{"id":1380171,"url":"https://alion.io/job/lifeway-kefir-human-resources-generalist","title":"HUMAN RESOURCES GENERALIST","company":{"id":1810825,"name":"Lifeway Kefir","domain":"lifewaykefir.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/lifewaykefir-com","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"ADP","truth_index":null},"role":"HR","role_family":"HR","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Waukesha, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":83000,"max_usd":168000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":2604},"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-23T13:41:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-23","last_verified_at":"2026-10-22T16:32:09Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":29,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":29},"description":"Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ: LWAY), which has been recognized as one of Forbes’ Best Small Companies, is America’s leading supplier of the probiotic beverage known as Kefir. In addition to its line of drinkable Kefir, the company also produces cheese, drinkable yogurt, and a ProBugs line of Kefir for kids. Lifeway’s tart and tangy fermented dairy products are sold across the United States, Mexico, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.\nSummary\nThe Human Resources Generalist is the primary onsite HR partner for Lifeway Foods' Waukesha operation. This role builds trusted relationships with employees and leaders, addresses employee relations matters promptly and consistently, and drives recruiting and onboarding for hourly manufacturing positions. The Generalist must be highly visible on the plant floor, comfortable supporting multiple shifts, and able to balance employee advocacy with sound business judgment and consistent application of company policy.\nCorporate Human Resources administers FMLA and other leaves of absence. The Generalist remains the first point of contact for employees and supervisors, recognizes potential leave or accommodation needs, gathers initial information, makes timely referrals to Corporate HR, supports required workplace coordination, and maintains appropriate confidentiality.\nEssential Job Duties and Responsibilities\nEmployee Relations\nServe as the first and most accessible HR contact for employees, supervisors, and managers.\nMaintain a regular presence on the production floor and build trusted relationships across shifts.\nRespond to employee concerns and conduct prompt, fair, and well-documented workplace investigations.\nCoach supervisors and managers on attendance, performance, conduct, communication, conflict resolution, and corrective action.\nSupport consistent application of company policies \nPartner with plant leadership and Corporate HR on employee complaints, workplace conduct, retention concerns, and organizational changes.\nIdentify employee relations trends and recommend practical solutions that improve communication, accountability, and retention.\nHelp maintain a respectful workplace free from harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and inconsistent treatment.\nEngage in positive employee relations activities for the plant\nRecruiting and Onboarding\nManage day-to-day recruiting for hourly manufacturing, warehouse, maintenance, and skilled operations positions.\nPartner with hiring managers to understand staffing priorities, schedules, qualifications, and hiring timelines.\nSource and screen candidates, coordinate interviews, support selection decisions, and maintain timely candidate communication.\nBuild relationships with staffing agencies, community organizations, schools, job fairs, and other local recruiting resources.\nCoordinate new hire orientation and onboarding requirements.\nConduct new hire follow-ups and stay interviews to identify and address retention concerns.\nMonitor vacancies, recruiting activity, time to fill, early turnover, agency usage, and other workforce trends.\nLeaves and Employee Support\nCorporate Human Resources administers FMLA and other leaves of absence. The onsite HR Generalist remains the employee’s and supervisor’s first point of contact.\nIn this role, you will:\nRecognize when an employee’s situation may involve FMLA, another leave of absence, a workplace accommodation, etc\nProvide initial guidance and promptly connect the employee with Corporate HR.\nFollow up to ensure the referral has been completed.\nCoordinate with Corporate HR and plant leadership regarding attendance coding, scheduling, work restrictions, temporary adjustments, and return-to-work requirements.\nMaintain the confidentiality of all medical, leave, and accommodation information.\nHR Operations and Compliance\nBack up to maintain accurate employee records and HR system transactions managed by corporate HR.\nAssist employees with routine questions involving payroll, benefits, policies, and HR processes.\nSupport attendance administration, unemployment responses, audits, employee communications, and policy acknowledgments managed by corporate HR.\nPartner with Corporate HR, EHS and Safety, payroll, and plant leadership regarding workplace injuries, investigations, and return-to-work coordination.\nCommunicate concerns early and escalate significant employee relations or compliance risks appropriately.\nParticipate in HR projects, employee engagement activities, training, and continuous improvement initiatives.\nPerform duties according to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Sanitization Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) that meet quality and safety standards pertaining to: Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Wisconsin Department of Agriculture (WDA), and customer requirements\nConduct behavior in compliance with Lifeway Employee Policy\nPerform additional duties as assigned\nQualification and Education Requirements\nBachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience\nAt least five years of progressive HR generalist experience, including substantial employee relations and recruiting responsibility\nDemonstrated experience conducting workplace investigations and coaching supervisors through performance and conduct issues\nExperience supporting hourly employees in a manufacturing, food production, distribution, warehouse, or similarly fast paced environment\nWorking knowledge of employment laws and HR practices, including FMLA, ADA, EEO, wage and hour, and Wisconsin employment requirements\nStrong written communication, documentation, judgment, organization, and follow through\nAbility to handle sensitive matters with discretion, remain neutral, and escalate risk appropriately\nExperience using an HRIS and applicant tracking system.\nAbility to work primarily onsite and adjust hours periodically to support employees and leaders on multiple shifts\nPreferred: \nProfessional fluency in English and Spanish strongly preferred\nExperience in a manufacturing environment \nExperience with ADP Workforce Now or a comparable HR platform.\nSHRM CP, SHRM SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification\nKey Competencies\nEmployee relations judgment and credibility\nApproachability and strong floor presence\nObjective investigation and documentation skills\nUrgency, ownership, and dependable follow through\nRecruiting discipline and candidate care\nManager coaching and constructive conflict resolution\nConfidentiality and sound risk escalation\nCross-functional collaboration and practical problem solving\nWork Environment and Physical Requirements\nThis position operates in both office and food manufacturing environments. The employee must be able to move throughout the facility, use required personal protective equipment, and comply with all food safety and workplace safety requirements. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential.\nLocation: Waukesha, Wisconsin\nWorkArrangement: Primarily onsite - hybrid, one day remote\nSchedule: Monday-Friday - Flexibility to support employees working across multiple shifts\nLifeway Foods, Inc is a growing Chicago-based beverage manufacturer with over 40 years of experience. We are an industry leader in the production of high-quality Kefir. We are an equal-opportunity employer and offer a competitive benefits package. Visit us at www.lifewaykefir.com.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7618,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"Spanish","level":"Advanced (C1)","optional":true},{"language":"English","level":"Advanced (C1)","optional":true}]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Nonprofits & Foundations"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-28T08:09:02Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":59,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.789,"p_room":0.75,"age_days":28,"expected_fill_days":37,"reasons":["conf:7","win:late"],"computed_at":"2026-10-22T06:10:10Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/lifeway-kefir-human-resources-generalist","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/lifeway-kefir-human-resources-generalist.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-22T19:52:16Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":3499,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-23T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":1810825},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=1810825"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Flifeway-kefir-human-resources-generalist"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Flifeway-kefir-human-resources-generalist"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Flifeway-kefir-human-resources-generalist"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/lifeway-kefir-human-resources-generalist\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Flifeway-kefir-human-resources-generalist"}]}