JOB DESCRIPTION

Human Resources Manager

Reports to COO • Full-time, Exempt • Allegan, MI • On-site with multi-state and international support

The company

RCI Adventure Products designs and manufactures aerial adventure attractions. We build in Michigan and Malaysia and support operations across multiple sites. The culture is hands-on, execution-minded, and people-centered. Leaders here are expected to help others succeed and to finish the work, not to sit above it.

The role

This is the sole HR leader for the company. You own the employee lifecycle end to end: recruiting, onboarding, coaching managers, employee relations, performance, compliance, payroll support, benefits, and the handbook.

The work is done through people. You will spend your energy developing supervisors, resolving tension fairly, matching people to roles, and keeping HR processes functional and usable. Strategy on paper matters less than a manager who handles the next conversation better because you coached them.

You will have real ownership of HR. This is not a supporting specialist seat and not a remote policy shop. Leadership wants a partner who brings a point of view, stays visible on the floor and in the office, and is answerable for results.

The person who fits

We hire for how you work when the week is messy—not for a title or a preferred HR specialty. The person who succeeds here typically:

Gets energy from helping people grow and from being useful when someone is stuck.
Reads people well: sees strengths, stressors, and who will actually thrive in a role.
Coaches managers through hard conversations and stays calm and fair when conflict shows up.
Builds trust quickly with operators, supervisors, and executives and adjusts tone without losing candor.
Takes the team approach—gets results through other people—while still owning the outcome.
Adapts when priorities shift, then resets and moves. This environment changes often.
Checks the details that create risk or rework (payroll, documentation, compliance) before pushing forward.
Makes function-first decisions: what will actually work here, for these people, in this operation.
Finishes the work because it needs to be finished, not because it is flashy.
Wants to own HR and be recognized for that ownership. A behind-the-scenes support-only role will not satisfy.

What this role is not

Not a specialist lane (recruiting-only, benefits-only, or policy-only).
Not a purely strategic HRBP who delegates the payroll, claims, handbook, and investigations.
Not a harmony-first role. Keeping the peace by agreeing and avoiding the hard conversation will fail here.
Not a tightly sequenced, repetitive daily routine. Pace and priorities move.
Not a supporting contributor with little authority over how HR is done.

Responsibilities

Coach people and resolve tension

Advise managers on performance, progressive discipline, PIPs, conflict, and separations so issues are handled early, fairly, and in person.
Step into tense situations with composure. Listen to all sides, address the issue directly, and leave the working relationship better than you found it.
Help managers see individual potential and match people to work, development, and performance expectations.
Run the performance-review cycle as real conversations—schedule, document, and coach—not as a form exercise.
Partner with leadership on engagement, development, retention, wellness, and safety behavior.

Find and land the right people

Own full-cycle recruiting for manufacturing, operations, and professional roles.
Screen for fit the way you would screen for skill: who will work well with this team, in this environment.
Give candidates a straight picture of the work, pay, benefits, and culture.
Build onboarding that connects new hires to people and to the work quickly.

Keep the operation accurate and compliant

Process payroll in ADP Workforce Now on time and without avoidable errors; handle garnishments and related items.
Administer benefits and communicate changes in plain language.
Maintain accurate records and produce reports leadership can use (hires, attendance, performance, headcount).
Keep the handbook, policies, SOPs, and forms current and usable.
Own employment-law compliance (federal and Michigan, including EEO and OSHA/MIOSHA) and workers’ compensation claims.
Review pay and benefits for competitiveness and recommend practical changes.
Sit in leadership and staff meetings and give grounded HR guidance.

How the week actually feels

You will move between a recruiting screen, a manager coaching conversation, a payroll exception, and a policy question in the same week—sometimes the same day. You will walk the production floor and sit with the office. You will be asked for a recommendation, not a menu of options. You will protect confidentiality without becoming distant.

People who like variety, human problems, and finishing what they start do well. People who need long stretches of uninterrupted, single-track work, or who prefer abstract frameworks over the next conversation, do not.

Required experience

5+ years as an HR generalist or HR manager owning several parts of the employee lifecycle at once.
Shown strength in employee relations and manager coaching—not only in administering process.
Comfort relating to shop-floor and office cultures in the same day.
Personal accountability: work is finished, accurate, and followed through without being chased.
Ability to change focus without dropping quality.
Working proficiency with ADP Workforce Now or comparable HRIS/payroll, Microsoft Office, and willingness to work inside an ERP (Odoo).
Working knowledge of employment law, documentation discipline, and SOP control.
Discretion. Employee and company information stays contained.
Preferred: manufacturing or multi-site experience; coursework or certification in employment law, compensation, employee relations, or safety.

Physical requirements

Regular computer and desk work; regular walking through production and office areas. Clear in-person and phone communication. Occasional lift up to 10 pounds. Must be able to access departments at the Allegan facility.

This description covers essential functions and does not limit other related work that may be assigned.

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