HR Generalist

Company Overview

IRCA is a leading international provider of semi-finished ingredients for the bakery, pastry, and gelato markets, serving independent producers as well as large food manufacturers, including consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies. Its core products include chocolate, chocolate decorations, creams, pastry mixes, gelato ingredients, and other bakery and pastry ingredients.

Headquartered in Italy, IRCA was acquired by Advent International, a global private equity firm, in July 2022, and has a strong track record of growth over the past decade. In 2022, IRCA completed two bolt-on acquisitions in candied fruits (Cesarin) and pistachio ingredients (Anastasi) and subsequently entered exclusive negotiations to acquire a leading manufacturer of sweet and cereal products in Europe and the United States. The target specializes in high-value-added ingredients for food manufacturers, including sweet particulates, chocolate confections, baked inclusions, variegates, and fruit purées.

This strategic expansion reflects IRCA’s ambition to become a global leader in the semi-finished ingredients industry, with a combined footprint of 22 manufacturing facilities across Europe, the United States, and Vietnam and approximately €1 billion in revenue based on 2022 figures.

Job Overview

The HR Generalist serves as the primary day-to-day HR resource for the Affton manufacturing site, providing comprehensive human resources support to plant leadership, supervisors, and hourly employees across all shifts. Reporting to the Senior HR Business Partner and partnering closely with the Plant Manager and production leadership, this role supports recruiting and retention, employee relations, HR program administration, compensation and benefits, performance management, payroll and timekeeping, and regulatory compliance.

The HR Generalist builds strong relationships throughout the site, coaches leaders on effective people management, ensures consistent application of company policies, and maintains the HR processes and systems that support a safe, compliant, and engaged workforce.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Relations and Leadership Support

• Partner with the Plant Manager, supervisors, and department leaders to address day-to-day workforce needs and provide timely, effective HR support.
• Coach and counsel leaders and employees on performance, attendance, workplace concerns, conflict resolution, corrective action, and company policies.
• Conduct employee investigations, document findings, and recommend appropriate actions while ensuring consistency, fairness, and confidentiality.
• Interpret, communicate, and help develop and implement HR policies, procedures, and programs; identify opportunities to improve HR practices and processes.
• Build trusted relationships with employees and leaders through regular engagement, a visible presence on the production floor, and a thorough understanding of plant operations and culture.

Recruitment, Staffing, and Retention

• Manage hourly recruiting from job posting and candidate screening through interviews, selection coordination, offers, and hiring, partnering with production leaders to meet staffing needs and improve quality of hire.
• Develop and implement recruiting strategies to reduce time to fill and maintain an effective pipeline of qualified candidates.
• Manage staffing agency relationships, including requisitions, assignment starts and ends, direct-hire conversions, performance feedback, and invoice accuracy.
• Represent the site at job fairs and develop relationships with local schools, workforce development programs, and other recruiting partners.
• Lead new-hire onboarding and orientation, including employment eligibility verification (Form I-9 and E-Verify), tax and benefits paperwork, policy acknowledgments, system setup, and first-week follow-up.

HR Administration, Systems, and Payroll

• Maintain accurate and confidential personnel records and process employee lifecycle transactions, including new hires, job and pay changes, transfers, resignations, terminations, and leaves of absence.
• Maintain HRIS data integrity for employee information, compensation, job assignments, and shifts; regularly reconcile records against payroll and timekeeping systems.
• Maintain required HR records, reports, postings, and documentation, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and accessibility for audits.

Benefits, Leave Administration, and Compensation

• Support benefits enrollment and open enrollment, respond to employee benefits questions.
• Administer leaves of absence, including Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and short-term disability.
• Support the site’s skills-based pay program for production operators, performance reviews, compensation administration, and related HR processes.
• Assist employees and managers with understanding applicable compensation, benefits, and performance management programs.

Compliance, Safety, and Training

• Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state employment laws, regulations, and company policies, including Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO/AA), FMLA, ADA, and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
• Conduct regular audits of personnel files, I-9 documentation, HRIS data, and other required records; maintain current workplace postings and support corrective actions when needed.
• Support required compliance and HR training, including harassment prevention, interviewing practices, and policy education.
• Maintain accurate training records and support annual compliance activities, including EEO-1 reporting.

Employee Engagement, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement

• Support a positive site culture through employee recognition, internal communications, engagement activities, and retention initiatives.
• Track and report workforce metrics, including hiring, turnover, attendance, and compliance, to inform site leadership decisions.
• Identify opportunities to improve HR programs, administrative processes, employee experience, and operational effectiveness.
• Maintain and expand knowledge across HR disciplines and pursue professional development to strengthen HR expertise and effectiveness.
• Perform other duties and projects as assigned.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Three to five years of progressive HR experience, preferably in a manufacturing or distribution environment, with hands-on experience in employee relations and HR administration.
• Working knowledge of employment laws and regulations, including FMLA, ADA, FLSA, and EEO requirements; experience administering leaves of absence and workers’ compensation claims is preferred.
• Experience with HR information systems (HRIS), timekeeping systems, and Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Broad HR knowledge across multiple disciplines, including recruitment, employee relations, benefits, compensation, performance management, and HR systems.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interact effectively with hourly employees, supervisors, and senior leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to coach and influence others, build productive working relationships, and support leaders in making effective people-management decisions.
• Sound judgment, a strong sense of urgency, and the ability to make timely decisions while recognizing when issues require escalation.
• High standards of professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality when handling sensitive employee information.
• Strong organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• A proactive, approachable, and solutions-oriented mindset, with a commitment to employee engagement, continuous improvement, and consistent policy application.
• Professional HR certification (PHR or SHRM-CP) preferred.

Work Environment

This is an on-site position at IRCA’s Affton manufacturing facility in a food manufacturing environment subject to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Regular presence on the production floor is expected, with occasional flexibility to support employees and operations across shifts.

The role requires regular walking and standing on the production floor, as well as sitting and computer work for extended periods. Occasional lifting of up to 25 pounds may be required.