Training and Staffing Specialist

WHO WE ARE
At Ghirardelli, we honor tradition and drive innovation, aiming to be the top choice for premium chocolate. Our commitment to Making Life A Bite Better inspires both our products and the way we do business. We support personal and professional growth, recognizing that each employee’s contribution directly impacts Ghirardelli’s growth and success. Join our dynamic team and help shape Ghirardelli's future.
 

Job Summary

The Training & Staffing Specialist is responsible for coordinating the job bidding and bid‑training process across production areas, ensuring alignment with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The position identifies training gaps, supports and monitors bid‑related training progress, and maintains accurate records within HR and learning systems. The Training & Staffing Specialist leads recruiting, onboarding, and training for temporary employees, including building training plans and measuring training effectiveness throughout the assignment. This role regularly collaborates with HR to ensure CBA‑related staffing and training requirements are managed accurately and correctly.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Identify job-bid training gaps from each production area to post job bids, award job bids, and determine training needs for each specific individual and role.
• Manage total headcount needed for each role based on defined staffing standards and ensure job-bids are posted in accordance with staffing gaps.
• Coordinate and monitor the job bidding process in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement in collaboration with HR as needed.
• Process changes related to bids awarded including employee status and pay rates in the HRIS System, ensuring compliance with the CBA.
• Support, coordinate, and monitor bid training progress against defined standards and expectations.
• Coordinate recruiting efforts for temporary employees with HR, including identifying the need, scheduling and conducting interviews, and maintaining a supportive coaching relationship for the temporary employees, for the duration of their assignment.
• Build and deliver training and onboarding plans for temporary employees and continually measure training efficiency against outlined plans.
• Manage training records; continuously looking for opportunities for improvement.
• Manage cross-training needs to ensure each role has adequate coverage based on defined staffing standards.
• Understand how to use skill matrix, evaluation checklists/assessments and job breakdowns or similar tools and uses these to actively manage and assess training gaps.
• Monitor employee skill gaps and qualifications using Learning Management Systems (LMS) and coordinate training based on skill and qualification gaps.
• Support training content creation and updates based on updated processes and procedures. 
• Support the execution and ongoing management of hourly production rewards and recognition programs to create a positive workplace culture.
• Execute plant-wide meetings, in collaboration with key stakeholders, to ensure operations’ employees receive clear and meaningful communication.
• Provide back up to the Production Scheduler role.
• Participate in the Training & Education Pillar to ensure operational, supervisory, and managerial training activities throughout the plant contribute to driving out losses.
• Demonstrate a continuous improvement mindset in all aspects of the job by proactively identifying and implementing opportunities to enhance day‑to‑day processes.
• Work independently and execute training projects in changing environments and work processes.
• Maintain data integrity of internal systems related to performance and attendance.
• Perform other duties as required.

Minimum Education and Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s degree or 5+ years of demonstrated experience training and developing training systems, ideally within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong analytical, problem solving, and organizational skills.
• Strong written and oral communications skills.
• Ability to set priorities and complete tasks in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to develop, implement, and monitor progress on action plans that require collaboration with cross-functional partners.
• Ability to quickly identify training needs and support development of training programs.
• Ability to work effectively in a union environment and occasionally adjust schedule to support 2nd and 3rd shifts.
• Familiarity analyzing skill management skills.
• Technical ability to learn and adapt to new equipment and to effectively lead the operations with sophisticated technical equipment.
• Computer literacy in MS Office (Office, Excel, Word, Teams), HR Management System, and training software experience a plus.
• Soft skills: adaptability, time management, organization and decision making.

Physical, Mental and Environmental Requirements:

• Required to regularly sit at a workstation.
• Occasionally required to stand or walk.
• Occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• This position must be able to concentrate for extended periods of time paying close attention to detail.
• Potential for very warm or very cold working environment/depending on area of assignment.
• Interfacing with various manufacturing equipment and office computer equipment.
• Flexibility around work hours to interact with key employees on all shifts (24-hour facility).

Salary: $69,548-$86,961 per year