HR Generalist

Little Island is seeking a thoughtful, detail-oriented HR Generalist to support and enhance the daily operations of our Human Resources team. In this role, you’ll manage a wide range of HR responsibilities—from onboarding and benefits administration to compliance, employee relations, and HRIS optimization. Your work will ensure our systems run smoothly and support a positive employee experience across the organization.

We’re looking for someone who enjoys being a go-to resource, thrives in a collaborative environment, and brings both structure and warmth to their work. You'll report to the Assistant Director of HR Operations and partner closely with departments across Little Island to build efficient processes, maintain effective communication, and support a respectful workplace culture.

What You’ll Do

Employee Experience & HR Operations

• Serve as a knowledgeable and approachable point of contact for employees, providing guidance on HR topics such as benefits, leave policies, workplace guidelines, and general employee support.
• Build trusted relationships with team members and managers to support effective communication and positive employee relations.
• Collaborate on onboarding and manage offboarding processes via our HRIS, ensuring timely, accurate follow-ups.
• Maintain well-organized and current digital personnel records, with support from the HR Coordinator.
• Monitor and manage the HR@ inbox, ensuring prompt and helpful responses.
• Advance the implementation and communication of policies and processes aligned with Little Island culture, values, and CBA commitments.

Benefits & Payroll Support

• Oversee benefits administration: enrollments, changes, open enrollment, and employee education.
• Coordinate wellness programs and initiatives for staff.
• Support 401(k) plan management including education and enrollment.
• Coordinate and manage employee leave programs (FMLA, parental, personal, etc.) by partnering with employees and supervisors, ensuring compliance, accurate tracking, and proper documentation—going beyond administrative tasks to provide guidance and support throughout the leave process.
• Lead the workers' compensation process from incident reporting through resolution, ensuring timely documentation and providing empathetic, high-touch support to team members throughout their recovery journey.
• Partner with Finance to ensure payroll inputs reflect changes in benefits, compensation, and leave.

HRIS Management & Process Improvement

• Optimize use of our HRIS (ExtensisHR) to improve workflows, streamline operations, and enhance the employee experience.
• Maintain accurate HRIS data and generate reports to support audits and compliance.
• Lead HRIS training and orientation for new team members.
• Drive process improvement initiatives by identifying inefficiencies, collaborating cross-functionally to build scalable workflows, and enhancing HR Operations to meet organizational needs.

Compliance & Policy Support

• Stay abreast of labor laws and HR best practices in service to managing and updating internal policies as well as the employee handbooks to ensure compliance and consistent application across the organization.
• Maintain current labor law postings and oversee digital policy documentation.
• Assist with compliance audits and required staff trainings.
• Help prepare OSHA reports and ensure timely annual reporting.
• Support workplace investigations as needed, partnering with the Assistant Director of HR Operations to ensure a fair, thorough, and respectful process.

Offboarding & Transitions

• Draft internal departure announcements and support the exit interview process.
• Manage offboarding logistics: timely HRIS terminations, benefits wrap-up, PTO payout calculations.
• Assist with unemployment claims and liaise with third-party vendors as needed.

Team & Culture

• Collaborate across departments to support an engaging and high-performing workplace culture.
• Contribute to ongoing HR projects and organization-wide initiatives.
• Participate in regular HR, payroll, and staff meetings.
• Assist in planning team events and special projects as needed.

What You Bring

• 5 years of well-rounded HR experience, with hands-on involvement in onboarding, benefits, compliance, and HR operations—ideally in a fast-paced or arts & culture environment
• Solid knowledge of employment laws and HR best practices, including experience supporting policy development and compliance tracking (FMLA, OSHA, ACA, etc.)
• Proficiency with HRIS systems and data management, including running reports, maintaining accurate records, and training others on HR tech (experience with ExtensisHR and Airtable is a plus)
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple processes and deadlines simultaneously
• Clear and professional communication skills, both written and verbal, to support employee guidance, draft internal communications, and work cross-functionally
• Confidence in handling of confidential information, with a high level of discretion and professionalism
• A proactive, solutions-oriented mindset, with the ability to identify process improvements and implement changes effectively
• Collaborative and approachable team player, comfortable working across departments and building relationships with staff at all levels
• Spanish fluency is a plus, to support inclusive communication and employee relations
• Ability to remain stationary for extended periods, climb stairs, and occasionally lift up to 10 pounds.
• Eligibility to work in the U.S.

For full job description, benefits details, and application please visit our employment page: https://littleisland.org/employment/