Human Resources Business Partner

THE COMPANY                                                                                  

Little Rapids Corporation (LRC) is a specialty paper manufacturer and converter of paper, film, cotton, and nonwoven materials. The company’s headquarters is in Green Bay and is privately held with annual sales of over $200 million and 450 employees at three Wisconsin locations. The business has two divisions that sell a wide variety of products in the healthcare, beauty, flexographic printing, and specialty paper markets. Rapids Green Bay supplies printed film, paper, and nonwovens. Rapids Shawano has three paper machines that manufacture tissue, machine glazed, and wet crepe paper.  Graham Professional manufactures and sells one-time use products into the healthcare and beauty markets through a network of national and regional distributors. 

With its family ownership dating back to 1947, the company is guided by a strong and positive culture. LRC’s purpose is remarkably simple: to bring together all their people’s talents and energies to create an outstanding organization that delivers true value to their customers. The four core values of the business are lived out by ownership and top leadership and serve as a guide to all interactions, behavior, expectations, and strategic initiatives. These values are:

• Care: Take Care of One Another & Always Be Transparent
• Act: Dream Big, Think Big, Act Big, Create Contagious Energy
• Learn: Improve Every Day while Being Humble
• Serve: Do Great Things & Be Easy to Work With

Position Summary:

The Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) serves as a strategic partner to leaders and associates across assigned business units and manufacturing locations. This role aligns business objectives with people strategies and provides proactive HR support in the areas of talent acquisition, employee relations, performance management, organizational effectiveness, leadership coaching, workforce planning, engagement, compensation, benefits, compliance, and change management.

The HRBP will build strong relationships with leaders at all levels, helping drive a high-performance culture focused on accountability, engagement, development, and operational excellence. This position requires both strategic thinking and hands-on execution in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. 

Objectives:

Strategic Partnership & Leadership Support

• Partner with business leaders to align HR strategies with operational and organizational goals.
• Provide coaching and guidance to leaders on performance management, employee relations, leadership effectiveness, team development, and organizational challenges.
• Support organizational design, succession planning, workforce planning, and talent development initiatives.
• Utilize HR metrics and workforce data to identify trends and recommend solutions that improve retention, engagement, productivity, and organizational effectiveness.
• Support change management initiatives and help drive a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Talent Acquisition & Onboarding

• Lead full-cycle recruitment efforts for hourly and salaried positions, including workforce planning, sourcing, interviewing, selection, offer negotiation, and onboarding.
• Partner with hiring managers to improve recruiting effectiveness and hiring quality.
• Enhance orientation and onboarding programs to improve new hire engagement, assimilation, and retention.
• Support employer branding and community recruiting initiatives.

Employee Relations & Performance Management

• Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders and associates regarding employee concerns, workplace conflict, investigations, corrective action, and policy interpretation.
• Facilitate fair, consistent, and legally compliant employee relations practices across the organization.
• Support and coach leaders through performance management processes, including goal setting, feedback, development planning, and accountability conversations.
• Promote positive associate relations and support initiatives that strengthen company culture and engagement.
• Serve as the primary HR contact for labor relations at assigned unionized locations.
• Administer and interpret collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), ensuring consistent and compliant application.
• Partner with site leadership and union representatives to address day-to-day labor relations matters.
• Lead grievance processes, including investigation, documentation, response, and resolution in alignment with contract language.
• Prepare for and participate in labor-management meetings.
• Support or participate in collective bargaining negotiations as assigned.
• Advise leaders on contract compliance, past practices, and labor risk considerations.
• Promote positive labor relations by building effective working relationships with union representatives and employees. 

Compensation, Benefits & HR Operations

• Partner with HR leadership on compensation administration, market competitiveness, internal equity, and wage recommendations.
• Support benefits administration and assist associates with benefit-related questions and enrollment.
• Oversee leave of absence administration including FMLA, short-term disability, long-term disability, and ADA accommodations.
• Administer workers’ compensation processes, including claims management, reporting, and return-to-work coordination.
• Ensure accurate HR records, reporting, and HRIS data management.

Compliance & Policy Administration

• Maintain knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations and ensure compliance with company policies and employment practices.
• Assist in developing, updating, and communicating HR policies, procedures, and programs.
• Support audits, reporting requirements, and compliance initiatives.

Culture & Employee Engagement

• Champion company values and support initiatives that foster employee engagement, inclusion, communication, and development.
• Partner with leaders to identify opportunities to improve team effectiveness, morale, and retention.
• Assist with employee engagement surveys, action planning, and culture-building initiatives.

Additional Responsibilities

• Participate in special projects and continuous improvement initiatives within Human Resources and across the business.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

This is not an exhaustive list of duties or functions and may not necessarily comprise all “essential functions” for purposes of the ADA.

Education, Certifications, and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, Labor Relations, or related field required, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive HR experience, preferably within manufacturing, converting, or industrial environments.
• Experience supporting leaders in employee relations, performance management, and organizational development preferred.
• PHR or SHRM-CP certification preferred.

Key Competencies:

• Strong business partnership and relationship-building skills
• Ability to influence and coach leaders at all organizational levels
• Strong employee relations and conflict resolution capabilities
• Strategic thinking combined with operational execution
• Results-oriented with a strong sense of urgency and accountability
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Adaptable and able to thrive in a fast-paced manufacturing environment
• Knowledge of employment law, HR best practices, and compliance requirements
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and HRIS systems
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment

Physical Requirements:

The ability to work in a normal manufacturing environment to include: sitting, standing, or walking for long periods of time; climbing stairs; operating various standard office equipment; carrying paper documents/files; reaching; bending; twisting; crawling; speaking on the telephone, etc.

The ability to wear required personal protection gear (i.e. hearing, eye and foot protection as well as other personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons, etc.); tolerating loud noise (maximum of 95 dB); tolerating extreme heat, cold and dusty environment.

 EOE including disability/veteran