Director of HR and Payroll

MEP Holding Co, Inc; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Edwards Electrical & Mechanical, Inc. is seeking an HR professional to oversee governance, employee relations and payroll operations in our Indiana network.

The role involves advising leadership on employment law, investigations, and performance actions, while maintaining confidential records and driving process improvements. The position manages payroll and HRIS, partners with the Controller on financial reporting, and oversees open enrollment, compensation processes, and compliance.

Responsibilities

• HR governance and employee relations management, policy interpretation and administration
• Advise leaders on employment law, investigations, corrective action, performance improvement plans, accommodations, leave, and termination
• Lead formal investigations and maintain confidential documentation
• Oversee payroll, benefits, compensation, HRIS and payroll system administration, and data integrity
• Partner with Controller on payroll accounting, labor cost allocation, reconciliations, budgets and financial reporting
• Recruiting administration: job descriptions, classifications, compensation ranges, screening and employment eligibility verification
• Offer administration, new-hire records, and required notices
• Review interview questions and hiring practices for compliance
• Lead, train and develop HR and payroll staff; ensure service standards
• Coordinate with People & Culture on changes affecting recruiting, onboarding, engagement and retention
• Notify Controller of material compliance, payroll, benefit, staffing, budget, litigation risks
• Escalate executive employment matters and significant legal exposure to President
• The Edwards Electrical & Mechanical, Inc. group has a long history in Indiana and the Midwest, with strong growth and a focus on cost-effective solutions and a "one-stop merit shop" approach for electrical and mechanical services.

Job description

Primary responsibilities HR governance and employee relations

• Develop, maintain, interpret, and administer HR policies, procedures, handbook provisions, and employment practices.
• Advise leaders on employment law, investigations, complaints, corrective action, performance improvement plans, accommodations, leave, and termination.
• Lead formal investigations and maintain complete, confidential, and legally defensible documentation.
• Oversee FLSA, FMLA, ADA, EEOC, E-Verify, I-9, unemployment, employment records, regulatory reporting, and HR audits.

Payroll, benefits, compensation, and systems

• Direct payroll operations, payroll tax filings, year-end reporting, deductions, garnishments, PTO accruals, prevailing-wage compliance, and payroll controls.
• Oversee benefits administration, open enrollment, brokers, carriers, employee communications, and applicable benefit-plan compliance.
• Administer pay structures, approved compensation changes, incentive-plan documentation, and compensation processes.
• Own HRIS and payroll-system administration and employee-data integrity.
• Partner with the Controller on payroll accounting, labor-cost allocation, reconciliations, benefit accounting, budgets, and financial reporting.

Recruiting administration and screening

• Maintain approved job descriptions, classifications, compensation ranges, requisitions, and selection documentation.
• Conduct or coordinate application review, minimum-qualification screening, background checks, drug testing, references when required, and employment-eligibility verification.
• Prepare and administer approved offers, employment documents, new-hire records, and required notices.
• Review interview questions, scoring tools, candidate records, and hiring practices for compliance.

Leadership and administration

• Lead, train, and cross-train HR and payroll personnel and establish service standards and measurable goals.
• Provide the Controller with timely operational, compliance, staffing, budget, and risk information while protecting need-to-know confidentiality.
• Improve HR and payroll workflows through automation, standardization, and continuous improvement.

Required coordination and escalation Coordination points

• Coordinate with People & Culture before changes affecting recruiting workflow, onboarding experience, engagement, leadership development, employee communication, or retention.
• People & Culture refers policy, pay, benefits, leave, accommodation, complaints, investigations, discipline, termination, and other formal employment matters to HR.
• Notify the Controller promptly of material compliance, payroll, benefit, staffing, budget, litigation, or employment risk.
• Escalate executive employment matters, significant legal exposure, and unresolved role conflicts to the President

Founded in 1968, Edwards Electrical & Mechanical, Inc. has grown to become one of the largest electrical/mechanical contracting firms in Indiana and the Midwest. Our growth has been attributed to “providing quality work at or below market prices”. It is this business philosophy that has led to consistent double-digit annual growth over the past decade for both our construction and service divisions. To support our dedication to long-term, cost-effective solutions, Edwards Electrical and Mechanical has established a supplier network to provide you savings through our negotiated buying power. Don and Ruth Edwards founded Edwards Electrical and Mechanical, Inc. in 1968. The company started out as a small union commercial shop based out of their garage. The business quickly grew and relocated to an old two-story house on East Street in 1970. In 1972, Edwards Electric changed its operation to a merit-based shop, and six short years later, Edwards Electric moved to a 2500 square foot building at the corner of East Street and Merrill. By 1981 this structure became too small, and working with a customer at the time, MacDougall and Pierce, 2500 square feet were added to the building. The company name changed to Edwards Electrical and Refrigeration in 1980, and refrigeration is still a part of our product portfolio. In 1998, FirstEnergy Corporation, a registered public utility holding company headquartered in Akron, Ohio, acquired Edwards Electrical & Mechanical. In 2006, Edwards was purchased by MEP Holding Company, converting it again to a privately owned business. Organically and steadily, Edwards grew from about 250 employees to its current size of over 465 employees. On December 31st, 2021, a national company called Comfort Systems USA acquired all the stock of MEP Holding Company, thereby making it the owner of MEP Holding Company’s subsidiaries. Comfort Systems USA went public as a company in June 1997 and is comprised of over 170 locations across the United States. With Comfort Systems as a parent company, Edwards now has a robust assortment of training resources and has access to national best practices. Today, Edwards is one of the largest electrical & mechanical companies in Indiana and is able to offer an extremely positive work environment for its highly skilled employees. Our service division specializes in preventative maintenance and offers HVAC, plumbing, refrigeration, generator and electrical services. Each office has it’s own service support staff and shares the same resources for Accounting, Human Resources, and Information Technology. Edwards’ Construction Division has capabilities to self-perform Electrical, HVAC, and Plumbing trades ensure our customers that we will meet construction schedule for completion of projects and do so within the customer’s budget. Our mission to be a “one–stop merit shop” for all three trades has allowed us the flexibility to do more work with less people. We have been able to pass these efficiencies along to our customers. The “can do” attitude of the Edwards employee has been demonstrated repeatedly. The vision of our Company is to “Ensure tomorrow’s success by how well we service our customers today.”