Human Resources Generalist

About the role

At KIPP, our people are the heart of our work. The HR Generalist is KNOS's frontline people-operations lead for onboarding, offboarding, HRIS stewardship, and payroll data integrity, making sure every teammate's employment journey is smooth, timely, and compliant so schools can stay focused on students. The role executes end-to-end new-hire activation and separations, maintains accurate ADP records and digital personnel files, supports supplemental compensation and compliance operations (stipends, garnishments, non-employee clearances), and partners with Payroll/Finance and school leaders to ensure clean handoffs and clear communication. Success looks like on-time clearances and separations, near-perfect first-paycheck accuracy with minimal post-pay corrections, and audit-ready records that meet KNOS policy and state and federal requirements. By driving consistent processes and continuous improvement across the employee lifecycle, the HR Generalist advances equitable, dependable operations that support retention and high performance across the network.

This is an in-person role. The HR Generalist works on-site at the KNOS regional office and partner schools every working day. This role requires daily, hands-on presence to facilitate onboarding sessions, manage confidential personnel files, and coordinate directly with school-based teams; it is not eligible for remote or hybrid work.

Responsibilities

• Onboarding, Clearances & New-Hire Activation: Drive end-to-end new-hire activation in HRIS once an offer is accepted, completing all employment and payroll data (demographic, job, compensation, tax, direct deposit, I-9) in time for the first paycheck. Facilitate and support new hire onboarding and orientation on-site. Review background-check results, flag exceptions to HR leadership, and document clearance outcomes before an employee's start date. Manage mid-year onboarding cycles and set up hourly/para roles correctly (employee group, FLSA status, pay group, time & attendance). Assign and track required training (e.g., mandated reporting, ethics) and maintain rosters.
• Offboarding & Separations: Execute accurate, timely employee separations. Complete state-required forms such as LWC Form 77. Respond to unemployment claims and other state agency requests within required deadlines.
• Digital Records: Maintain accurate records in HRIS, ensuring precision, timeliness, and completeness of employee records across the full lifecycle. Maintain secure digital personnel files.
• Payroll, Compensation & PAF Operations: Process pay changes. Provide clear, first-line answers to employee pay questions and escalate complex issues appropriately.
• Verification, Records & Regulatory Reporting: Complete employment and income verifications, statutory disclosures, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) employer certifications within service-level expectations. Maintain personnel record retention and audit readiness in line with KNOS policy and applicable state and federal law.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & HR Support: Cross‑train with peer HR Generalists to ensure seamless coverage across onboarding, offboarding, payroll prep, and HR systems. Maintain clear communications, FAQs, and tracking tools so stakeholders always know what's due and when. Write and maintain HR standard operating procedures and templates, and cross-train with peer HR Generalists to ensure seamless on-site coverage.

Qualifications

Required:

• Education & Credentials: Bachelor's Degree
• Experience: 3–5+ years broad HR experience or K-12 school administrative experience
• Knowledge: Core HR: Classification & compensation basics, FLSA, HR file hygiene, I-9/E-Verify, and HIPAA and FERPA awareness for staff; Investigations support and documentation best practices.
• Technical Skills & Tools: HRIS/Payroll platforms; Google Workspace/Microsoft 365; e-signature; form automation; Excel/Sheets trackers; HR ticketing or case management.
• Personal affinity to our mission and vision, as well as demonstrated commitment to our 5 core beliefs - Relentlessness, Elevation, Achievement, Community, and Hope
• Offers are contingent upon successful completion of a professional reference check, proof of identity and work authorization (all KNOS employees must complete an I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form), a state background check, and verification of teaching experience

Strongly Preferred:

• ADP proficiency
• Experience in hands-on onboarding/offboarding, employee relations intake, compliance administration, and benefits & leave support
• K-12 education or multi-site nonprofit experience
• SHRM-CP/PHR; Mediation/conflict-resolution training; bilingual skills; Exposure to workers' comp claims

Commitments

• Maintain a friendly, respectful, professional and courteous attitude with all people, including all KNOS employees, Board members, community and philanthropic partners, funders, and vendors.
• Model superior customer service behavior by maintaining positive relationships with all KNOS stakeholders.
• Contribute as a positive and effective team member; work effectively with other team members to accomplish KNOS goals.
• Be prompt and available for flexible scheduling; be honest and fair in all professional dealings.

Physical & Mental Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the individual is regularly required to communicate information and ideas effectively so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations, including noisy environments such as cafeterias and playgrounds, to more moderate situations such as classrooms or large group professional settings. Specific vision abilities required by this job include the ability to observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). Read, analyze, and interpret data (emails, memos, letters, etc.) and maintain visual attention and mental concentration for significant periods of time. Able to sit and work at a desk/computer for extended periods of time and lift/move up to 30 lbs occasionally.

Work Environment

Duties are performed both remotely and in an office environment and may require traveling to other school facilities using employee's personal transportation. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as laptop computers and various digital devices. This is a full-time position; days and hours of work are typically Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer.

Benefits

• 403(b) retirement plan – KNOS matches 100% of employee contribution up to the first 5% of salary and any bonuses. Vested immediately in 403(b)
• KNOS employees are eligible for health and wellbeing benefits starting the first day of the month following their Date of Hire
• Comprehensive, customizable health coverage, including disability, life insurance, hospital indemnity, FSAs for health and dependent care, and free dental and vision for employees
• KNOS employees are provided ~30 paid holidays and additional paid time off
• Opportunities for on-going professional development