Job Description

Location: Stratford, CT (on-site, with periodic travel to Fort Myers, FL)

Company Overview

 Kitchen Brains (Stratford, CT, with a UK office) designs and manufactures intelligent appliance controls for the commercial foodservice industry. Its sister company, Micro Control Systems (Fort Myers, FL), was acquired in 2025. Together, the companies employ roughly 165 people across manufacturing, engineering, and sales, and are private equity–backed, with an active growth and acquisition strategy. 

Position Summary

We are hiring a hands-on HR & Payroll Generalist to run HR as a shared service across both companies. You will own the function hands-on, using ADP TotalSource as our payroll, benefits, and HR platform. As we grow organically and through acquisitions, this role offers the opportunity to shape and build out the HR team.

This job is built around three things: being a trusted, visible presence on our manufacturing floors; running accurate payroll and HR operations; and turning workforce data into planning and risk insights for leadership.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Employee Relations and the Manufacturing Floor (top priority)

• Be present on the production floor every week; build trust with hourly employees, leads, and supervisors.

• Serve as the first point of contact for employee concerns; investigate and resolve issues fairly, quickly, and with documentation.

• Coach supervisors on attendance, performance, discipline, and difficult conversations.

• Run onboarding, safety orientation, and retention efforts for direct labor.

• Partner with Operations on shift staffing, temp labor, and overtime needs.

Payroll and HR Operations

• Own bi-weekly payroll for hourly and salaried staff through ADP TotalSource: review time, approve changes, and resolve exceptions before each run.

• Process new hires, terminations, pay changes, leaves, and PTO accurately and on time.

• Reconcile benefit deductions and invoices; provide payroll reports to Accounting for GL posting.

• Administer 401(k), benefits, ACA, workers’ comp, and multi-state compliance, using ADP TotalSource tools and resources.

• Manage temp agency timesheets and invoices; maintain personnel files and HRIS data integrity.

Workforce Analytics and Planning

• Produce a monthly HR dashboard for leadership: headcount, turnover, overtime, absenteeism, open roles, time-to-fill, and labor cost by entity and department.

• Partner with Finance on headcount budgets, forecasts, and labor cost variances.

• Identify personnel risks: retirement and flight risk, single points of failure, succession gaps, and compensation outliers.

• Support annual talent reviews, org design, and team planning with managers.

Shared Services, M&A, and Compliance

• Lead HR for both Kitchen Brains and MCS, including periodic on-site support in Fort Myers.

• Harmonize policies, handbooks, and benefits across entities.

• Support acquisition due diligence and integration: headcount, compensation, benefits, and retention planning.

• Maintain compliance with federal, state (CT, FL, NJ), and UK employment requirements, with outside advisors as needed.

• Lead recruiting end-to-end, with emphasis on direct labor and technical roles.

Required Education and Experience 

Required:

• 3–7 years of HR generalist experience, including at least 2 years supporting hourly manufacturing or plant employees.

• Hands-on payroll ownership for 100+ employees; PEO experience (ADP TotalSource preferred).

• Strong Excel skills; comfortable building reports, analyzing trends, and discussing data with Finance and leadership.

• Working knowledge of FLSA, FMLA, ADA, ACA, and multi-state wage and hour rules.

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, business, or related field, or equivalent experience.

Preferred:

• PHR or SHRM-CP.

• Experience in a PE-backed or acquisitive company, including integrations.

• Multi-site or multi-entity HR; UK exposure a plus.

• Bilingual (English/Spanish).

The Person We Want:

• Approachable and credible with production employees: you are as comfortable on the shop floor as in the boardroom.

• Even-handed: you advocate for employees while protecting the business, and both sides trust you.

• Direct and calm in conflict; you address issues early rather than letting them escalate.

• Detail-driven: payroll is right every time.

• Curious about data; you bring numbers, not just anecdotes, to people's decisions.

• Self-starter who enjoys building: you are energized by owning the work hands-on today and growing the function over time.

Benefits

• 401(k) matching
• Dental Insurance
• Health Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance 
• Employee assistance program 
• Paid time off
• Referral program 

Kitchen Brains is an Equal Opportunity Employer.