Senior HR Generalist

What you’ll do:

Provide strategic and hands-on Human Resources support to the Eaton Horseheads facility by partnering with plant leadership and employees to strengthen organizational effectiveness, employee engagement, and a positive labor environment. Ensure consistent application of HR policies, practices, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) across union and non-union populations while aligning HR initiatives with business objectives and Eaton values.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as a strategic HR partner to plant leadership on employee relations, performance management, engagement, and organizational effectiveness
• Interpret and administer the Collective Bargaining Agreement, including grievance management and arbitration preparation
• Lead employee relations efforts such as investigations, conflict resolution, and leader coaching to mitigate risk
• Support full-cycle recruitment and onboarding in partnership with hiring managers to enhance quality of hire, retention, and time-to-fill
• Oversee HR operational processes including timekeeping (Kronos), payroll coordination, job changes, wage administration, and leave management
• Analyze HR metrics (e.g., turnover, absenteeism, engagement) to identify trends and provide actionable insights
• Drive employee engagement and culture initiatives, including surveys, action planning, recognition, and site-level programs
• Coach supervisors and managers on leadership effectiveness, employee development, and performance management
• Ensure compliance with employment laws, company policies, and internal procedures
• Support continuous improvement initiatives through Eaton Business Excellence and other process improvement methodologies

Qualifications:

Required (Basic) Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in human resources
• Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1 to H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, I-485 job portability, etc.
• No relocation benefit is being offered for this position.  Only candidates within a 50-mile radius of the specified job location(s) will be considered.  Active Duty Military Service member candidates are exempt from the geographical area limitation.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree in Human Resources, Labor relations, Industrial/Organization Psychology and/or HR certification
• Prior labor relations experience
• Experience in manufacturing and/or union environment
• Prior experience with talent management and organization effectiveness tools with a professional salaried workforce
• Experience working with HR systems and data management tools (e.g., HRIS/HRMS such as Oracle, Workday, or similar systems); ability to maintain data accuracy and confidentiality

Skills: 

• Knowledge of labor relations, including Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) administration, grievance processes, and employment law
• Broad understanding of core HR functions, including employee relations, recruitment, onboarding, compensation, benefits, and leave management
• Ability to coach and influence front-line leaders on performance management, employee relations, and workplace issues
• Practical knowledge of federal and state employment laws (e.g., FMLA, ADA, FLSA, EEO) in a manufacturing or plant environment
• Ability to analyze HR metrics and trends and translate data into actionable insights for leadership
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and multi-tasking skills in a fast-paced environment
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust across union, employee, and leadership audiences
• High level of professionalism and discretion when handling sensitive and confidential information
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel for reporting and analysis