HR Generalist

About the Role

We’re looking for an experienced, hands-on HR Generalist to join our Human Resources team and help deliver an exceptional employee experience across Buff City Soap. This is a great opportunity for someone who loves the variety of HR and enjoys being the person employees and managers can count on to help get things done. No two days will look exactly the same; you may be helping a manager navigate an employee situation, onboarding a new hire, answering a benefits question, updating information in our HRIS, supporting payroll, or improving an HR process that could work better. You’ll work closely with the Director of Human Resources while independently owning many of the day-to-day HR activities that keep our people processes running smoothly.

We’re looking for someone who is approachable, organized, resourceful, and confident enough to take ownership as well as someone who can balance being employee-focused with good judgment, follow-through, and attention to detail.

What You'll Do

• Serve as a trusted first point of contact for everyday employee and manager HR questions.
• Coach and support managers through routine performance, attendance, policy, and employee relations matters.
• Aid in employee relations documentation, fact-finding, and investigations, escalating complex or high-risk matters as appropriate.
• Carefully coordinate recruiting activities, candidate communications, offers, and pre-employment processes.
• Own onboarding and offboarding activities and help create a seamless employee experience.
• Process promotions, transfers, compensation changes, leaves of absence, and separations.
• Administer employee benefits and help employees navigate enrollments, qualifying life events, leaves, and benefit questions.
• Support payroll processing, data validation, corrections, and employee payroll questions.
• Maintain accurate employee information within our HRIS, timekeeping, and related systems.
• Support compliance with employment laws, company policies, required documentation, and reporting deadlines.
• Maintain employee records and HR documentation.
• Prepare reports and help identify trends or opportunities within our people data.
• Support employee engagement, recognition, communication, and other HR initiatives.
• Look for ways to simplify, improve, and scale HR processes as the organization evolves.

What We're Looking For

• 3–5 years of progressive Human Resources experience, ideally in an HR Generalist or similarly broad HR role.
• Experience supporting employee relations and coaching managers through everyday people matters.
• Working knowledge of employment laws and HR compliance practices.
• Experience with employee benefits, HRIS administration, and employee lifecycle processes.
• Familiarity with payroll processes and data validation.
• Strong judgment and the ability to recognize when an issue should be escalated.
• Excellent organization and follow-through with strong attention to detail.
• A service-oriented approach and the ability to build trusted relationships with employees and managers.
• Comfort working independently, prioritizing competing needs, and taking ownership of your work.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
• Bonus points for:
• Experience with ADP Workforce Now or a similar HRIS/payroll platform.
• Multi-state HR experience.
• Experience in retail, franchising, multi-location, or another fast-paced environment.
• SHRM-CP, PHR, or another HR certification.

You'll Probably Love This Role If...

• You like being a true HR generalist.
• You enjoy the operational details, but you also want to work directly with people and solve problems.
• You don't need every day to look the same, you're comfortable figuring things out, and you take pride in being someone your team can rely on.
• Most importantly, you enjoy making HR work better for employees, managers, and the business.