Walter Surface Technologies partners with Hermes Abrasives to align people practices with business priorities, and this role sits at the center of that work. As the Human Resources Business Partner in Virginia Beach, you will help leaders drive performance, engagement, retention, and growth through practical, employee-focused HR support across the employee lifecycle.

Working location: Virginia Beach, VA (onsite). Job type: Full-time. Reports to: Sr. Human Resources and Compensation Manager.

How you will support the business

Build strong partnerships with leaders, managers, employees, and key business partners to support performance, engagement, retention, and growth opportunities.
Provide two-way HR thought partnership through active communication across office and operational teams.
Translate business priorities into HR actions across staffing, employee relations, training, performance, succession planning, and engagement.
Coach leaders and managers in sensitive employee relations topics, including feedback conversations, conflict resolution, corrective action, and disciplinary processes.
Reinforce Walter’s culture by supporting recognition, events, celebrations, communications, and employee experience initiatives.
Act as a confidential resource for employees, including guidance on policy interpretation, benefits and payroll questions, EAP resources, and workplace concerns.

Employee relations, compliance, and risk management

Lead or support employee relations investigations, document findings, recommend action plans, and follow through to resolution with consistency and discretion.
Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, provincial, and local employment laws, regulatory standards, internal policies, and Walter Surface Technologies practices.
Evaluate and coordinate ADA, FMLA, leave of absence, accommodation, workers’ compensation, and unemployment matters, including documentation and coordination with the appropriate carrier or agency.
Maintain strong governance around HR documentation, confidential information, employment practices, policy administration, and operational risk.

Talent, onboarding, and performance management

Partner with the Talent Acquisition team and hiring managers to support recruitment for exempt and non-exempt roles, helping attract, assess, and hire talent aligned with business needs.
Provide input on role requirements, candidate profiles, interview approach, and selection criteria to align with Walter’s standards and operational priorities.
Collaborate with Talent Acquisition, Compensation, and leadership by sharing market insights, internal equity considerations, and business context to support competitive and consistent job offers.
Coordinate onboarding and new-hire orientation activities to support a seamless transition, early engagement, and clear understanding of policies, expectations, safety, and culture.
Lead annual performance review cycles, merit increases, bonus programs, goal setting, feedback routines, development planning, and performance management compliance.
Analyze HR data to identify drivers related to business issues, employee engagement, retention, diversity, staffing, and operational risk, and propose action plans based on trends and insights.
Support managers in building clear expectations, addressing performance gaps, recognizing strong performance, and sustaining accountability across hourly and salaried populations.

Benefits administration, HRIS, and HR operations

Administer and coordinate employee benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, retirement, wellness, and related employee programs.
Communicate benefit offerings, enrollment instructions, plan changes, eligibility rules, and issue-resolution steps in an employee-focused manner.
Lead the annual open enrollment process, including vendor coordination, employee education, system configuration, communications, and compliance documentation.
Assist with benefits audits, payroll coordination, employee data validation, hourly compensation processes, wage progressions, job changes, and HR system transactions.
Coordinate HR training by identifying organizational training needs and designing, coordinating, or delivering training programs for managers and employees.
Implement, administer, and train managers and employees on HRIS platforms and HR technologies, including process improvements, automation activities, reporting, and data hygiene.
Maintain training documentation, evaluate training effectiveness, and support leadership follow-up to ensure learning translates into improved performance and compliance.
Support Continuous Improvement and LEAN initiatives with leadership by using HR processes and workforce data to remove friction and improve the employee experience.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Industrial Relations, Business Management, or a related field required.
Minimum five (5) years of progressive Human Resources experience in a large-scale, fast-paced HR environment preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Demonstrated knowledge of employment law and HR compliance requirements, with the ability to apply policy and legal guidance pragmatically across operational situations.
Working knowledge of employee relations, staffing, payroll coordination, benefits administration, compensation processes, performance management, and HR documentation.
Experience using HR systems such as ADP, Workday, or similar platforms.
Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information appropriately, exercise sound judgment, and communicate with professionalism at all levels of the organization.
Experience supporting manufacturing, distribution, or industrial operations with both hourly and salaried employee populations is preferred.
Ability to lead projects and influence cross-functional partners.

Technologies

ADP
Workday
HRIS

Benefits

401(k)
Dental insurance
Employee assistance program
Health insurance
Life insurance
Paid time off
Vision insurance

Human Resources Business Partner

Job Description