People Operations Generalist

Who We Are: Challenge Manufacturing’s mission is to manufacture with operational excellence by empowering our employee-owners. As a leading tier 1 supplier of complex metal assemblies for the global automotive industry, we drive innovative solutions for future mobility. We believe the best ideas come from individual unique perspectives. These ideas combined with the teamwork of industry leaders allow us to accomplish any challenge. Our team members take pride in the work we do and embody our core values of safety, ownership, and teamwork every day; they are the true driving force in our operations.

Challenge is proud to be one of the largest employee-owned automotive companies in North America. One of the many benefits of joining the Challenge team is the ESOP program. This program allows Challenge to give shares of the Company to all employee-owners annually. These shares are an additional retirement benefit that will continue to grow during your time at Challenge. Being part of an ESOP means our employee-owners share in Challenge’s success!

Challenge is #QualityDriven and #PeoplePowered!

Who We Want:

We're looking for a People Operations Generalist who is passionate about creating a positive employee experience while ensuring the operational excellence behind every stage of the employee lifecycle.

The ideal candidate is organized, detail-oriented, and highly collaborative. You enjoy solving problems, improving processes, and using technology to make work easier for employees and managers. You're equally comfortable supporting day-to-day people operations, managing employee data in Workday, and partnering across teams to deliver exceptional service.

You thrive in a fast-paced environment, are naturally curious, and understand the importance of balancing employee experience, compliance, and business needs.

What You’ll Do:

• Monitor and manage Workday business processes, inbox tasks, and approvals.
• Troubleshoot system-related issues and partner with HRIS, Payroll, and IT teams to resolve escalated concerns.
• Support Workday testing, system enhancements, and annual process cycles.
• Serve as a trusted resource for employees and leaders by providing guidance on people programs, policies, and processes.
• Support employees through key lifecycle events including onboarding, internal mobility, leaves of absence, and offboarding.
• Administer HR processes while ensuring compliance with company policies and procedures.
• Maintain employee records and documentation in accordance with legal and organizational requirements.
• Assist with employee engagement initiatives, recognition programs, and culture-building activities.
• Maintain accurate employee records and organizational data within Workday.
• Process employee transactions including hires, promotions, transfers, compensation changes, and terminations.
• Conduct audits to ensure data integrity and accuracy across employee records.
• Identify opportunities to streamline and automate people processes.
• Document procedures and maintain operational best practices.
• Participate in cross-functional projects involving People Operations, Payroll, Benefits, Talent Acquisition, Finance, and IT.

When and Where:

This will be a 1st Shift / 8:30AM-5:00PMM-F position located at our Corporate Office in Walker, MI.

What You Need to Have:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of experience in Human Resources, People Operations, HR Administration, or HRIS-related roles.
• 3+ Workday experience supporting business processes, reporting, security, or system administration
• Experience working in a multi-site or manufacturing environment
• Familiarity with HR compliance requirements
• Solid understanding of employee lifecycle processes and HR operational best practices.
• Strong customer service and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent organizational skills with a high level of attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining accuracy and confidentiality.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel.