Human Resource Apprentice Jobs in Atlanta, GA (NOW HIRING)

About Our Client

Our client is a leading international player in precision engineering and high-tech manufacturing. The group develops and produces high-precision, complex mould systems, primarily for the medical and healthcare industry, with sites in the Netherlands, the United States, Austria, and the United Kingdom.

From its location in Peachtree City, Georgia, the organization supports healthcare mould systems throughout North America and is evolving from a compact service organization into a scalable lifecycle-services platform. The company is expected to grow significantly over the coming years, toward approximately 55 employees, while maintaining the quality, craftsmanship, and customer focus that define the company.

That growth calls for a professional, structured, and scalable HR organization. Our client offers an entrepreneurial working environment with short lines of communication, high involvement and plenty of room to take ownership. For someone who enjoys building an HR function from the ground up in a growing high-tech technical environment, this is a unique opportunity to make a visible impact.

For our client, we are therefore looking for an experienced, hands-on HR Manager. This is a broad, independent, and impactful role in which you will establish the HR foundation that enables the company’s growth. You will report directly to the Managing Director and be part of the local leadership team, acting as a key sparring partner on workforce growth, talent development and organizational readiness. You will work closely with the Technical Director and with the Group HR organization to ensure alignment with the Global Group HR Policy.

Are you an energetic, structured and people-oriented HR professional who gets energy from growing a workforce, developing people and building solid HR processes in an international high-tech environment? Then read on – we would love to get in touch with you!

What will you do?

As HR Manager, you are responsible for setting up, professionalizing, and running the full HR function of our client. The emphasis of the role lies on three priorities:

• Growing the workforce: building a structured recruitment and onboarding engine that enables the organization to scale toward approximately 55 employees, including talent pipelines for critical technical roles such as toolmakers, machinists, engineers and service technicians;
• Training and development: establishing competency profiles and matrices, performing skill-gap analyses and creating the annual training plan, in line with the company Group standards and ISO 9001 requirements;
• Performance management: designing and implementing the appraisal cycle – goal setting, an interim progress review and a formal annual appraisal for every employee – in accordance with the Global Group HR Policy.

You combine strategic workforce thinking with hands-on execution. You advise the Managing Director and department leaders, coach managers on people leadership, and at the same time make sure the HR basics – payroll, records, compliance and policies – are accurate, compliant and well organized, with day-to-day transactional work supported by external providers.

Your main tasks and responsibilities as HR Manager:

• Developing and maintaining a multi-year workforce plan and translating business plans into concrete hiring plans and organizational structures;
• Leading all recruitment and selection activities and building partnerships with technical schools, colleges, universities and recruitment firms;
• Strengthening employer branding and creating sustainable talent pipelines, including apprenticeship and internship programs;
• Developing and managing a structured onboarding program with 30-, 60- and 90-day plans, mentors/buddies and measurable time-to-productivity;
• Establishing competency profiles and competency matrices for all roles and performing regular skill-gap analyses;
• Creating and executing the annual training plan and maintaining training records and qualification documentation in support of ISO 9001;
• Designing and implementing the performance-management (appraisal) cycle: written objectives at the start of each cycle, an interim evaluation and a formal annual appraisal, documented and retained in line with group standards;
• Coaching managers on feedback, appraisal conversations, employee development and succession planning for critical roles;
• Fostering a high-performance, values-driven culture and leading employee engagement and retention initiatives;
• Overseeing payroll accuracy and benefits delivery through external providers and internal controls, and ensuring proper processes for timekeeping, PTO and employee records;
• Conducting market benchmarking, developing compensation structures and advising on merit and incentive programs that support attraction and retention;
• Establishing professional local HR policies and an employee handbook, aligned with the Global Group HR Policy and compliant with U.S. federal, state and local employment law;
• Acting as a trusted advisor to employees and management on employee relations, conducting investigations and facilitating conflict resolution where needed;
• Selecting, implementing and continuously improving the local HRIS and workforce-management systems, and developing HR dashboards, workforce metrics and reporting to local management and the Group;
• Providing input for the annual HR budget and workforce forecasting, and contributing to strategic planning for organizational growth.

This role requires someone who can quickly become effective independently. You will get a lot of freedom and responsibility, but you are also expected to take initiative, bring structure, keep momentum in recruitment and development, and take the organization along in concrete next steps.

What we offer you:

• A broad and responsible HR Manager role in a growing, international high-tech organization within the medical industry;
• A position in which you work directly with, and report to, the Managing Director, as part of the local leadership team;
• A key role in building the HR foundation of a scaling organization – from recruitment and onboarding to development programs and the performance cycle;
• Plenty of room to shape HR strategy, processes and systems yourself, supported by the Group HR framework;
• A role with visible impact on growth, culture, capability building and organizational maturity;
• Variety between strategic workforce planning, talent development, coaching of managers and hands-on HR operations;
• An entrepreneurial environment with short lines of communication, high involvement and room for initiative;
• A competitive salary and benefits package in line with the market [salary range and benefits to be completed]

What do we ask of you?

• A Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development or a related field;
• A minimum of 7 years of progressive HR experience, of which several years in a leading/managerial HR role;
• Experience in a growth-oriented manufacturing, engineering, industrial services, medical device or comparable technical environment;
• Demonstrated success in talent acquisition, onboarding, workforce planning and organizational development;
• Experience implementing structured training, competency-development and performance-management programs;
• Experience overseeing payroll and benefits through external providers, including compliance with wage-and-hour and recordkeeping requirements;
• Strong knowledge of U.S. (federal and Georgia state) employment law and HR best practices;
• The ability to translate business strategy into workforce and talent strategies;
• A hands-on, structured, and proactive working style; you build as well as run;
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills across all levels of the organization;
• Fluent English (written and spoken).

Preferred:

• Experience in an ISO 9001 (or comparable quality-management) environment, in particular competency and training management;
• Experience selecting and implementing HRIS / workforce-management systems;
• SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP or PHR/SPHR certification;
• Experience working in an international group structure or with a European parent company;
• Experience setting up apprenticeship or workforce-development programs with local schools and communities.