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Human Resources Manager

Location:
Lowville, NY, 13367
Posted:
June 30, 2011

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Resume:

D. ROSS WACHOWSKI

**** ********* ******

Lowville, New York 13367

315-***-**** (Cell)

315-***-**** (Work)

**********@***.***

WORK EXPERIENCE:

OTIS TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED - Lyons Falls New York 2009 to

Present

Otis is a family owned company that makes high end gun

accessories primarily for the military. The company has doubled

in size over the past four years and tripled in the past six.

The challenge at Otis as it transitions into a small/mid-sized

company is to establish and execute a growth strategy, form a

current and future state organization structure, develop a

scalable infrastructure in IT, HR, Finance and R&D, focus on

talent management and maintain a high level of employee

engagement in a very dynamic work environment.

Director of Human Resources - Head of HR reporting to the

President and CEO. All areas of the organization are expanding

at a very fast pace. A new R&D facility is being commissioned. A

new level of Senior Management is being established. Otis

University is being launched. Lean Manufacturing principles are

being implemented. A new growth strategy is being developed.

Accomplishments:

. Developed an HR Strategy that aligned with the Business

Strategy

. Established an annual Employee Satisfaction Survey

. Established a Total Rewards program that aligned with the

business model

. Implemented a Behavioral Based Targeted Selection

recruiting process

. Worked with business partners to develop both current state

and future state organization models that supported Otis'

Growth Strategy

. Staffed a level of senior managers including a CFO,

Marketing Director, Director of R&D, Director of

Operations, National Sales Director and their supporting

staffs

. Implemented a Talent Management process that includes

talent mapping and succession planning

. Established a new, more rigorous Merit Review process

. Implemented a Change Management process

. Established a Fish Team to enhance employee engagement

. Established Skip Level and All-Hands meetings

. Established an Employee Involvement Team

. Launched a Talent Development program through the

implementation of DDI's Leadership and Workforce

development training programs

. Brought Otis University to life.

HERO GROUP INCORPORATED - Albany New York 2007 to 2008

HERO is a 2 billion dollar family owned company headquartered in

Switzerland. Their major products include baby food, jams,

jellies, preserves, fruits and decorations. In the US, HERO

acquired Signature Brands, the US market leader in decorations

with products such as Betty Crocker, Pumpkin Master, and Paas;

and Beech-Nut which is the number 2 baby food manufacturer in

the US. HERO's strategy was to create a presence in the US

through organic growth and additional acquisitions.

Director of Human Resources - The head of HR for North American

operations. This was a 300 million dollar operation with 3

manufacturing locations, a National sales team, and a

headquarters staff. Operations are both union and union free,

and the position had 5 direct reports.

Accomplishments:

. Assisted in merging 2 companies by creating a human

resources infrastructure that supports both organic growth,

and growth through acquisition

. Created the North American Headquarters in Albany, New

York. Along with the CEO and CFO, staffed the entire HQ

organization

. Developed and staffed a Hero Business Entity in Canada

. Created a new Company by developing one common set of

policies and procedures for North America. Developed one

common wage and benefits design for North America.

Developed a common performance appraisal and talent

management process. Centralized all payroll processes

. Redesigned the manufacturing organization for the flagship

facility, and developed a transition plan that will support

the decommissioning of the Canajoharie and Fort Plain

Facilities, and the commissioning of a new 150 Million

dollar state-of-the-art baby food manufacturing facility in

Amsterdam, New York

. Developed and implemented a Union/Management strategy based

on a business partnership

. Combined the sales groups from Signature Brands and Beech-

Nut

. Developed company-wide communication and employee

recognition plans

. Developed a Change Management Plan, and lead the change

management process for our SAP transition.

PEPPERIDGE FARM (A Campbell's Soup Company) - Norwalk Connecticut

2005 to 2007

Pepperidge Farm is part of the 8.7 billion dollar Campbell's

Soup Company that produces and sells cookies, crackers, bread

and frozen foods.

Human Resources Director of Supply Chain Operations - The number 2 HR

professional in the Pepperidge Farm organization responsible for

8 manufacturing operations, the supply chain organization and

the engineering function. This includes a client base of over

3,300 union free employees and a total HR staff of over 40

professionals.

Accomplishments:

. Upgraded HR and manufacturing talent by identifying and

defining key competencies and profiling all management

positions; identifying skill gaps of every professional and

initiated development plans to address gaps; developed

talent maps and succession plans for all manager level

employees; and exited employees and upgraded talent where

necessary

. Acted as process leader for the rest of the HR group by

driving implementation of all key projects and programs

. Implemented a behavior based process for interviewing and

selecting candidates based on key competencies. Developed a

consistent process for interviewing, selecting, training

and evaluating newly hired hourly employees

. Implemented a certification process that places hourly

talent in key positions based on skill and ability rather

than seniority

. Developed a road map and process for achieving world class

hourly employee relations in this union free environment

. Helped develop a Frontline Leadership Training program for

all Campbell's Soup Company supervisors

. HR process leader for driving cost savings throughout the

organization

. Assisted in revising health benefits programs to promote

wellness, healthcare consumerism and tight medical

management

. Assisted in developing an Employee Value Proposition which

serves as a guiding principal to enhance employee

engagement and new employee recruitment

. Lead the Gallup Employee Engagement process for Pepperidge

Farm

. Also involved in integrating Lean Manufacturing principals

into manufacturing.

CNH (Case New Holland) - Grand Island Nebraska 2000 to 2005

CNH's Grand Island operation is 40 years old and now exclusively

manufactures rotary combines. The operation consists of 3

facilities and 1 million square feet. It employed approximately

550 nonunion employees before its transition. The Grand Island

Facility is ISO 9000 certified.

In November of 1999 New Holland and Case Corporation merged to

form CNH. As part of this merger, a major manufacturing

footprint was initiated. Part of this footprint involved

converting the Grand Island operation into CNH's Rotary Combine

Center of Excellence. This meant moving the hay and forage

operations out of Grand Island, completely relaying-out the

facility, commissioning two other manufacturing locations in the

Grand Island area and hiring over 450 new hourly employees and

60 salaried. This transformation made the Grand Island operation

the largest rotary combine manufacturing site in the world and

CNH's flagship manufacturing operation.

Human Resources Manager - Department Head of the Human Resources

function. Responsible for all generalist duties including

workforce redesign, employee relations, AAP, recruiting, wage

and benefits administration, organizational effectiveness and

training. Responsible for a staff of four.

Accomplishments: Assisted in integrating the Case and New

Holland wage and benefit programs at Grand Island. Participated

in merging all major HR policies and procedures. Prepared the

workforce for the footprint transition which included:

. Decommissioned the hay and forage product lines, and moved

them to Belleville, PA

. Decommissioned the machine shop and moved it to New

Holland, PA

. Designed and staffed a new organization that supported the

transition from hay and forage equipment to the launch of

three new families of combines

. Changed the operation from its vertical design to a flat

assembly operation

. Provided training expertise for the employees at

Belleville

. Laid off the majority of the workforce during the plant

relay-out for up to 9 months and temporarily reassigned

other employees to Belgium, Brazil, New Holland, PA and

Belleville, PA

. Reassigned and retrained all shop hourly employees

. Increased production volume from 2 to 18 combines per day

. Continually interfaced with platform team leaders located

in Belgium, Italy and the United States. Managed the

distinct differences in culture between former Case, New

Holland and our international leadership

. Recognized as developing the best Positive Employee

Relations program in the company during Grand Island's ER

audits

. Also recognized as company best practices are Grand

Island's Cell Teams, training and certification programs,

employee participation programs, new employee hiring plan,

new employee orientation program and new employee training

program

. Engaged key affected members of the workforce to develop a

cost effective 24/7 work schedule for the Laser and Press

Brake Cells

. Assisted in developing and implementing a two-tier wage and

benefits package

. Assisted in revising and implementing a layoff supplement

program

. Worked with a team to revise a Gainshare Bonus program.

DOAN College - Grand Island, NE (Part time as a second job)

2004

Part Time Instructor - Taught a core graduate level class in

regulatory compliance.

WORLD KITCHEN, INCORPORATED (formerly Corning) - Charleroi, PA 1997

to 2000

World Kitchen's Charleroi Facility manufactures PYREX Glass.

This 120-year-old facility sits on 23 acres and encompasses 25

buildings. The Charleroi Facility employed between 450 to 600,

who are represented by the USWA, Local 53G. In April of 1998

Corning, Inc. sold World Kitchen to a division of KKR.

Human Resources Manager - Department Head of the human resources

function. Responsible for all generalist duties including union

relations, workforce redesign, AAP compliance, recruiting,

safety/health and environmental, wage and benefits

administration, training and development, workforce scheduling,

employee incentives/recognition, ISO 9000, and employee

communications. Managed a staff of 7.

Accomplishments:

. Assisted in integrating KKR's compensation, benefits and HR

systems into World Kitchen

. Lead Auditor for the HR and Safety portions of the

corporate High Performance Work Systems Audit Team

. Assisted in launching a major 6-Sigma initiative. Major

contributor in negotiating a 1-year CBA

. Implemented a major layoff of 260 employees, and a

subsequent workforce restructure in the 1st quarter of 1999

. Negotiated work practice concessions, in return for

facility capital investments. Implemented a major hiring

initiative in the 4th quarter of 1999

. Hiring process recognized as a company best practice at the

HPWS Audit

. Negotiated an agency workforce agreement with the Union

Local

. Implemented a 2nd major workforce restructure in the same

year

. Assisted in delivering the facility's best-demonstrated

safety performance

. Automated ISO document control with "Quality Workbench"

software

. Managed numerous grievances, UFLP charges, EEOC and PHRC

charges, unemployment compensation hearings, and one

arbitration

. Restructured the performance recognition system

. Instrumental in negotiating a 2nd CBA in 2000.

RJR NABISCO, INCORPORATED 1990 to 1997

1993 to 1997 Senior Safety Engineer - A headquarters position in

Parsippany, New Jersey. Overall responsibility for providing

technical support for the safety and health functions for 14

manufacturing locations, 10 distribution centers, and 120 sales

and warehouse locations nationwide of the Nabisco Biscuit

Company (NBC)

Accomplishments:

. The Nabisco Biscuit Division realized significant safety

improvements and worker's compensation cost reductions for

4 consecutive years

. Negotiated 12 OSHA settlements nationwide

. Sat on the corporate ADA and FMLA steering committees

. Assisted in rewriting Nabisco Biscuit Company's Safety

Manual

. Assisted in rewriting NBC's safety audit program

. Assisted in hiring, training and developing all new safety

professionals.

1990 to 1993 Assistant Human Resources Manager, Niagara Falls New York

Facility

NBC's Niagara Falls Facility was an 83-year-old facility that made

Shredded Wheat and Triscuits. It employed between 200 and 350,

who are represented by the BC&T, IAM, and F&O Unions. In 1988

RJR Nabisco was purchased by KKR. In 1992 NBC sold Shredded

Wheat to Post, but retained the Niagara Falls Facility. As a

result, a major facility restructure was implemented.

Accomplishments:

. Assisted in negotiating 3 CBA's

. Assisted in arbitration preparation

. Successfully defended an UFLP charge

. Worked as the interim Personnel Manager for 9 months until

a successor was identified. During this 9 month period,

acted as the HR lead person during the decommissioning of

the Shredded Wheat product line, and the addition of a new

Triscuit line

. Managed all aspects associated with reducing a workforce by

nearly 50%. This included successfully managing 26

grievances through the 5th step with no arbitrations

. The facility realized record safety and workers

compensation cost performance for the last 2 years of my

tenure

MAYER CHINA, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania 1988 to 1990

Human Resources Manager - Human Resources staff of 1 responsible for

all generalist duties. Specifically, labor relations, wage and

benefits administration, safety and health, recruiting,

staffing, development and training.

Accomplishments:

. Assisted in negotiating 1 CBA, and an agreement over the

effects of a plant closing

. Trained all supervisors in Zenger-Miller Frontline

Leadership

. Implemented a 50% workforce reduction

. Replaced a negotiated piece-rate pay system with an

incentive system based on IE standards. Redesigned the

grievance procedure to accommodate any disputes arising out

of the new incentive system

. Managed a "department wild-cat work stoppage". Implemented

a plant closing

EDUCATION:

MA Industrial and Labor Relations, Indiana University of Pennsylvania,

August 1988 - 3.89 GPA

Oxford University, England, Summer 1987 - Comparative Studies in Labor

Relations

BS Business Administration - Major in Human Resources Management,

Indiana University of Pennsylvania, May 1986. Minor and Concentration in

Labor Economics

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Zenger Miller Frontline Leadership certified trainer 1989

certified in Labor Relations, Cornell University 1991

certified in Project Management 1994

certification in Ergonomics-Harvard University 1994

Associate Safety Professional 1995

4M Certified in Industrial Engineering-MTM 1996

Six Sigma Green Belt certified 1998

certified DDI trainer 2006

Contributing author for a book on subjects that include "Redefining HR

Creating and Adding Value in Today's Company", "Setting Successful Goals

for the HR Team" and "Trends in Health Care Benefits" - Winter 2006.

OTHER ACTIVITIES:

North Country Chapter of SHRM President Elect 2010-Present

Citec Board of Directors 2010-Present

Lewis County Hospital Foundation Board Member 2010-Present

Employers' Health Care Board of Directors 2000-2005

Grand Island YMCA Board of Directors 2000-2005

Hall County Airport Air Service Taskforce 2003-2005

Grand Island Rotary Club 2000-2005

Doan College Advisory Board Member 2003-2005



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