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Director Human Resources

Generac · Whitewater, WI

Posted Jun 29, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Tell me about a time you had to make HR practices consistent across plants that had been doing things very differently. What did you standardize and what did you leave alone?

judgment about when consistency helps versus when local flexibility matters, and ability to actually drive change across sites

Tell me about a time you coached a plant or site leader who was struggling to manage their team. What was the issue and how did you approach it?

skill at leadership development and whether they can influence operational leaders who don't report to them

Have you supported an acquisition or site integration? What went wrong and what would you do differently next time?

honesty about M&A integration experience and ability to learn from a messy, high-stakes situation

Tell me about the hardest employee relations case you've handled that involved legal or compliance risk. What was your process?

risk judgment and comfort operating close to legal exposure without a legal team sitting next to them

Tell me about a time you disagreed with an operations leader about a people decision, like a layoff or a promotion. How did that conversation go?

whether they can push back credibly on business leaders while staying a true partner, not just an order-taker

Technical

Walk me through the multi-site HR operations you've led. How many locations, how many employees, and what was your travel or oversight model?

whether the candidate's scale of experience actually matches leading HR across Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Georgia sites

Have you worked in a union environment? Tell me about a grievance or contract issue you handled and how it played out.

real depth in labor relations versus surface familiarity, since the job explicitly names contract administration and grievances

How have you used workforce analytics to catch a problem before it became a crisis, across more than one site?

whether analytics claims are backed by a concrete example versus buzzwords

What AI-enabled or other tools have you actually used for workforce planning, and what did they change about how you worked?

genuine hands-on use of modern HR tools versus resume-keyword familiarity

Situational

Say one of your plants is about to miss a production deadline because of unexpected turnover on the line. What do you do in the first 48 hours?

ability to move fast on workforce planning problems that hit operations directly, not just HR process

Picture two of your plants are giving very different feedback in a talent review, one says a manager is a star, the other says the same person is a problem. How do you sort that out?

skill in calibrating talent decisions fairly across sites with different cultures or standards

How would you approach supporting a new site start-up or a manufacturing expansion from an HR standpoint?

whether they can build HR infrastructure from scratch versus only maintaining existing programs

How do you build and develop an HR team that's spread across three states, so they feel like one team instead of separate site functions?

people leadership skill for managing a distributed HR team, not just managing plant relationships

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The full job description

As published by Generac.

We believe power is a promise - a shared commitment to be there for others when it matters most. For more than 65 years, we've turned big ideas into solutions that help protect homes, strengthen businesses and build a more resilient, efficient, sustainable energy future. Ready to Power a Smarter World with us? The Director, Human Resources is a strategic and operational leader responsible for bringing HR strategy to life, delivering high-impact HR services, and partnering closely with business leaders to build a high-performing, engaged teams. This role leads an HR team supporting our residential manufacturing and distribution network across Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Georgia. The Director provides expert guidance in employee relations, leadership development, talent acquisition, performance management, and workforce planning while driving consistent HR practices across multiple locations. Success in this role requires demonstrated experience supporting complex, multi-site manufacturing and distribution operations, with the ability to align people strategies, processes, and talent initiatives across geographically dispersed teams. Major Responsibilities Strategic Leadership & Business Partnership • Leads HR business partners supporting designated functions, multiple manufacturing plants, and distribution centers • Provides strategic HR consultation to leaders on organizational effectiveness, employee relations, performance management and workforce planning across multi-site operations • Partners with business leadership to improve engagement, retention and productivity across geographically dispersed teams • Ensures consistent HR practices and alignment of people strategies across manufacturing and distribution locations Multi-Site Manufacturing & Distribution Leadership • Serves as the HR leader across multiple manufacturing and distribution sites, ensuring alignment of HR strategy, policies, and execution • Partners with operations and supply chain leadership to support end-to-end workforce planning from production through distribution and fulfillment • Drives consistency in talent processes, workforce planning, and employee experience across sites • Supports site start-ups, expansions, and operational scaling across manufacturing and distribution environments • Leverages workforce analytics to identify trends, risks, and opportunities across the network Talent Management & Leadership Development • Develops and coaches leadership teams to strengthen managerial capability across multi-site operations • Leads or supports major HR initiatives including compensation cycles, talent reviews, and succession planning Employee Relations • Ensures HR policy compliance and risk mitigation across multiple sites • Manages labor relations, contract administration, grievance processes, and union partnership activities • Provides guidance on complex employee relations issues across plants and distribution environments Mergers, Acquisitions & Organizational Integration • Supports M&A activities, including onboarding, culture integration, and organizational alignment across multiple locations • Leadership: • Selects, trains, coaches and develops staff, setting clear expectations • Manages performance, recognizes achievement, provides feedback, and administers progressive discipline when necessary Minimum Job Requirements • Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related discipline • 8+ years of progressive HR experience, including 5+ years in leadership • Strong HR operations, employee relations, and talent management knowledge • Ability to apply analytics to workforce trends across multiple sites Preferred Job Requirements • Master’s degree in Human Resources, MBA, or related discipline • SPHR or SHRM-SCP certification • Extensive experience supporting manufacturing operations across multiple sites • Experience supporting distribution, logistics, or manufacturing operations • Exposure to union environments and M&A integration experience • Experience leveraging AI-enabled HR tools for workforce planning and efficiency “We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.”

Apply at Generac

Director Human Resources

Likely interview questions for this role

Practice this interview out loud.

The full job description

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