Factory Human Resources Manager

Love ice cream? Come join the #1 ice cream company in the US, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream (DGIC)!  DGIC is part of the global pure-play ice cream leader, Froneri, and we have begun a new chapter of accelerated growth.  With nearly 100 years of winning experience in the U.S, a robust portfolio of powerhouse brands that consumers know and love such as Häagen-Dazs, Drumstick, Dreyer’s, OREO®, and Outshine, and the backing and coaching of European-based ice cream experts, we know we have the winning recipe.

Headquartered in Walnut Creek, CA, our teams across our offices and factories are raising the bar on all things ice cream. We are investing in significant capital expansions to grow our Operations and Supply Chain and are transforming how we work at every level to become more agile, accelerate growth and elevate our quality. With a renewed focus on frozen treats, our tight-knit team of ambitious innovators are fully immersed in the business and encouraged to flex and make decisions quickly. We are committed to pursuing every great idea and delivering the best ice cream experience for our consumers, when and where they want it.

Unleash your potential at Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream and discover what a sweet career we have in store for you.

Main Purpose of Job:
The HR Manager will provide tactical and strategic guidance on people-related initiatives in support of Dreyer’s Fort Wayne manufacturing factory. This role operates reporting to the Senior HR Manager and Factory Manager, leads the HR function for the Manufacturing site, and partners closely with the headquarters HR team (Walnut Creek, CA) to deliver HR support to the Fort Wayne factory.

Success in this role is the ability to balance strategic and tactical partnerships with the Factory Manager and Factory Department Managers while providing support to employees and contributing to factory-wide initiatives in compliance, recruitment, performance, talent, and engagement.

What you will do in this role:

• Lead Factory HR team to deliver tactical and strategic HR Operations programs related to compliance, employee engagement, performance management, and organizational effectiveness.


• Provide HR guidance and support to Factory Manager, factory department managers, and employees.


• Proactively consult with Factory Manager/factory department managers to assess business performance, identify gaps, and initiate partnerships to develop HR Operations solutions that promote organizational and employee effectiveness.


• Support the HR team with talent management initiatives including: designing skills-pay matrixes for various factory departments; developing and deploying frontline supervisor programs; and/or tools to support talent management and to meet organizational needs as necessary.


• Mediate and resolve employee relations issues. Additionally, conduct thorough and objective investigations, provide recommended follow up actions, and execute on any needed actions, as necessary.


• Research and develop policies, guidelines, and programs to proactively support factory compliance needs while also balancing the needs of the business.


• Transform short- and long-term operating goals into HR processes, projects, and assignments – integrate and initiate the work with key department managers and functional partners to ensure appropriate solutions are delivered in support of factory strategies.


• Propose and manage special projects, initiatives or programs that drive factory performance and/or positively impact employee experience.


• Maintain in-depth knowledge of legal requirements related to day-to-day management of employees, reducing legal risks, and ensuring regulatory compliance including but not limited to federal, state and local wage and hour laws.

What makes a fit for this role:

• This role may be a great fit if you are an experienced high touch business partner, a change agent who thrives in a fast-paced environment, self-motivated and highly accountable.


• A trusted advisor who has strong relationship-building skills combined with effective listening and communication skills.


• You thrive in a manufacturing environment and are comfortable on the manufacturing floor, close to our business and our people


• You can enable a team to deliver high impact results by simplifying the agenda, setting clear priorities, and managing expectations from multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.

What does success look like for the Factory HR Manager?

• Drive the alignment and execution of key people strategies that attract, train and retain employees to support the organization’s short- and long- term business goals.


• Manage the coordination and execution of workforce planning for the factory in partnership with factory leaders.


• Ensure culture and working environment is high performing, safe, fair, and equitable.


• Use and leverage HR data and insights to make informed data-oriented decisions.


• Oversee/provide flawless execution of all Human Resources initiatives (i.e. Performance Evaluations, open enrollment, etc.).


• Partner with factory department managers to establish on-the-job training/pay matrix and development programs that are simple, effective and drive employee engagement and performance.


• Act as a leader, catalyst/supporter of change where appropriate.


• Pro-actively challenge the established organizational structure/processes to drive factory performance.


• Provides alternative solutions to business issues to achieve the most effective and simple solutions (while accounting for the Company’s values, principles, policies and factory goals).


• Shape the culture that facilitates and supports factory’s goals and initiatives, through supporting & coaching managers in their implementation of core people processes including performance management, salary review, job evaluation, identification of organizational learning needs, etc.


• Highly accountable – Ensures that HR service levels are met/exceeded.


• Utilize existing and/or create new HR tools to support the achievement of factory goals through talent assessments, performance calibration, and talent management development.


• Comfort in leading talent review/talent calibration sessions to ensure high performance is rewarded, poor performance addressed appropriately.


• Communicate and drive tools that are available to support individual and team performance improvement.


• Provide counsel and guidance to factory leadership on people management, development, and employee issues.


• Perform investigations as needed.


• Build rapport with employees and resolve employee issues timely by being active and present on the factory floor regularly.


• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with and between managers and employees.


• Promote and foster an environment of open communication and honest, candid feedback.


• Experience recruiting and/or managing recruiting agencies to staff jobs ranging from ice cream makers to technical engineers


• Create a trusted/credible HR team while balancing factory leadership needs

To succeed in the role, you will need

• Minimum 5 - 7 years of general HR experience


• Ability to exercise tact and diplomacy to resolve sensitive issues


• Ability to design and execute programs that meet the needs of the factory


• Ability to build partnerships at all levels within the organization


• Ability to coach, mentor and advise where appropriate to help managers and employees grow and develop in alignment with business and personal goals


• Ability to influence various levels of leadership without direct authority


• Top notch business acumen with the ability to deal with ambiguous and fluid situations


• Bias toward making data-oriented decision


• Strong judgement and analytical skills necessary to investigate complaints, advise on performance management, identify problems, and recommend solutions


• Bachelor's degree required


• PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP preferred

Soft Skills/Characteristics

• Curious


• Critical thinking


• High-energy


• Organized


• Disciplined/Accountable


• Authentic/Genuine


• Feels comfortable with challenging the status quo and direction of senior leaders with the ability to accept final decision after robust debate


• Highly influential with the ability to be a leader among peers


• Process oriented – Enjoys building systems and processes to ensure compliance and consistencies.


• Has the ability to maintain a strong balance between being behind a desk and being on the factory.

The pay scale for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. At Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The pay range for prospective employees in this role is between $100,000 and $125,000 per year.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.