Senior Manager

Description

Ready for more than just a job? Build a career with purpose.

At Lactalis in the USA, we’re committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our people to learn, grow, and thrive—whether you’re just starting your journey with us or looking to take the next step in your career. From day one, we offer the tools and support to help you succeed.

As the world leader in dairy, Lactalis is a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Each day, we’re proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together.

In the US, we proudly offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani® Italian cheeses and ricotta, Président® specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft® natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone’s® cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel®, Black Diamond® cheddar, and Parmalat® milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi’s®, Stonyfield Organic®, Brown Cow™, Oui®, Yoplait®, Go-Gurt®, :ratio®, Green Mountain Creamery®, and Mountain High®, along with a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun®, Gopi®, and Arz®.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values—Ambition, Engagement, and Simplicity. We foster a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone’s unique background and ideas are valued.

Even if you don’t meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY, and how your EXPERTISE can help us shape the future of dairy. 

From your PASSION to ours

Lactalis Midwest Yogurt, part of the Lactalis family of companies, is currently hiring a Senior Manager, Human Resources based in Minnetonka, MN.

As the Senior Manager, Corporate HR Business Partner, you will lead HR initiatives for our corporate functions, serving as a strategic business partner to senior leadership, managers, and employees. Your focus will be on strengthening leadership capabilities and driving accountability in people processes across the organization.

You will also provide leadership, coaching, and development to a team of HR professionals and oversee the payroll function for the division. This role works in close collaboration with department executives, the USA HR Shared Services team, and reports directly to the Vice President, Human Resources.

From your EXPERTISE to ours

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Drive and facilitate all human resources initiatives including but not limited to recruitment, performance management, training and development, succession planning, employee relations, and organizational development for corporate functions. 
• Provide leadership and guidance on people programs and policies across client groups to ensure consistent and fair implementation as well as compliance and maintain open communication with managers and employees.
• Build and strengthen business relationships proactively with senior leadership, managers and employees by fostering an open, collaborative approach that seeks to elevate people management and resolve conflicts. 
• Collaborate with managers in the performance management review process by providing insight on effective objective setting, delivering on-going feedback and providing useful tools on conducting performance management and development reviews. Consult on difficult performance management issues, such as performance improvement plans, exit strategies and conflict resolution. 
• Deploy people strategies and design approaches for diagnosing and enhancing organizational effectiveness and employee satisfaction. 
• Provide coaching and advice to employees where appropriate and support employees in understanding their potential and development opportunities. 
• As a member of the Division HR Leadership Team, collaborate to develop, recommend, and implement effective people practices, people strategies, initiatives, programs, and policies, aligned with the business strategy and in line with best practices in the market. 
• In partnership with the VP HR, contribute to strategic organizational design and workforce planning initiatives linked to the needs of the business. Collaborate with Executive and Leadership teams on needs assessment, creation, development and/or implementation of organizational design strategies, and structural changes aligned to meet the short- and long-term needs of the business. 
• In partnership with the VP HR, participate in the headcount and labor cost budgeting process for the corporate functions, which includes partnering with Executive and Leadership teams on business case development, approval processes, and build of the overall people budget in collaboration with Compensation and Finance. 
• Partner with the Talent Acquisition team for recruitment activities of assigned client groups. Focus will be on providing guidance with regards to business needs and advising recruiting teams to ensure the organization has the right people in the right roles and aligns with the company values. May assist with sourcing, screening, interviewing and referring applicants to management for further interviews.
• Lead and manage a team of human resources professionals by hiring, reviewing performance and providing feedback, determining training and development needs, establishing goals and priorities, and providing work direction, coaching, and mentorship.
• Conduct exit interviews with departing employees; analyze opportunities and recommend/implement corrective actions.
• Ensure legal compliance by monitoring and implementing applicable human resource federal and state requirements, conducting effective, thorough, and objective investigations, and interpreting Company policy for managers and employees.
• Collaborate with the USA HR & Shared Services teams to champion and accelerate a culture of excellence in which people feel engaged and inspired to deliver top business results.
• Collaborate with the VP HR on strategic projects for total business. Manage or participate in special projects and/or global projects as needs arise. 
• Understand and monitor KPIs and analyze information to help drive solutions and make informed decisions. 
• Act as a backup to the Human Resources Business Partner. 

From your STORY to ours

Qualified applicants will contribute the following:

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, Finance, Business or the equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Master’s degree in human resources, Organizational Development or equivalent is preferred. 
• 8+ years of experience as an HR Business Partner is required, with multi-site, international CPG experience preferred. 
• Experienced in employee relations, performance management, recruiting and selection, HR Financials, organizational development and training.
• Strong knowledge of employment/labor law.
• Knowledge of HR KPIs and HR Financials.
• Advanced Knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 (Excel, Power Point, Word) is required.
• Knowledge of Success Factors, Paylocity, Alchemy is preferred.
• Ability to design, develop, and implement people strategies that support long-term business objectives.
• Strong process orientation and attention to detail, while maintaining a big-picture perspective in a fast-paced environment.
• High level of ownership and autonomy, with the ability to independently manage multiple responsibilities in a hands-on, dynamic setting.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong relationships across all levels of the organization and influence stakeholders effectively.
• Strong data and analytical skills to create integrated plans and support data-driven decision-making.
• Ability to balance stakeholder needs, drive change, and build buy-in across diverse teams.
• Skilled in making timely, thoughtful decisions based on objective analysis and business insights.
• Experience leading multiple initiatives simultaneously, with a track record of delivering results aligned to strategic goals.
• Strong planning abilities with the capacity to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly present ideas and facilitate discussions with diverse audiences.
• Willingness and ability to travel occasionally as business needs require.

At Lactalis, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Program with a variety of affordable benefits and coverage options. We support insurance costs significantly, contribute generously to retirement plans, and offer Paid Time Off from day one. We are committed to your professional growth, providing training and development opportunities, including Education Reimbursement. Join us and grow your career.

Lactalis is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities.