HR Director Multi-plants in Winnipeg

The HR Director Multi-Plant Americas will lead the human resources strategy for several highly automated food manufacturing plants across the Americas. The position will partner closely with plant managers, operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, finance, and corporate leadership. The objective is to build a high-performance organization that supports safety, food quality, automation, productivity, talent development, and profitable growth. The role requires a strategic HR leader with strong plant experience, excellent labor relations skills, and the ability to operate across multiple countries and cultures.

Key Responsibilities

• Regional HR Leadership
  • Develop and execute a regional HR strategy aligned with business objectives.
  • Provide HR leadership to five plants across three countries.
  • Standardize HR policies, processes, systems, and performance indicators.
  • Support plant leaders in workforce planning and organizational effectiveness.
  • Lead regional HR reviews and provide clear recommendations to senior leadership.
  • Ensure consistent application of company policies while respecting local labor requirements.
• Workforce Planning and Talent
  • Develop workforce plans for highly automated production environments.
  • Identify the skills required for automation, robotics, digital manufacturing, maintenance, and engineering.
  • Build talent pipelines for technical, operational, and leadership positions.
  • Lead succession planning for critical plant and regional roles.
  • Strengthen recruitment, onboarding, retention, and internal mobility.
  • Develop strategies to attract skilled technicians, engineers, operators, and supervisors.
  • Support the integration of new technologies and changing job requirements.
• Leadership Development
  • Design leadership development programs for plant managers and functional leaders.
  • Develop frontline supervisors and high-potential employees.
  • Establish consistent performance management and career development processes.
  • Build a culture of accountability, engagement, continuous improvement, and collaboration.
  • Promote inclusive leadership and cross-cultural teamwork.
  • Coach leaders on communication, conflict resolution, and change management.
• Employee Relations and Labor Relations
  • Lead employee relations activities across all five plants.
  • Manage labor relations strategies, negotiations, grievances, and workforce agreements where applicable.
  • Maintain constructive relationships with employee representatives and labor organizations.
  • Ensure consistent and fair investigation and disciplinary processes.
  • Support leaders in managing attendance, performance, conduct, and workplace concerns.
  • Proactively identify risks related to turnover, absenteeism, engagement, and workforce stability.
• Compliance, Safety, and Food Industry Requirements
  • Ensure compliance with applicable employment, labor, wage, privacy, and workplace regulations in each country.
  • Partner with Legal, EHS, Quality, and Operations to manage compliance risks.
  • Support safety programs focused on machine guarding, hazardous energy control, ergonomics, and injury prevention.
  • Ensure employees receive appropriate training for their roles in food manufacturing.
  • Maintain accurate records of training, qualifications, and required certifications.
  • Support the culture of food safety, hygiene, GMP, and employee health.
  • Ensure HR practices support the company’s food safety and quality systems.
• Compensation and Benefits
  • Lead regional compensation and benefits planning.
  • Ensure competitive salary structures across the three countries.
  • Manage annual salary reviews, incentives, bonuses, and merit processes.
  • Partner with Finance to manage labor budgets and workforce costs.
  • Conduct market benchmarking and pay equity reviews.
  • Ensure compliance with local statutory benefits and payroll requirements.
  • Support mobility, expatriate, and cross-border employment matters where applicable.
• Change and Transformation
  • Lead HR support for automation, restructuring, expansions, acquisitions, and plant transformations.
  • Develop communication plans for major organizational changes.
  • Assess workforce impact from robotics, AI, digital systems, and process automation.
  • Support reskilling and upskilling initiatives.
  • Manage cultural integration during acquisitions or business changes.
  • Help plants adopt lean manufacturing and continuous improvement practices.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Industrial Relations, or a related field.
• Master’s degree or HR certification is preferred.
• 10 or more years of progressive HR experience in manufacturing.
• Significant experience supporting multiple plants or a regional organization.
• Experience in the food, consumer products, packaging, automotive, or another highly regulated manufacturing sector.
• Proven experience with hourly and salaried workforces.
• Experience with labor relations and employee representation.
• Strong knowledge of employment compliance across multiple countries.
• Experience in automated, lean, or technology-driven manufacturing environments.
• Willingness to travel between the plants.
• Fluency in English.
• Strategic and hands-on leadership style.
• Strong business and financial understanding.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, operational environment.