HR Generalist

The HR Generalist helps create a positive employee experience while ensuring HR processes, records, and systems are organized, compliant, and supportive of business needs. The role serves as an approachable and trusted resource for employees and managers, balancing attention to detail with a practical understanding of people, culture, and day-to-day operations.

Success in this role means providing responsive support, building trust, following work through to completion, and helping translate employee and business needs into practical HR solutions. The HR Generalist also researches assigned questions and supports projects that improve the employee experience and strengthen HR operations.

Essential Responsibilities

1. Employee and Manager Support

• Serve as a front-line HR resource, helping employees and managers understand policies, processes, available resources, and next steps.

• Provide timely, respectful, and practical support while maintaining confidentiality and consistent treatment.

• Support managers with routine documentation, attendance, performance processes, and employee questions within established guidance.

• Gather and organize facts and records for management review and promptly elevate concerns requiring additional HR, legal, safety, or leadership involvement.

2. Employee Experience and Culture

• Help employees feel informed, welcomed, and supported throughout onboarding, employment changes, and offboarding.

• Support employee communication, recognition, engagement, appreciation, and other activities that strengthen teamwork and connection.

• Represent company values through responsive service, respectful communication, consistency, and care for employees.

• Listen for recurring employee or manager needs and recommend improvements to communication, resources, or HR processes.

3. HR Operations, Records and Compliance

• Maintain accurate, complete, and timely employee records and HRIS information in UKG, OnBase, and other approved systems.

• Coordinate pre-employment requirements, onboarding, employee changes, performance-review administration, and offboarding activities.

• Maintain assigned compliance requirements, reports, postings, records, and recurring deadlines, including support for drug and alcohol program administration and DOT-related documentation.

• Review records and processes for gaps, correct issues, and raise material risks or inconsistencies before they create broader problems.

• Provide dependable backup support for assigned HR and payroll processes after demonstrating proficiency.

4. Research, Projects and Business Support

• Research assigned HR, workforce, compliance, vendor, and operational questions using reliable internal and external sources.

• Organize findings, identify practical considerations and risks, and provide a clear recommendation for management review.

• Support HR projects, audits, process improvements, and implementation of approved changes.

• Develop practical guides, procedures, checklists, communications, and tools that help employees and managers succeed.

• Understand how HR work affects employees, managers, payroll, safety, operations, and the broader business.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

• Minimum four years of progressive HR experience involving employee support, HR operations, compliance, records management, and project work. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, research unfamiliar topics, and provide practical recommendations.

• Demonstrated ability to independently organize work, manage multiple priorities, identify issues, and develop practical recommendations.

• Working knowledge of employment requirements and sound judgment regarding when additional review or expertise is needed.

• Ability to research unfamiliar topics, evaluate information from multiple sources, organize findings, and translate conclusions into practical recommendations and work products.

• Experience with HRIS and electronic document-management systems; UKG and OnBase experience preferred.

• PHR or SHRM-CP preferred. Experience supporting a multi-location, operational, construction, transportation, or DOT-regulated workforce is helpful.