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Reports To: Sr. Human Resources and Compensation Manager

For over 70 years, WALTER Surface Technologies has been a world leader in surface treatment technologies providing high performance abrasives, tools, power tools, chemical solutions, safety solutions, and welding process solutions specifically designed for the metalworking industry. Our core philosophy is focused on helping customers work better and achieving greatness with the best technology, the best products, the best performance, the best safety, and the best durability - all designed to increase their productivity and profitability.

Hermes Abrasives, a subsidiary of WALTER Surface Technologies, is a global manufacturer of high-performance coated abrasive solutions serving industrial customers worldwide. Our success is built on operational excellence, product quality, innovation, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Position Summary

The Human Resources Business Partner supports Walter Surface Technologies and Hermes Abrasives by aligning HR practices with business priorities across employee relations, talent acquisition support, performance management, benefits, payroll coordination, training, HRIS, engagement, and compliance.

This hands-on role partners with leadership, managers, employees, and global HR stakeholders to strengthen manager capability, support a positive employee experience, and foster a safe, respectful, high-performance workplace culture.

Key Responsibilities

Business & People Leadership

• Develop strong partnerships with leaders, managers, employees, and key business partners to support performance, engagement, retention, and growth opportunities.
• Provide practical HR thought partnership to leadership while maintaining active, two-way communication across office and operational teams.
• Translate business priorities into clear HR actions related to staffing, employee relations, training, performance, succession planning, and engagement.
• Coach leaders and managers through sensitive employee relations matters, feedback conversations, conflict resolution, corrective action, and disciplinary processes.
• Reinforce Walter's culture by supporting recognition, events, celebrations, communications, and employee experience initiatives.

Employee Relations, Compliance & Risk

• Serve as a confidential resource for employees, providing guidance on policy interpretation, benefits and payroll questions, EAP resources, and workplace concerns.
• Lead or support employee relations investigations, document findings, recommend action plans, and follow through to resolution with consistency and discretion.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, provincial, and local employment laws, regulatory standards, internal policies, and Walter Surface Technologies practices.
• Evaluate and coordinate ADA, FMLA, Leave of Absence, accommodation, workers' compensation, and unemployment matters, including documentation and carrier or agency coordination.
• Maintain strong governance around HR documentation, confidential information, employment practices, policy administration, and operational risk.

Talent Acquisition & Onboarding

• Partner with the Talent Acquisition team and hiring managers to support recruitment for exempt and non-exempt roles, helping attract, assess, and hire strong talent aligned with business needs.
• Provide input on role requirements, candidate profiles, interview approach, and selection criteria to ensure alignment with Walter’s standards and operational priorities.
• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition, Compensation, and leadership by sharing market insights, internal equity considerations, and business context to support competitive & consistent job offers.
• Coordinate onboarding and new-hire orientation activities to ensure a seamless transition, early engagement, and clear understanding of policies, expectations, safety, and culture.

Benefits, Payroll & Compensation Support

• Administer and coordinate employee benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, retirement, wellness, and related employee programs.
• Communicate benefit offerings, enrollment instructions, plan changes, eligibility rules, and issue-resolution steps in a clear and employee-focused manner.
• Lead the annual open enrollment process, including vendor coordination, employee education, system configuration, communications, and compliance documentation.
• Assist with benefits audits, payroll coordination, employee data validation, hourly compensation processes, wage progressions, job changes, and HR system transactions.

Training, HRIS & Continuous Improvement

• Identify organizational training needs and design, coordinate, or deliver training programs for managers and employees.
• Implement, administer, and train managers and employees on HRIS platforms and HR technologies, including process improvements, automation activities, reporting, and data hygiene.
• Maintain training documentation, evaluate training effectiveness, and support leadership follow-up to ensure learning translates into improved performance and compliance.
• Support Continuous Improvement and LEAN initiatives in partnership with leadership, using HR processes and workforce data to remove friction and improve the employee experience.

Performance Management, Analytics & Leadership Development

• Lead annual performance review cycles, merit increases, bonus programs, goal setting, feedback routines, development planning, and performance management compliance.
• Analyze HR data to understand drivers of business issues, employee engagement, retention, diversity, staffing, and operational risk; propose action plans based on trends and insights.
• Support managers in building clear expectations, addressing performance gaps, recognizing strong performance, and sustaining accountability across hourly and salaried populations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Industrial Relations, Business Management, or a related field required.
• Minimum of five(5) years of progressive Human Resources experience in a large-scale, fast-paced HR environment preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of employment law and HR compliance requirements, with the ability to apply policy and legal guidance pragmatically across operational situations.
• Working knowledge of employee relations, staffing, payroll coordination, benefits administration, compensation processes, performance management, and HR documentation.
• Experience using HR systems such as ADP, Workday, or similar platforms;
• Able to handle sensitive and confidential information appropriately, exercise sound judgment, and communicate with professionalism at all levels of the organization.
• Experience supporting manufacturing, distribution, or industrial operations with both hourly and salaried employee populations is preferred.
• Ability to lead projects and influence cross-functional partners.