The Role
Lead and develop the HRBP team for manufacturing and customer support, manage HR processes, support training needs, and cultivate a positive work environment.
Summary Generated by Built In
We’re Tovala, a food-tech company reinventing home cooking to save consumers time. Through an innovative combination of hardware, software, and fresh food delivery, we make it incredibly simple for anyone to prepare and enjoy delicious, home-cooked meals without sacrificing time to do whatever matters to them. Through our superior technology, product experience and food quality, we have separated Tovala from the busy pack of other meal delivery businesses. In the process, we’ve amassed a loyal, rapidly growing following and our retention, product engagement and customer NPS are all best-in-class. We’ve raised over $100mm from great investors like Left Lane Capital, Origin Ventures, Y Combinator and Comcast Ventures and have invested strongly in building a unique culture that fosters growth, personal development and camaraderie.
We’re looking for a Senior Manager, People Partner (Manufacturing & CS) to lead talent / HR support for our Manufacturing and Customer Support teams. This role reports into our Chief People Officer, and oversees a team of three HRBPs while working closely with our Chief Manufacturing Officer and other leaders. This is a high-impact hands-on role for someone who likes being close to the work – building strong relationships, occasionally navigating tough situations, and making our plants and CS team(s) the best place to work.
This is a great role for a People leader with strong judgment, flawless follow-through, and the emotional intelligence to handle difficult issues with care and clarity. You’ll need to be comfortable balancing hands-on, in-the-weeds problem-solving with helping your team and our managers (and therefore the company at large) grow stronger over time.
Location: Chicago or Western Suburbs (must be willing to commute to both facilities in the South Side of Chicago and in Carol Stream, IL)
How you will spend your time at Tovala:
- Lead & Develop the HRBP Team
- Manage, coach, and develop a team of three HR Business Partners supporting Manufacturing and CS
- Act as a player-coach, providing hands-on support and modeling strong judgment, prioritization, and partnership
- Coach leaders through best practice on performance issues, corrective action, investigations, mediations, and terminations with clarity, care, and consistency
- Training, Development & Manager Capability
- Partner with Manufacturing and CS leadership to identify skill gaps and build practical training and development programs, especially for frontline and people managers
- Strengthen manager effectiveness through coaching, tools, and clear frameworks without over-engineering process
- Support change management efforts tied to manufacturing initiatives, growth, and operational shifts
- Partnership & On-the-Ground Presence
- Maintain a regular, visible presence in our production facilities (at least 3 days per week) to build trust and credibility and provide support to our leaders and teammates
- Step in to support facility as needed - demonstrate a “no task beneath me” mindset
- Act as a key People partner to the Chief Manufacturing Officer
- Assist Customer Support leaders with traditional HRBP partnership needs
About You:
- 7+ years of progressive People/HR experience with broad generalist exposure
- Prior experience managing and developing HRBPs or similar People roles
- Experience building and delivering practical training and development for frontline and people managers in operational environments
- Meaningful experience supporting large hourly populations; manufacturing or operational environments strongly preferred
- Deep comfort with employee relations, including complex, high-stakes situations
- Proven ability to build trust and influence leaders through strong relationships and credibility
- Strong judgment, follow-through, and attention to detail
- A pragmatic mindset: you value structure, but you don’t hide behind process
- Warm, confident, and emotionally intelligent presence, even in tough moments
Compensation & Benefits:
Tovala uses market data, geography, and placement of internal employees to determine salary. Additionally, we offer all employees real ownership in the company in the form of a competitive equity package.
- Flexible paid time off (with a minimum of 15 days off you are highly encouraged to take)
- Comprehensive healthcare coverage we really invest in
- 401k with match
- Free Tovala Smart Oven and discounted Tovala meals
- Paid holidays and our winter holiday office shutdown where the offices and facilities close for a week around Christmas and New Years
- Various other perks - recognition programs, continued learning stipend, casual dress code, in-office coffee, snacks and drinks, and Tovala swag
Our Values
> Put the Team First: We put what is best for the broader team ahead of what is best for ourselves or our immediate department.
> Get S#!t Done (Well): We celebrate people at all levels for delivering high impact work that expands the bounds of what we’re able to do.
> Connect the Dots: We engage with curiosity to learn how our work impacts others so that we can problem-solve holistically and work collaboratively.
> Be Direct: We share our perspective openly and directly, even when it feels difficult to do so.
> Embrace the Obstacles: We rise to meet challenges with a sense of urgency, resolve, and optimism.
> Champion the Customer: We consider and prioritize our customer in all of our decisions
At Tovala we‘re committed to building a workplace that represents a variety of backgrounds, skills, and perspectives and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Everyone is welcome here!
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The Company
What We Do
We're Tovala, a food-tech company completely reinventing how people eat & live. Through an innovative combination of hardware, software, and food creation, we give our customers a way to enjoy really good, good-for-you meals without sacrificing time to do the things that matter to them. We've amassed a loyal, rapidly growing following in just a few years, radically changing the day-to-day lives of people across the country and successfully creating a new model for the food industry.
Why Work With Us
The heart of Tovala is an ever-growing community of passionate, unique, culture-centric teammates from all different backgrounds and industries working together to make the magic happen. We're looking for great people to join our team of hard-working, fun-loving, food-focused folks who bring their full selves to work every day.
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