Manufacturing Operations Manager Jobs in Arizona

Salary: $80,000 - $95,000 annually
Benefit Eligible: Yes
Reports to: Director of HR
Location: Hybrid in Mesa, AZ (3-4 days on site)
FLSA Classification: Salaried, Exempt
Reports To: Director of HR

About the Company

Paleovalley and Wild Pastures were born from a simple but radical idea: real food can heal — people, animals, and the planet. When Paleovalley co-founders Autumn and Chas Smith saw how industrialized food was affecting human health and the health of the land, they refused to play along. Autumn’s own journey of healing through nutrient-dense foods lit a fire that became Paleovalley. From there, the mission grew roots, sprouted wings, and eventually expanded into Wild Pastures to bring regeneratively raised meats directly to families nationwide.

Today, Paleovalley crafts deeply nourishing snacks and supplements made with organic ingredients and honorable sourcing. Wild Pastures connects small American farmers practicing regenerative agriculture with customers who believe better food is worth fighting for. Every product, every partnership, and every decision is guided by a commitment to real ingredients, regenerative practices, and the belief that health is built from the soil up.

We’re a team of grounded doers, curious thinkers, bold builders, and warm humans who like to laugh while doing meaningful work. We're growing quickly, fueled by purpose and a shared desire to repair the food system one thoughtful choice at a time.

If you feel energized by impact, drawn to mission, and ready to join a company rewriting the future of food, we’d love to meet you!

About the Opportunity

The HR Generalist, Manufacturing Operations serves as the primary onsite HR partner for Mesa Manufacturing employees and leaders. This role is responsible for supporting the full employee lifecycle while fostering a safe, compliant, engaging, and high-performing workplace environment.

The HR Generalist, Manufacturing Operations acts as the first point of contact for employee relations, onboarding, retention, workers' compensation administration, safety coordination, employee engagement, and workforce support initiatives. This role partners closely with Operations leadership to ensure employees receive timely support while helping maintain a positive workplace culture and strong employee experience.

This position is highly visible and relationship-driven, requiring frequent interaction with employees across shifts, departments, and facilities. The ideal candidate enjoys building trust, solving problems, improving processes, and creating a workplace where employees feel supported, informed, and connected to the company's mission.

What You’ll Do

Employee Relations & Workforce Support

• Serve as the primary onsite HR contact for Mesa Manufacturing employees and leaders.
• Build strong relationships with employees across all shifts and departments.
• Respond to employee concerns and workplace issues with professionalism, sound judgment, and confidentiality.
• Conduct workplace investigations and support corrective action processes.
• Coach supervisors and managers on employee relations, performance management, attendance, accountability, and workplace concerns.
• Conduct stay interviews, exit interviews, and employee feedback conversations to identify trends and improve retention.

Recruiting, Onboarding & Retention

• Support recruiting efforts for Mesa Manufacturing positions, including interview coordination and candidate communication.
• Coordinate and facilitate new hire onboarding and orientation programs.
• Support implementation of Mesa Manufacturing's employee retention strategy and first-year retention milestone program.
• Coordinate the New Hire Buddy Program and Employee Experience Coordinator (EEC) Program.
• Track retention metrics and identify opportunities to improve employee engagement and long-term retention.

Workers' Compensation & Leave Administration

• Serve as the primary coordinator for workplace injuries, workers' compensation claims, and return-to-work processes.
• Coordinate incident reporting, documentation, claim administration, and employee follow-up.
• Partner with Operations leadership to support a safe and compliant work environment.
• Maintain OSHA-related records, safety documentation, and training records as required.
• Support leave administration and employee accommodations in partnership with HR leadership.

Employee Engagement & Recognition

• Coordinate employee engagement, recognition, and appreciation initiatives.
• Support employee surveys, action planning efforts, and retention-focused programs.
• Coordinate employee milestone celebrations, service anniversaries, welcome lunches, and facility engagement events.
• Partner with leadership to strengthen employee connection to Paleovalley's mission, values, and culture.

HR Operations & Compliance

• Maintain employee files, documentation, and records in accordance with company policies and applicable laws.
• Ensure accuracy of employee data within HR systems and records.
• Support audits, reporting, compliance activities, and HR process improvements.
• Serve as a resource for employee questions related to HR policies, procedures, benefits, timekeeping, and HR systems.

Requirements

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• Bilingual English/Spanish required.
• 4-7 years of progressive Human Resources experience required.
• Minimum 2 years of onsite Human Resources experience supporting a manufacturing, warehouse, production, logistics, distribution, food manufacturing, or similar operational environment required.
• Experience supporting employee relations, workplace investigations, corrective actions, attendance management, and performance management required.
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience will be considered.
• Experience administering workers' compensation claims, workplace injuries, return-to-work programs, or safety-related processes preferred.
• Professional HR certification (PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, or equivalent) preferred.
• Experience using Rippling HRIS preferred.
• Strong communication, relationship-building, conflict resolution, and organizational skills.
Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, manage multiple priorities, and build trust with frontline employees and operational leaders.

Physical & Work Environment Requirements

• Ability to work onsite at Mesa Manufacturing facilities on a full-time basis.
• Ability to regularly walk production floors and warehouse environments.
• Ability to interact with employees across multiple shifts and work areas.
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.
Ability to travel between Mesa Manufacturing locations as needed.

Success in This Role Looks Like

• Employees view HR as a trusted, approachable resource.
• New hires experience a welcoming and consistent onboarding process.
• Workplace concerns are addressed promptly and professionally.
• Workers' compensation claims and safety incidents are managed accurately and efficiently.
• Retention, engagement, and recognition initiatives are executed successfully.
• Mesa Manufacturing leaders receive proactive HR partnership and support.
• Employees feel connected, supported, informed, and engaged in their work.

Benefits

Our Commitment to You

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage with 100% employer-paid dental/vision and a small monthly medical premium for employees; dependents may be added at employee cost
• Generous Paid time off to support balance and rest
• Paid sick time for when you need it
• Six (6) paid holidays each year
• Paid parental leave for growing families
• 100% company-paid Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, and Life Insurance
• 401(k) with up to a 4% company match after one year of service
• Monthly product stipend or access to perfectly imperfect damaged product so you can enjoy the nutrient-dense foods you help bring to others
  

Compliance & Employment Practices

Paleovalley and Wild Pastures are proud to be equal opportunity employers. We make employment decisions based on qualifications, merit, and business needs, and we do not discriminate based on any status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We’re also committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the hiring process. If you need assistance or an accommodation at any point, please reach out to HRteam@paleovalley.com.

All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. At this time, Paleovalley and Wild Pastures are unable to sponsor or assume sponsorship of employment visas, including but not limited to H-1B, TN, or OPT. Any offer of employment is contingent upon completion of Form I-9 and verification of work authorization. We participate in E-Verify to confirm eligibility to work in the U.S.

To support an efficient and consistent application review process, we may use technology-assisted tools to help organize and review applications; however, these tools do not make hiring decisions. All final hiring decisions are made by our team.

This role is open until filled.