Site HR Manager - Small Site

Job Summary

The Site HR Director is responsible for partnering with the Site Leadership Team to understand Operations goals, strategies and to identify opportunities to increase organizational effectiveness and productivity. The Site HR Director is also responsible for developing and executing human capital strategies and initiatives that enable growth, innovation, overall organizational effectiveness, and change management. Additionally, the Site HR Director drives corporate initiatives with the local team and communicates how these programs fit in with the overall business and HR strategies. This position reports directly to the (S)VP Human Resources for the region where their site is located.

Job Responsibilities

• 1. Site Ramp-Up & Workforce Scaling

  • Lead and execute the HR strategy supporting site ramp-up and expansion phases.
  • Design and implement aggressive recruitment plans for both direct and indirect labor.
  • Establish scalable onboarding, training, and workforce planning processes.
  • Partner with Operations to ensure right-first-time workforce capability development.
  • Implement HR infrastructure and policies aligned with the site's growth trajectory.
  • Collaborate with GKN Aerostructures to align with global HR processes and programs.

  2. Leadership & Organizational Development

  • Act as a trusted advisor and coach to the Site Leadership Team.
  • Support leadership transitions, onboarding of new leaders, and organizational restructuring.
  • Drive leadership capability development from operational to strategic maturity.
  • Identify and develop succession pipelines and critical talent.
  • Lead organizational design initiatives aligned with business growth and complexity.

  3. Employee Relations & Labor Management

  • Manage employee relations in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
  • Ensure full compliance with Mexican labor law and applicable union frameworks.
  • Lead union engagement and negotiations when required.
  • Proactively manage conflict resolution, grievance handling, and disciplinary processes.
  • Strengthen shopfloor engagement and build trust across the workforce.

  4. Performance & Culture Transformation

  • Implement and drive performance management systems.
  • Build a high-performance, accountable organizational culture.
  • Support the transition from a start-up mindset to structured industrial operations.
  • Lead culture transformation initiatives focused on safety, quality, leadership, and accountability.
  • Deploy engagement initiatives based on employee feedback and diagnostics.

  5. Compensation & Retention

  • Ensure competitive positioning within the local maquiladora labor market.
  • Manage salary reviews, promotions, and retention strategies.
  • Identify and mitigate risk of attrition in critical roles.
  • Balance cost control with talent attraction and retention needs.

  6. HR Operations & Compliance

  • Ensure compliance with Mexican labor regulations, internal policies, and audit requirements.
  • Establish and maintain robust HR processes including payroll, contracts, and reporting.
  • Monitor and improve key HR KPIs such as turnover, absenteeism, and hiring lead time.

  7. Change Management & Transformation

  • Lead HR efforts supporting rapid organizational change and transformation.
  • Drive change management initiatives across all organizational levels.
  • Translate business strategies into actionable HR plans.
  • Support organizational evolution across maturity stages: start-up → scale-up → structured operation.
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Job Qualifications

Experience

• 10–15+ years of progressive HR experience.
• Minimum 5+ years in HR leadership roles.
• Strong experience in manufacturing environments (aerospace, automotive, or similar).
• Proven track record in site ramp-up, greenfield projects, or major expansions.
• Experience in fast-growth and high-change environments.
• Background in leadership transitions and organizational restructuring.
• Experience in unionized environments is preferred.

Skills & Competencies

Business & Strategic Acumen

• Strong ability to partner with operations and align HR with business strategy.
• Proven ability to translate strategy into execution under pressure.

Leadership & Influence

• Ability to challenge, influence, and coach senior leaders.
• Strong stakeholder management across all organizational levels.

Change & Transformation

• Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity and continuous change.
• Experience driving organizational maturity and transformation initiatives.

Operational Excellence

• Hands-on, pragmatic, and execution-focused approach.
• Strong discipline in delivering results in high-paced environments.

Interpersonal Skills

• High emotional intelligence and resilience.
• Strong conflict resolution and negotiation capabilities.

Profile Summary

The ideal candidate is a pragmatic and resilient HR leader with deep experience in ramp-up and transformation environments. This individual excels at navigating complex labor landscapes, scaling specialized workforces, developing leadership capability, and driving cultural evolution. Success in this role requires balancing operational pressure with employee engagement, maintaining competitive positioning in a challenging labor market, and acting as a trusted strategic partner to site leadership.