multi-site operations, manufacturing, or similar environments.

· Demonstrated experience with payroll processing and HR administration.

· Experience in HR due diligence and post-close integration strongly preferred.

· Proficiency with HRIS/payroll systems, Excel, and basic HR analytics/reporting.

Competencies & Preferred Attributes

· Sense of urgency: Executes with pace and discipline in a deadline-driven, PE-backed environment.

· Self-motivated / ownership mindset: Takes accountability for outcomes and follows through without excessive oversight.

· High initiative: Proactively identifies issues, builds solutions, and drives continuous improvement.

· M&A integration orientation: Comfortable operating in ambiguity and leading people-process integration during acquisitions.

· Strong judgment, discretion, and employee-relations maturity; ability to balance empathy with performance expectations.

Benefits

Medical insurance, Vision insurance, Dental insurance, 401(k), Paid paternity leave, Disability insurance, Tuition assistance, Paid maternity leave