Factory HR Manager

About Foundational Industries

Foundational Industries leads the development of AI-driven autonomous factories for contemporary contract manufacturing. Their mission is to revitalize essential supply chains by producing high-quality products domestically, enabling rapid production at competitive costs. Technological advances in robotics and physical AI have transformed autonomous manufacturing from a concept into an operational reality poised to reshape American industrial leadership.

Who Thrives at Foundational

• Proactive individuals who take initiative before being asked and close operational gaps.
• Professionals who exhibit strong judgment as they navigate fast-moving environments.
• Clear and candid communicators especially in critical situations.
• Those who set high personal standards and elevate those around them.
• People genuinely driven by challenging problems in real-world physical settings.
• Adaptable individuals who perform effectively amid ambiguity and pressure.

This role suits those eager to create unprecedented solutions and leave a lasting impact.

Role Mission

The Factory HR Manager serves as the primary HR resource on the production floor, directly supporting hourly employees. Responsibilities include managing attendance, resolving scheduling conflicts, administering disciplinary actions, coordinating workers' compensation processes, and addressing workforce challenges in collaboration with plant leadership. Without this role, small personnel issues risk disrupting production.

Key Success Milestones (6–12 Months)

• Establish visible floor presence with regular rounds and dedicated office hours for hourly staff, defining clear escalation routes for HR matters at shift level (6 months).
• Manage attendance and timekeeping for hourly workers, implement point systems and corrective actions, and ensure accurate payroll coordination (6 months).
• Coordinate with Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) teams on incident responses, workers' compensation claims, return-to-work protocols, and OSHA compliance without missing reporting deadlines (6 months).
• Develop and lead onboarding and orientation programs designed to ramp new hourly production staff to full productivity within 30 days (6 months).
• Decrease voluntary hourly worker attrition by analyzing stay and exit interviews and collaborating with plant leadership to implement improvements (12 months).
• Create consistent and legally defensible procedures for disciplinary measures and terminations across all shifts, reducing risk of legal issues and uneven enforcement (12 months).

Required Skills and Experience

• Proven experience managing HR functions for hourly, blue-collar workforces in plants, warehouses, or distribution centers—not limited to occasional site visits from corporate HR.
• Expertise in handling attendance policies, progressive discipline, and employee termination processes for shift-based personnel, with the ability to justify all HR decisions.
• In-depth knowledge of workers' compensation claims administration, OSHA recordkeeping, and return-to-work procedures.
• Experience partnering closely with operations and plant leadership on headcount management, shift scheduling, and addressing workforce performance at the floor level.
• Comfortable maintaining daily presence on the plant floor rather than working remotely or from an office.
• Understanding of wage and hour laws applicable to hourly, non-exempt employees, including overtime, meal and rest breaks, and state-specific regulations.
• Preferred qualifications include familiarity with union-avoidance efforts or labor relations in right-to-work environments. Spanish bilingualism is a plus depending on the workforce demographic.

Core Behavioral Competencies

• Accountability: Taking ownership and addressing issues promptly.
• Bias for action: Delivering results and iterating quickly.
• Clear communication: Being direct and concise when it matters most.
• Learning agility: Quickly adapting to new and unfamiliar challenges.
• Resilience: Maintaining focus under pressure and amidst change.
• High standards: Continuously striving to elevate quality of work.
• Builder mentality: Comfortable creating systems independently and learning on the go.

Why Join Foundational

Joining Foundational means contributing directly to a major industrial transformation aimed at reindustrializing American manufacturing. The work environment is demanding and impactful. Compensation packages include base salary, bonuses, and equity options reflecting the responsibility and influence of this role with considerable potential upside for contributors.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Foundational Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. All qualified candidates will be evaluated fairly regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy status, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.