Human Resources Manager, Live Operations
Position Summary
The work is tactical and hands-on, centered on three core responsibilities: full-cycle recruiting, employee relations and investigations, and compliance/auditing — primarily I-9 and employment-practice compliance. This is not a people-management or strategic-design role. It is an individual-contributor position built for someone experienced enough to operate independently, make sound judgment calls in the field, and be trusted with full ownership of HR execution across a three-state region with minimal oversight.
The role reports to the Head of HR and works closely with the Director of Live Operations and site leaders to apply company policy and employment practices consistently across a geographically dispersed, operational workforce.
This position offers flexibility to work remotely or from a Live Operations office when not traveling, with a strong and regular on-site presence across the region.
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The Three Core Responsibilities
1. Full-Cycle Recruiting
· Own the full recruiting cycle — sourcing, screening, interviewing, reference checks, and offers — for hourly, clerical, and salaried roles across Live Operations.
· Coordinate a high volume of hires annually across multiple locations and business units.
· Partner directly with site leaders to understand staffing needs and move quickly on hiring decisions.
· Manage all pre-employment requirements and hiring documentation.
· Represent Peco at occasional recruiting events and workforce development activities as needed.
2. Employee Relations & Investigations
· Serve as the primary HR point of contact for managers and employees across the region.
· Independently conduct investigations into employee complaints, policy violations, and workplace concerns — this requires sound judgment and the ability to work through sensitive matters without close supervision.
· Advise managers on attendance, performance, corrective action, and policy interpretation.
· Document employee relations matters thoroughly and consistently.
3. Compliance & Auditing
· Own first-line I-9 compliance across all Live Operations locations
· Audit every single I-9 completed at each site
· Conduct a full review of all new-hire paperwork, not just I-9s — this role oversees the completeness and accuracy of the full hiring paperwork package coming out of each site, even though site-level staff still assemble it.
· Confirm every correction. When an audit finds an error, the site accounting/office manager corrects it within 48 hours and this role verifies the fix before the file is closed.
· Audit catch and pullet crew paperwork.
· Approve every Live Operations UKG transaction. Site staff enter new hires, status changes, transfers, and EIN moves; this role approves each one before it's final, catching changes that weren't raised directly and confirming benefits carry over on Peco Farms ↔ Peco Foods EIN moves.
· Ensure hiring, onboarding, and employment practices meet federal, state, and local requirements.
· Work alongside the corporate-level I-9 audit
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Supporting Responsibilities
These are part of the day-to-day work but are not the core of the role:
· Coordinate onboarding logistics and new hire orientation; maintain personnel records.
· Process routine employee transactions in UKG (new hires, transfers, status changes, separations).
· Support unemployment claims and employment verifications.
· Build working relationships with site leaders and employees through regular, visible presence in the field.
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Why This Role Is a Strong Opportunity, Honestly
This is tactical, execution-focused work — the honest appeal of the role isn't that it's strategically complex, it's that it offers real autonomy and ownership that most HR roles don't:
· You build the function. There is no prior incumbent, no existing playbook to inherit — the standards you set are the standards that stick.
· Full ownership, minimal oversight. You are trusted to make judgment calls independently across recruiting, employee relations, and compliance.
· Breadth, not repetition. Three states, multiple site types (hatcheries, feed mills, truck shops, field operations), and a wide range of situations day to day — the work varies constantly even though the core responsibilities stay the same.
· Visible impact.
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Travel Requirements
This position requires regular travel throughout Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas — approximately 50% of working time in the field:
· Monthly visits to each Arkansas location (approximately 4 days/month).
· Monthly visits to each Alabama and Mississippi location (approximately 8 days/month).
· Additional travel as needed for recruiting events, employee relations matters, investigations, and orientations.
When not traveling, the HR Manager may work remotely or from a designated Live Operations office.
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Qualifications
Required
· Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field, or equivalent experience.
· Five (5) or more years of progressive HR experience, with direct experience in recruiting, employee relations, investigations, and compliance.
· Working knowledge of employment law and I-9/HR compliance requirements.
· Demonstrated ability to work independently and make sound judgment calls with limited supervision.
· Experience with HRIS systems; UKG experience preferred.
· Valid driver's license and ability to travel throughout Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas.
Preferred
· PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification.
· Experience supporting agricultural, poultry, food production, manufacturing, or transportation environments.
· Experience supporting multi-site, geographically dispersed workforces.
· Bilingual English/Spanish skills.
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What Makes This Role Unique
· Atrue build-from-scratch opportunity, not a continuation of someone else's work.
· Full ownership of recruiting, employee relations, and compliance across 700 employees in a three-state region.
· Independent, field-based role requiring sound judgment, autonomy, and comfort operating without a layer of HR support above the HR Manager day to day.
· Tactical, hands-on execution rather than strategic design — built for an experienced HR professional who wants ownership and ground-level impact, not a management track.