Human Resources (HR) Assistant

Who We Are

Children’s Law Center is a mission-driven organization focused on providing high-quality legal services to children and families in DC. As an organization, we envision a world in which all children have a strong foundation of family, health and education and are free from poverty, trauma, racism and other forms of oppression. Our mission is to do this work together with DC children and families, Children’s Law Center uses the law to solve children’s urgent problems today, improve the systems that will affect their lives tomorrow and strengthen our community so that change endures. A key part of our mission is to challenge and reduce ways in which racism and other biases – structural and interpersonal – prevent each of us, our organization and the systems in which we work from providing children a strong foundation from which to thrive.

Our greatest assets are our people. We recognize that people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives fuel our ability to provide the best outcomes for our clients and our community. Staff members at Children’s Law Center advance the organization’s mission through their leadership, result-oriented mindset and commitment to cultural humility. We are looking for individuals who like to be challenged to grow both personally and professionally and value the opportunity to make a difference in their community. Children's Law Center's continued success depends on recruiting and retaining individuals who possess and exemplify these attributes. 

Program Description

The HIRED team, which is an acronym for Human Resources (HR) and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), leads Children’s Law Center’s commitment and strategy to be a diverse, anti-racist, equitable, and inclusive organization with solid talent and HR policies, practices and procedures that undergird all of our work.

Job Summary

The Human Resources (HR) Assistant is an experienced professional who handles the daily administrative duties of Human Resources and responds to inquiries from Children’s Law Center’s staff. The HR Assistant will support recruitment, benefits, leave administration, HR communications, scheduling, employee record-keeping and maintenance, file maintenance and Human Resources Information System (HRIS) data entry within both ADP and SharePoint. The HR Assistant will serve as administrative support to the Chief Human Resources and Equity Officer (CHREO) and the human resource function as needed.

Role Responsibilities

Administrative Support

• Provides a wide range of complex administrative support for CHREO.
• Works directly with the CHREO to support all aspects of their daily work.
• Provides coordination, monitoring and communication of projects and programs managed by the CHREO.
• Determines priority of matters of attention for the CHREO and redirect matters to other staff to handle or handles matters personally, as appropriate.
• Schedules and organizes all meetings, including organizing catering when needed, for all team meetings or meetings led by the team, CHREO and other meetings as requested. This includes reserving meeting rooms, coordinating set up and clean up, ensuring appropriate equipment is set up, preparing and delivering materials, such as handouts, and performing other related tasks.
• Manages the calendar of the CHREO. Maintains action items for CHREO and ensures CHREO action items are complete via reminders, time blocks and re-occurring follow-ups.
• Takes minutes during meetings. This includes sending after-meeting notes, action items and deadlines, along with action items and deadline reminders before meetings.
• Drafts, proofreads and edits documents produced by the team. Assists or prepares correspondence as requested.
• Processes required paperwork for employee promotions, transfers, changes in job classification, salary increases, terminations and other related employment matters.
• Assists with preparing human resource tracking and reports, such as attendance, new hire, turnover reports and others as assigned.
• Makes photocopies, mail scans and emails documents and performs other clerical functions.
• Prepares and maintains employee files. Files documents into appropriate employee files.

HR Coordination

• Recruitment Support:
  • Manage the recruitment (jobs) inbox, organizes information into folders and responds to applicant inquiries as directed. Schedules meetings and interviews as requested. Provide support as directed for the Law Clerk and Intern Program.
  • Maintains records of training and development activities, attendance, results of tests and assessments and retraining requirements related to recruitment and onboarding.
• Onboarding Support:
  • Schedules and coordinates onboarding meetings and trainings as directed. Completes I-9 forms, verifies I-9 documentation and maintains I-9 files in ADP. Prints building ID for new staff. Prepares new hire welcome gift. Orders staff gifts and new hire gifts as directed.
• Inclusive Programing Support:
  • Develops plans, communications and events for organizational inclusive programing, ensuring cultural humility is centered in design and implementation, as directed.
  • Plans all events in accordance with the team guidelines for inclusivity, including the implementation of best practices for food allergies, the creation of accessible event materials and other measures designed to ensure events are welcoming to all attendees.
• Performance Management Support:
  • Drafts, schedules and sends communications for the performance development program as directed.
  • Schedules trainings and creates graphics and flyers for communications for the performance development program.
• Customer Service for Human Resources:
  • Performs customer service functions by answering employee requests and questions.
  • Is familiar with organizational policies and benefits and can respond to staff questions.
  • Accurately follows existing standard operating procedures, updates procedures as needed and identifies and creates missing procedures.

Other Duties

• Provides administrative support of the HR function as directed and/or requested by team members.
• Develops HR project plans. Coordinates projects and communicates project changes and progress with stakeholders. Completes projects on time and within budget.
• Volunteers readily and ask for and offer help when needed.
• Undertakes self-development activities and seek increased responsibilities.
• Generates suggestions for improving work.

Qualifications

• A detail-oriented self-starter with prior experience in Human Resources, Communications and project management.
• Someone who exhibits sound judgment, including the ability to research questions, propose solutions, prioritize tasks and make decisions.
• Concise verbal and written communication skills.
• Skilled in building rapport, listening and solving problems for customers.
• Effective organizational and attention to detail skills that minimize errors.
• Project management skills, including time management skills and a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Experience taking meeting minutes.
• Experience with Human Resources Information System (HRIS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms or related software.
• Experience drafting and proofreading communications (i.e. emails, memos, policies and presentations).
• Proficient with Adobe Acrobat or related software.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
• Experience with Canva, InDesign or related software preferred.

Required Skills and Experience

• One to three years’ experience in an administrative support role supporting an individual leader or supporting a cross-organizational team, such as Human Resources or Communications.

Organizational Competencies

• Cultural Humility – an openness to self-reflection and to understanding and respecting other cultural experiences and points of view and viewing individuals as experts in their own culture and experiences.
• Giving and Receiving Feedback – the ability to be self-reflective, give and receive appreciative, coaching, constructive, interpersonal and evaluative feedback.
• Conflict Management – a process which is designed to guide individuals and groups from the moment of conflict to the implementation of an identified solution. This process incorporates skills and techniques, including recognizing points of conflict, identifying the facts and feelings involved to get to the root of the issue, investigating equitable solutions, implementing and evaluating solutions, and supporting and guiding others throughout the process.

Hybrid Working Conditions

Children’s Law Center is currently operating on a hybrid work schedule. Employees are required to work in-person from Children’s Law Center’s office a minimum of two days per week. At least one of these days must be either Tuesday or Wednesday. The hybrid work schedule is subject to change based on organizational needs and/or best practices for health and safety. Hybrid work expectations may vary depending upon role responsibilities.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. Children’s Law Center is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Background Checks

Candidates who receive a conditional offer of employment will be subject to a background check.

EEO

Children’s Law Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and existing employees. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to ancestry, age, color, disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. We invite you to visit our website to learn more about our company and our career opportunities (https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/).

DEI Statement

Children’s Law Center is dedicated to building a world that is inclusive in approach and has equal opportunities and equitable outcomes for all. Our organization is committed to developing and supporting a robustly diverse, equitable, inclusive and anti-racist community, where all members can create and feel a sense of belonging. Through our collective deliberate efforts, we work toward racial and social justice for children and families in DC.