HR Operations Coordinator

Who We Are:

Are you ready to work at a dynamic institution that believes in higher education with lower obstacles? Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology (now known as Franklin Cummings Tech) is a nationally accredited non-profit, technical college serving Massachusetts. The college was seeded in 1791 with funds from the estate of Benjamin Franklin given to the City of Boston to proliferate access to apprenticeship and entrepreneurship. Today, that legacy has evolved into an accredited college that delivers accessible tech and trade education to level the playing field for aspiring talent.

With a mission to deliver transformative technical and trade education that leads to economic advancement, Franklin Cummings Tech offers a unique mix of certificates and degrees that appeal to enterprising students from Eastern Massachusetts and respond to employer demand for a well-prepared workforce. Intentional partnerships with the industries we serve coupled with high graduation and job placement rates, recently attracted the largest philanthropic gift in the history of the college from the Cummings Foundation, helping to spur incredible growth in the past four years.

Franklin Cummings Tech educates more than 1,000 learners annually across three student types: 1) certificate and degree seekers, 2) continuing education enrollees, and 3) early college students. As evidence that our mission holds resonance student enrollment is up and Fall 2027 applications have soared 16% year over year.

We seek optimistic, data-informed, and dedicated colleagues who are eager to increase student success outcomes and boost total enrollment to 1,500 learners by 2030. Join us in this mission-driven work.

Position Summary:

The HR Operations Coordinator serves as the operational bridge between Human Resources and the Business Office, ensuring that the administrative foundations of the employee lifecycle — onboarding documentation, employment eligibility verification, background checks, benefits administration, and HRIS records — are accurate, compliant, and seamless for employees. The coordinator owns Form I-9 verification and the College’s CORI background check process, serves as the day-to-day liaison to the Business Office on benefits and payroll matters, acts as the first point of contact for incoming employee HR questions, and provides administrative support across recruitment, onboarding, offboarding, and HR compliance activities. This role is ideal for a detail-oriented HR professional who takes pride in accuracy, confidentiality, and responsive service to a close-knit campus community.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

The following duties are representative of the work performed in this position. Other duties may be assigned based on organizational needs.

Employment Eligibility and Background Checks:

• Own and administer the Form I-9 process for all new hires, including timely completion, document verification, reverification, secure retention, and periodic self-audits, transitioning this function from the Business Office to Human Resources
• Implement and administer the College’s CORI background check program in compliance with Massachusetts law and DCJIS/iCORI requirements, including candidate acknowledgment forms, submission, secure handling of results, adjudication support, and compliant record retention and destruction
• Initiate background check screenings for new hires upon offer acceptance, monitor completion status, and communicate clearance to hiring managers and the Business Office to keep start dates on track
• Coordinate any additional pre-employment screening requirements (e.g., SORI, reference checks, credential verification) applicable to specific positions
• Maintain background check policies, tracking logs, and audit-ready documentation

Benefits and Payroll Liaison:

• Serve as the day-to-day operational liaison between Human Resources and the Business Office for benefits administration, including enrollments, qualifying life event changes, terminations, and COBRA notifications
• Reconcile monthly benefits invoices against enrollment records and resolve discrepancies with carriers and the Business Office
• Support annual open enrollment logistics, including employee communications, system setup, and enrollment tracking
• Coordinate with payroll on new hires, status changes, separations, and leave-related pay adjustments to ensure accurate and timely processing
• Support leave administration tracking and documentation, including FMLA and Massachusetts PFML paperwork

HR Administration and Onboarding:

• Coordinate onboarding logistics for new employees, including offer letter preparation, new hire paperwork, orientation scheduling, and first-day readiness across departments
• Deliver first-day new hire orientation for new staff members, including benefits enrollment guidance, required paperwork and policy acknowledgments, Paylocity setup, and introductions to key campus resources and departments
• Maintain accurate employee records in Paylocity and physical/electronic personnel files, and process employment verifications
• Coordinate employee offboarding from notice through final day, including exit paperwork, benefits terminations and COBRA notification, coordination with the Business Office on final pay and accrual payouts, Paylocity separation processing, collection of college property and systems access deactivation requests, and exit interview scheduling
• Support recruitment logistics, including job postings, interview scheduling, and search committee coordination
• Serve as the first point of contact for incoming HR questions from employees and managers, resolving routine inquiries regarding benefits, payroll timing, policies, and Paylocity navigation, and escalating complex or sensitive matters to HR leadership
• Track HR compliance calendars and deadlines (e.g., required postings, ACA reporting support, policy acknowledgments) and support HR projects and reporting as assigned