Human Resources Generalist in St Paul, Minnesota at Deneen Pottery

DENEEN POTTERY Human Resources Generalist Full-Time | On-Site | St. Paul, MN | Reports to CFO | No Direct Reports

About Deneen Pottery

Deneen Pottery is a family-owned, handmade pottery company that has been making custom ceramic mugs and drinkware in St. Paul for over 50 years. Our customers include colleges, breweries, national parks, and thousands of loyal buyers nationwide. Every piece is touched by over 24 pairs of hands through our process. We are a real manufacturing environment with real output expectations and a culture built on accountability, craftsmanship, and continuous improvement. We are investing in our leadership structure and our people — and we are looking for an HR Generalist who can help our leaders take care of their people with the same consistency and care we put into every mug we make.

The Opportunity

This is a hands-on, individual-contributor role — you won't have direct reports, but you'll touch nearly every part of the employee experience for our team of approximately 100, from the systems and paperwork to the guidance leaders lean on to handle people matters the right way. Leaders here are the ones accountable for leading, developing, and making decisions about their people. Your job is to make sure they can do that well — by keeping HR running smoothly and helping Operations attract, onboard, and retain a skilled, talented team. The big calls — compensation changes, policy changes, final separations, anything high-risk — go to the CFO and next-level leader; your job is to make sure everything leading up to that point is handled right.

Core Accountabilities

• Staffing and Employee Lifecycle — Manage approved postings, recruiting, screening, interviews, offers, onboarding, and the 30/60/90 day review process with our Leaders. Coordinate all staff biannual performance reviews and annual wage changes; support separations through final pay, notices, and return of company property.
• Paylocity and Employee Records (Payroll Backup) — Own accurate HIRS records, deductions, hires, wage changes, terminations, I-9 documentation, employment verifications, unemployment responses, secure record retention, and workforce reporting. Serve as backup to the CFO for payroll.
• Personnel Policies, Compliance, and Guidance — Maintain the handbook, policies, required postings, forms, and an HR compliance calendar. Monitor employment requirements, coordinate required training, and advise leaders on attendance, leave, accommodations, discipline, and policy application.
• Benefits and Leave Administration — Maintain the EASE benefits database and broker relationships; manage FMLA/PFML filings; partner with the CFO on renewals, plan design, and cost.
• Safety Coordination and Compliance — Coordinate safety training, OSHA logs, incident documentation, and workers' comp claims; co-chair the Safety Committee with the Lead Facilities and Equipment Technician and Production Manager.
• Culture and Engagement — Administer the annual employee survey and report results; execute Fun Committee plans within approved budget and guidelines, organizing employee recognition, birthday/anniversary cards, and company events.

• 5+ years of progressive HR generalist experience; manufacturing experience preferred
• Working knowledge of payroll, benefits, leave, employment compliance and safety administration.
• Paylocity and Excel experience preferred; strong system accuracy, documentation, confidentiality, organization and follow-through required.
• Practical coaching style and comfort working on-site with leaders and a diverse manufacturing workforce.
• Bilingual English and Hmong strongly preferred; relevant HR certification or degree a plus.