Sr. Manager P&O Operations & Compliance - Le Mars, IA or Chicago, IL

Company: Wells Enterprises (a Ferrero Company)

Functional Area: P&O

The Role

The Senior P&O Operations & Compliance Manager provides leadership for P&O operations and enterprise-wide P&O compliance programs, ensuring adherence to federal, state, and local employment laws while driving operational excellence across the P&O function. This role partners with Legal, Payroll, Benefits, People Business Partners, business leaders, and external vendors to develop compliant P&O policies, mitigate organizational risk, oversee audits, manage P&O Shared Services, and implement process improvements. The position serves as a trusted advisor on employment law, P&O governance, and regulatory compliance while leading initiatives that enhance the employee experience and strengthen operational effectiveness.

What You’ll Do

P&O Compliance & Governance

• Lead enterprise P&O compliance initiatives to ensure adherence to employment laws, regulations, and company policies.
• Monitor changes in employment legislation and regulatory requirements, assess organizational impact, and recommend appropriate actions.
• Develop implementation strategies for new regulatory requirements and guide cross-functional teams through execution.
• Maintain P&O governance standards, compliance frameworks, and operational controls.
• Coordinate the organization's Affirmative Action Program (AAP) in partnership with external consultants.
• Oversee employee records management and records retention practices to ensure legal compliance.

Policy Management

• Partner with Legal to develop, review, and update employee handbook policies and P&O procedures.
• Maintain and update P&O toolkits, standard operating procedures, and policy documentation.
• Ensure consistent application of P&O policies across the organization.

Training & Organizational Compliance

• Design and implement P&O compliance education programs.
• Develop and maintain required compliance training, including Respect in the Workplace and Employee Handbook training.
• Monitor completion of mandatory compliance training and implement corrective actions where necessary.
• Recommend new learning initiatives based on legislative and regulatory changes.

Employment Law & Employee Relations

• Partner with Legal to manage responses to EEOC, state agency, and other government employment claims.
• Manage P&O -related Ethics Hotline investigations and coordinate appropriate resolutions.
• Participate in ADA accommodation discussions with Benefits and business leadership, ensuring compliance with applicable laws.
• Track accommodation requests and monitor case outcomes.

Immigration & Employment Authorization

• Serve as the P&O subject matter expert for employment authorization and immigration compliance.
• Partner with external immigration vendors to manage non-sponsored work authorization processes.
• Ensure timely completion, documentation, and tracking of employment authorization requirements.
• Provide guidance to leaders and employees regarding work authorization compliance.

P&O Operations & Shared Services

• Lead P&O Service Center operations to ensure efficient, high-quality service delivery.
• Develop operational metrics, dashboards, and reporting, including P&O Service Center call log analytics.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance P&O processes, service delivery, and operational efficiency.
• Support payroll and retirement plan compliance activities, including Nonresident Alien (NRA) reporting.
• Expat compliance, including but not limited to assistance with work authorizations/VISA, understand, interpret the Expat guidelines and answer questions from posed by the expat employees.

Audit & Risk Management

• Lead internal P&O compliance audits, including I-9 audits and personnel file reviews.
• Facilitate customer social compliance audits, including Walmart and Costco assessments.
• Coordinate audit preparation, corrective action planning, and ongoing compliance monitoring.
• Identify organizational compliance risks and develop mitigation strategies.

Leadership & Strategic Partnership

• Partner with P&O leadership, Legal, Payroll, Benefits, and business leaders to align P&O operations with organizational objectives.
• Provide expert guidance on P&O compliance, employment law, and operational best practices.
• Lead cross-functional projects that improve governance, reduce risk, and strengthen P&O service delivery.

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