Opportunity Snapshot

This is a high impact opportunity to drive the strategic staffing plan at our new greenfield plant in Concord and support expansion at our current facility in Charlotte. We anticipate creating more than 200 new jobs within the first five years at Concord and you will become a transformational force in our continued growth. As an innovative, forward thinking company, we are hiring with an eye on the future, seeking like-minded players who can grow alongside us and move us forward as an organization.

Partnering with the Charlotte HR team, you will provide support for the full scope of HR functions at the new plant. While this is a true hands-on generalist role, there is a strong emphasis on employee development and process improvements. Pivotal to your success in a startup environment is your ability to partner with Plant Management, articulate a strategic staffing vision that aligns HR objectives with overall business objectives, influence others to embrace this vision and relentlessly drive it to completion.

You won't be afraid to ask the hard questions: How are we assessing talent? What can we do to create a more productive and engaged work force? And, you will drive the policies, procedures and best practices that will create our future leaders. Consequently, relationship building and influencing skills are at the heart of this role along with functional HR expertise and a demonstrated ability to work independently at both the strategic and tactical level.

Celgard is a recognized global leader in developing, manufacturing, and marketing battery separators that are used in high performance lithium battery applications. Celgard® battery separators are polypropylene and/or polyethylene electrolytic membranes that offer excellent product uniformity, strength, chemical stability, and energy performance. Our expansion is designed to increase production capacity to supply lithium battery manufacturers focused on the Electric Drive Vehicle industry and we're helping realize the promise of a greener economy.
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What Else You'll Bring to the Table

In addition to the qualifications detailed above, you'll need:

• Bachelor's degree.
• SPHR/PHR or comparable certification.
• 10+ years of progressive HR experience including compensation, benefits administration, recruitment and talent development within a high-tech manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of federal and state employment laws, including AAP compliance requirements.
• Proven management skills and impressive as well as assertive leadership qualities.
• The ability to persuade others into action through formulation of strong business partnerships.
• Strong verbal, written and interpersonal communication abilities.
• Strong organizational skills, including the ability to accomplish demanding timeline objectives, multi-task on assignments and be comfortable with change and continuous improvement.
• Sound judgment and the ability to develop and articulate policies and procedures.
• A strong sense of ethics and values.
• Organizational development/training certifications with DDI is a plus.

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What's in It for You

• Ground floor opportunity to become an integral part of a new plant -- you'll be involved in the full spectrum of HR activities at Concord, interacting with both internal and external stakeholders as you shape the policies and procedures that will allow us to attract and retain high caliber talent. Not to mention, our workforce is diverse, the challenges are intriguing, and the environment is fun.
• Autonomy and support -- while we'll look to you to achieve your goals with minimal supervision, the Charlotte HR team works collaboratively and you'll get to learn from each other. So, you'll have support when you need it and "elbow room" when you don't.
• Career development -- Celgard dynamically stewards its resources, particularly our most important resource: our people. Because of our unique market niches and proprietary technologies, we prefer to promote from within whenever possible. Assuming you deliver results, you can evolve your career along multiple directions, including international opportunities within Celgard and our other divisions.
• Standing tall amidst recession -- Celgard and our parent company, Polypore International, Inc., continue to grow, as our product line is used in a diverse number of applications including laptops, cell phones, digital cameras, medical devices, and various military applications. In addition:
  • In 2008, we acquired a new technology along with production facilities in Korea, so that we now have the broadest portfolio in our industry. In 2010, we announced plans to expand our Korean facility to serve growth in the consumer electronics market.
  • In 2009, we received a matching grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support the development of a U.S.-based electric drive vehicle (EDV) market. In 2010 we announced plans to use the DOE grant funding to expand capacity at our existing Charlotte facility and build a new manufacturing facility in Concord, N.C.
• Excellent compensation -- in addition to a competitive salary and bonus incentive program, we offer comprehensive benefits.

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Position Specifics

Reporting to the Vice President of Human Resources, you will join a team of four other Generalists at our Charlotte facility. But we plan on breaking ground on the new facility in 2010 and you will be one of the first to move to the Concord location.

As you come on board, we will expect you to quickly gain a thorough understanding of our people, products and systems to begin making a real impact. You will focus on accomplishing the following goals within the first six months:

• Implementing the Electric Drive Vehicle staffing plan and achieving success in that market.
• Evaluating performance gaps in our current employment processes and driving continuous improvements, including DDI's behavioral based interviewing techniques and other targeted selection methodologies, to allow us to acquire and retain top-notch talent.

At a high level, you will initially spend about 80% of your time with employment and talent selection initiatives; and the remaining time with internal client responsibilities and activities related to a startup environment. Specifically, your responsibilities will be to:

• Design and implement HR processes that attract and retain high caliber talent.
• Partner with leadership and HR counterparts to plan and implement strategies that ensure maximum engagement of employees.
• Create and implement HR policies and procedures that align with organizational needs and position the organization to maintain a union-free facility.
• Ensure timely full-cycle performance management by leading/implementing results review process, salary administration and people planning activities.
• Coach and counsel employees on HR policies and procedures.

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Keys to Success

To excel in this role you will assume full ownership of HR delivery for the plant, striking an appropriate balance between forward-thinking strategic activities and hands-on execution of the implementation details. You will also exude a customer-centric, approachable demeanor as you interact and build relationships with diverse personalities and styles both within and outside the organization. You'll have the ability to sell new ways of thinking and behaving via influence and persuasion, motivating stakeholders to embrace change. Other facets of success are to:

• Showcase proactive initiative in seeing what needs to be done and doing it as well as recommending ways to improve processes.
• Grasp the importance of employee development and bring a proactive and creative approach to HR within those guidelines.
• Remain flexible as things change in a fluid environment.
• Deliver on multiple, competing priorities and challenging timelines while maintaining "grace under pressure" at all times.
• Inspire excellence and make contributions beyond the scope of your position.

If this sounds like the right mix of challenge and opportunity for you, and you meet the minimum qualifications, we want to hear from you!

Who We Are

Celgard is a leading global supplier of microporous separators used in lithium-ion batteries and is one of the largest participants in the U.S. lithium battery supply chain. Celgard® separators are used in lithium-ion batteries for personal electronics devices such as notebook computers, mobile phones, digital cameras, power tools, and new applications such as reserve power/grid management systems and EDVs. These separators play a critical role in the performance and life of lithium-ion battery cells by providing a barrier between the positive and negative electrodes -- preventing short circuits while controlling the exchange of lithium ions from one side of the battery to the other.

Celgard is part of Polypore International, Inc, a global high technology filtration company specializing in microporous membranes. Polypore's flat sheet and hollow fiber membranes are used in specialized applications that require the removal or separation of various materials from liquids, primarily in the ultrafiltration and microfiltration markets. Based in Charlotte, NC, Polypore International, Inc is a market leader with manufacturing facilities or sales offices in ten countries serving six continents.