Human Resources Generalist - Payroll and Benefits

STAR Autism Support is looking for a Human Resources Generalist with a focus on Payroll and Benefits to join our HR team!

• Title: Human Resources Generalist
• Department: People Operations
• Schedule: Full-Time, Monday through Friday, regular business hours 
• Location: Hybrid in Beaverton, OR: Monday-Wed in-office and Th/Fr Work From Home.
• Reports to: HR Manager

STAR Autism Support (SAS) is a family-founded educational consulting company based in Portland, OR.   SAS provides curriculum materials, workshops and training to school and agency staff who work with students with autism and other developmental disabilities. Our unique and practical approach provides school districts with curriculum resources and a continuum of professional development activities to address the educational needs of student’s early childhood through post-secondary throughout the country and internationally.  

At SAS our goal is to cultivate a supportive, positive and welcoming work environment where all staff can successfully thrive. We value and celebrate equity, diversity, and inclusion.   Our vision of equity includes a continuous commitment to becoming an antiracist, multicultural organization.   We strive to provide all employees with a culture of curiosity and continued learning. 

Our HR team is a small and caring group of self-motivated individuals with a goal to provide excellent customer service to our employees. The contribution of each team member affects the whole each and every day. 

Who Are You?

Our ideal teammate:

• Is an experienced HR professional who holds yourself and your work to a high standard for the betterment of the team and company.
• Is a self-directed learner who is willing to apply direct feedback and continuously and humbly self-assess in order to grow personally and professionally.
• Desires good working relationships and is looking for a long-term home. 
• Understands that every situation is different and approaches each with a fair and unbiased perspective.
• Is able to effectively balance facts, logic and HR knowledge with personal opinions and emotions in order to make good decisions.
• Communicates well and loves collaborating with teammates, vendors, and contractors, all while providing excellent customer service.
• Is flexible and enjoys adapting to new challenges as the organization and its needs evolve.
• Can switch between big-picture projects and hands-on tasks, knowing that both are key to helping us succeed in our mission.

Position Summary/Objective
           

The Human Resource Generalist provides operational support to the Human Resources department, with responsibility for several HR functions including benefits and payroll. The HR Generalist supports and helps execute a variety of departmental initiatives, including the continuous improvement of the employee experience and the efficiency and effectiveness of all HR systems and processes.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

Benefits Administration:

• Responsible for the day-to-day functions of benefit administration
• Ensures the accuracy of all benefits enrollments in the HRIS, carrier platforms, and EDI connections and performs quality checks of benefits-related data
• Guides employees regarding benefits claim issues and plan changes
• Distributes all benefits enrollment materials and determines eligibility
• Responds to benefits inquiries from managers and employees on plan provisions, benefits enrollments, status changes and other general inquiries
• Works with finance department on benefit reconciliation, providing reports and info as requested
• Assists with and/or manages the open enrollment process
• Processes and administers all leave-of-absence and ADA accommodation requests
• Administers workers compensation program

Payroll/Time and Attendance

• Enters, maintains, and processes information in the payroll system including hourly rates, salaries, commissions, bonuses or other compensation, time worked, paid leave and holidays, deductions and withholding, and other relevant information
• Processes monthly payroll for U.S. employees and bi-weekly payroll for Puerto Rico employees 
• Ensures proper processing of payroll deductions for taxes, benefits, expense reimbursements, charitable contributions, and other deductions.
• Maintains international contractor platform (DEEL)
• Responsible for input of employee changes in ADP such as pay changes, promotions, etc.
• Approves changes to employee information such as name changes, address changes, W4 updates, etc.
• Pulls payroll reports and provides to finance department, bookkeeper, and others as requested
• Reviews and verifies accuracy of timecard data 
• Develops and provides time off, payroll, and timecard training for employees and managers
• Assesses payroll systems and processes and makes recommendations for updates to HRM 

Recruiting/Onboarding/Offboarding

• Provides administrative support to HRM and HPO for recruiting activities as requested
• Completes employee onboarding setup in ADP and finalizes hiring in ADP when onboarding is complete 
• Leads onboarding coordination for new hires including onboarding scheduling and calendar setup, communications with new employee, and management of onboarding paperwork
• Collaborates with Workplace Services Manager to provide all necessary workstation supplies, IT equipment, and software access permissions setup for new hires
• Sets onboarding check-in meetings for new hires and sends onboarding survey via Lattice
• Sends 30/60/90-day assessment reminders to managers and escalates results to HRM as needed
• Collaborates with HRM and WSM to complete offboarding tasks for all employee separations

HR Operations

• Serves as owner of the HR Inbox, reviewing regularly to ensure HR team members are responding in a timely manner and forwarding emails to appropriate parties when needed
• Monitors HR inbox for employee questions related to functional areas of responsibility; answers questions and troubleshoots issues in a timely manner, escalating complex or sensitive items to the HRM as needed
• Supports International Travel Visa Process and Customer Clearance Processes
• Maintains and update HRIS systems, ensuring data accuracy and integrity
• Generates HR reports for HPO and HRM and other departments as requested
• Prepares and maintain accurate records, files, and reports, including responsibility for maintaining employee records and ensuring compliance in functional areas of responsibility
• Assists in the development and implementation of HR policies and procedures
• Makes recommendations to improve HR systems and processes and support the HRM in implementing improvements 
• Provides support on annual processes as needed
• Assists with the implementation of HR related projects, organization initiatives, strategic goals, and company policies

 Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources or related field, or equivalent combination of education and work experience
• 2-4 years of human resources experience in a variety of HR functions
• Minimum of 1 year of payroll experience for a small to mid-size organization  
• Previous experience with HRIS and ATS systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional certification such as SHRM or HRCI
• Experience with ADP
• Experience overseeing or supporting company benefits programs
• Experience with a distributed workforce (multistate)
• Experience with multinational talent groups and/or international payroll
• Experience in Education, SaaS, and/or professional services industries

 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities     

Organizational KSA’s

• Strong verbal and written business communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate effectively
• Has a growth mindset, is curious, and interested in ongoing learning and development  
• Adaptable and easily able to pivot as needed
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail 
• Self-motivated and proficient at working both independently and as part of a team
• Intermediate Microsoft office skills and competence in a digital environment 

Role KSA’s

• Excellent emotional intelligence and conflict resolution skills
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills
• Excellent time management skills with the proven ability to meet deadlines
• Ability to manage multiple, ongoing projects 
• Strong business acumen and industry knowledge
• Ability to act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality
• Thorough knowledge of employment related laws and regulations, and HR best practices
• Proficiency with, or the ability to quickly learn, the company’s HRIS, payroll, and talent management systems

Work Environment 

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The job is performed indoors in a traditional office setting at a workstation with a telephone, headset, and computer. The noise level is moderate.

Home offices should be secure, quiet, and distraction-free as possible. Your work area should be ergonomic, clean, safe, and free of obstructions and hazardous situations.

Physical Demands (Capability Requirements)

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to enter text or data into a computer by means of a keyboard. The employee is required to sit for long periods of time and occasionally required to stand and walk up and down stairs. The employee is required to express or exchange ideas verbally to impart oral information and to convey detailed spoken instructions. Specific vision abilities required by this job include clarity of vision including reading small print and the use of computers. Specific hearing abilities required include the ability to hear, understand, and distinguish speech in person and over the phone.

The employee must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or qualifies for an accommodation 

The perks of working with us

Not only are you helping do good in the world, but you will be joining a team of passionate and exceptional people within a casual environment. We offer a full suite of benefits including: 

• Retirement plan options with company matching 
• Generous paid time off, including paid holidays and office closure days
• Paid COVID-19 sick leave 
• Health Insurance Coverage (Medical, Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending Accounts) 
• Life and Disability Insurance options 
• Employee Assistance Program
  

We are a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. STAR Autism Support (SAS) is committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We celebrate the differences that make each person unique, both at work and in the communities we serve. Using evidence-based practices we strive every day to make positive educational outcomes accessible to all students and educators. This commitment is also foundational to our company culture. We acknowledge that research shows that Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and women are significantly less likely to apply for some positions, believing they must meet every qualification as described in the job description. At STAR Autism Support, we value representation, and we are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job. We know that sometimes that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of the qualifications described in the job description.