HR & Accounting Manager

About The Opportunity

Our client is seeking a highly capable, experienced HR & Accounting professional to join their law firm in a unique role that combines Human Resources, Payroll, Benefits, Recruiting, and Accounting responsibilities. This is not a traditional, narrowly defined HR position. The role effectively combines two positions into one, requiring someone who can confidently move between people-focused responsibilities and financial/administrative functions.

The ideal candidate is a sharp, proactive, highly organized "mover and shaker" who can work with significant autonomy and minimal supervision. You should be comfortable identifying what needs to be done, taking ownership, and getting it done without needing constant direction.

This role is ideal for someone who:

• Has strong law firm experience.
• Understands both HR and accounting operations.
• Is comfortable owning processes from beginning to end.
• Has strong business acumen and professional judgment.
• Is an excellent active listener and communicator.
• Can work independently with little supervision.
• Takes ownership and proactively solves problems.
• Has demonstrated career stability and tenure with previous employers.

Responsibilities

Human Resources & Employee Relations

• Manage day-to-day HR functions and employee-related processes.
• Serve as a point of contact for employees and management regarding HR matters.
• Manage benefits administration and annual benefits renewals.
• Evaluate benefit cost changes and assist with benefits planning.
• Coordinate and serve as the primary point of contact with benefits brokers.
• Manage PTO requests and related scheduling coordination.
• Assist with employee onboarding and orientation.
• Provide employee counseling and support.
• Handle progressive discipline processes and documentation.
• Maintain appropriate employee records and HR documentation.
• Support management with employee-related issues and decisions.

Recruiting & Hiring

• Manage recruiting activities and candidate sourcing.
• Maintain active job listings and recruiting pipelines.
• Identify and attract qualified candidates.
• Coordinate interviews and hiring activities.
• Support the hiring and selection process.
• Coordinate onboarding for new employees.
• Work with management to understand staffing needs and priorities.
• Maintain an active awareness of the talent market.

Payroll Administration

• Manage payroll processes and coordinate with the payroll company.
• Process and review semi-monthly and monthly payroll.
• Manage payroll-related journal entries.
• Coordinate ACH transactions and payroll-related banking activity.
• Ensure payroll information is accurate and properly documented.
• Work with attorneys regarding commission-based compensation tied to collections.
• Coordinate payroll changes, deductions, adjustments, and related accounting entries.
• Serve as a primary point of contact with the payroll provider.

Accounting & Financial Administration

• Accounts Payable
• General accounting functions
• Journal entries
• ACH transactions
• Auto-drafts
• Banking
• Payroll accounting
• Financial reconciliations and documentation
• Coordination of recurring financial transactions
• Working with banking institutions and financial service providers

Banking Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day banking activities.
• Coordinate ACH transactions and transfers.
• Manage auto-draft activity.
• Monitor banking-related transactions.
• Coordinate with financial institutions as needed.

401(k) & Retirement Administration

• Manage administrative responsibilities related to the firm's 401(k) program.
• Coordinate with retirement plan providers.
• Assist with employee participation and related administrative matters.
• Maintain appropriate documentation and ensure processes are completed accurately.

Benefits Administration

• Manage annual benefits renewal processes.
• Review and communicate benefit cost changes.
• Coordinate negotiations and communications with benefits brokers.
• Serve as the firm's primary point of contact for benefit-related matters.
• Assist employees with benefits questions and administration.
• Coordinate changes and enrollment activities.

Calendar & Office Coordination

• Manage and coordinate calendars related to PTO, time off, meetings, and employee schedules.
• Coordinate employee availability and time-off requests.
• Help ensure appropriate staffing and scheduling coverage.
• Maintain accurate records of employee time-off activities.

Requirements

What We're Looking For:

• 5-15+ years of professional experience in HR, accounting, payroll, or a combination of these functions.
• Law firm experience is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience working with payroll, benefits, accounting, and HR functions.
• Experience with journal entries, ACH transactions, banking, and payroll accounting.
• Recruiting and hiring experience.
• Experience managing employee relations and progressive discipline.
• Benefits administration and broker/vendor management experience.
• Strong organizational and administrative skills.
• Excellent communication and active listening abilities.
• Strong business acumen and professional judgment.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.

Ideal Candidate

We're looking for someone who is a high-level generalist and problem solver. This person needs to be comfortable wearing multiple hats and switching between HR, accounting, payroll, recruiting, and administrative responsibilities throughout the day.

The ideal candidate is:

• Sharp - Understands business operations and can quickly grasp complex situations.
• A Mover & Shaker - Doesn't wait to be told what needs to happen.
• Proactive - Identifies problems and opportunities before they become issues.
• Highly Organized - Can manage numerous responsibilities without losing track of details.
• Strong Listener - Understands what people are communicating and responds appropriately.
• Independent - Comfortable working autonomously without constant oversight.
• Accountable - Takes ownership of responsibilities and follows them through to completion.
• Discreet & Professional - Understands the sensitive nature of HR, payroll, financial, and employee information.

Independence & Autonomy

This is an extremely autonomous position. The successful candidate will work largely on their own and under little day-to-day supervision. Management is looking for someone they can trust to take ownership of responsibilities, make sound decisions, identify priorities, and keep important processes moving. You won't be successful in this position if you need someone constantly checking in or providing step-by-step instructions. You need to know what needs to be done—and do it.

Career Stability

Our client is particularly interested in candidates who have demonstrated long-term tenure and stability throughout their careers. Ideally, candidates will have:

• 4+ years with a previous employer, preferably longer.

The firm is looking for someone who wants to become a long-term member of the organization, not someone who changes positions every year or two.

Compensation

The client's preference is toward the lower end of the range, depending on experience, qualifications, and overall fit. Candidates with exceptional law firm experience and the ability to successfully manage both the HR and accounting sides of the position may command compensation toward the higher end of the range.

Work Environment

Primarily On-Site

This position requires a strong physical presence within the office. Once established in the firm, an occasional work-from-home day for home repair work or other similar need would be considered. The firm does not, as a rule, offer scheduled work-from-home days. The ideal candidate should be comfortable working primarily in the office and being directly accessible to attorneys, employees, management, and outside vendors.

Why This Role Is Different

This isn't simply an HR position. It's essentially two roles merged into one. You'll have the opportunity to become a critical operational resource within the law firm, overseeing everything from benefits, recruiting, and employee relations to payroll, accounting, banking, and financial administration. For the right person, this is an opportunity to have significant ownership, autonomy, visibility, and impact within a professional law firm environment.