THE OPPORTUNITY

• Does partnering with a leadership team to help transform and grow a family-owned consumer products company excite you?
• Do you enjoy both the strategic HR responsibilities as well as the day-to-day hands-on work of building and sustaining a high-performing culture?
• As an HR leader, do you enjoy building relationships at all levels of a manufacturing/production organization?

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Located in Cleveland, Ohio, Athens Foods is a privately-owned company, part of a family conglomerate, that is the largest importer, manufacturer, and distributor of Mediterranean foods in the US. Athens has specialized in phyllo since 1958 and is the world’s largest producer of phyllo dough and phyllo dough products, including convenient Phyllo Sheets and pre-baked Phyllo Shells, Baklava, Spanakopita, Kataifi, Bites, and more. The company sells into grocery, mass, ethnic foods, and foodservice markets through a field sales team and a nationwide network of food brokers. Athens’ mission is to elevate every occasion into a celebration with tasty snacks, appetizers, and phyllo dough products. The company’s culture is built on five essentials: Do the right thing; Team members count; Add value; Always grow & improve; and Enjoy the work.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

Reporting to the CEO, the HR Leader plays a vital role in the organization. The successful candidate will have a strong Human Resources background in all areas—both strategic and execution oriented. This individual will be a key partner to the CEO and VP’s in helping transform the culture to achieve the vision and live out the company essentials. While serving as a partner to the leadership team, this is also a tactical role in a 3-person department with responsibilities for all aspects of Human Resources across the organization. Specifically, this person will be responsible for:

• In consultation with executive leadership, plan, develop, organize, implement the organization’s HR function, including overseeing payroll.
• Refine and enhance the corporate benefit plan at all levels of the organization.
• Collaborate with the benefits consultant on the organization’s benefit plans.  Manage benefits program; open enrollment, FMLA, COBRA, unemployment claims, and assist employees with benefit questions.
• Develop and lead the recruiting strategy and process for hourly and salaried positions:
  • Develop workforce recruiting strategies for hourly positions and manage HR team members recruiting for these roles.
  • Manage the recruiting process for salaried positions.
  • Coordinate and manage external recruiting partners and temporary staffing agencies.
  • Onboard new employees
• Own, manage, coordinate, and standardize the annual performance management process.
• Utilize compensation data/surveys to make ongoing compensation recommendations and manage compensation process.
• Coordinate and track employee training and development to support current and future workforce development needs.
• Maintain positive employee relations and proactively address employee issues and concerns.
• Serve as an advisor and business partner to production and corporate leaders to provide them with guidance and support to manage their staff more effectively.
• Review, revise, and create employee policies and procedures to ensure consistent implementation and application … update employee handbook to keep current.
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Serve on the safety committee and collaborate with committee team members on safety initiatives and OSHA compliance plus managing Workers’ Compensation claims.
• Establish and track key performance indicators to ensure the company’s HR contributions to operational objectives are met.
• Owns the HRIS system and ensures we are using it efficiently and effectively to achieve the HR goals and objectives.

IDEAL CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, or related field required.
• SHRM-SCP and/or SPHR preferred.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in human resources required with previous functional start-up/transformation experience preferred.
• Strong leadership, teamwork, change management and program management skills.
• Highly competent in Human Resources concepts, practices, systems, and procedures.

KEY PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced and entrepreneurial environment.
• Big thinker and low ego – willing to work where the need is.
• Takes initiative, builds consensus, and acts as a trusted advisor.
• Effective communication skills at all levels of an organization.
• Ability to interface and collaborate with diverse workforce across all levels of the company.
• Continuous improver with a bias-for-action.
• Effective decision-making skills.

THE PAYOFF

• Play a key role in the growth and success of the organization.
• Opportunity to lead the HR function for a great local company.
• In a small company reporting to the owner/CEO, you have a great opportunity to make a significant and immediate impact.

DIVERSITY/INCLUSION STATEMENT

Gilman Partners is committed to strengthening leadership teams and elevating the talent in our communities – and that means all qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, ability, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, or national origin. You don’t have to meet every qualification in this job description to apply. If you’re drawn to the position and believe your experience makes you a good fit, we encourage you to reach out.