HR Generalist-Specialist

Salud Para La Gente; Watsonville (CA); On-site; USD 86,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

PTO 19 days/year

401(k) with employer contribution

Job summary

Salud Para La Gente in Watsonville, CA is seeking a Human Resources Generalist-Specialist to support benefits administration and HR workflows. You will ensure accurate benefits records, coordinate enrollments, and collaborate with payroll, brokers, and retirement plan administrators to serve the community.

The role requires 3 years of HR experience, a Bachelor’s degree, and comfort with Paylocity and HRIS systems. Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, business administration or related field preferred.
• Minimum 3 years of progressive HR experience, preferably in community healthcare.
• Experience with HRIS systems and Paylocity is preferred.
• Bilingual English/Spanish a plus.

Responsibilities

• Assist with recruitment processes, candidate screenings, interviewing, and hiring.
• Coordinate open enrollments, changes, and training for employee benefit programs.
• Maintain employee records and ensure compliance with HR policies.
• Develop internal communications regarding benefits, payroll information, or policy updates.
• Promote workplace safety and employee well-being initiatives.

Skills

Detail-oriented

Problem-solving

Communication

Empathy

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Tools

Paylocity

HRIS

Microsoft Office

Job description

Description

Your Work Matters Here!

Human Resources Generalist | Benefits Administration

Salud Para La Gente

Working Together for a Healthy Community

Why Salud?

We're a nonprofit community health center with a mission that goes beyond the walls of our clinics. Every day, our employees help make quality healthcare accessible to people throughout the Monterey Bay region. Your work helps make their work possible.

A Day in the Life! The People Who Care for Others Deserve Someone Who Cares for Them.

It's Monday morning. A new employee is choosing health coverage for their family. Another is trying to understand a retirement benefit. Someone else has learned their insurance isn't showing as active, and they're worried about an upcoming appointment.

None of them should need to become an expert in employee benefits to get the help they need.

That's where you come in.

At Salud Para La Gente, our employees dedicate their careers to caring for others. We're looking for an HR Generalist who will bring that same care, accuracy, and commitment to supporting them. This isn't just about processing enrollments or reconciling spreadsheets. It's about making sure the people delivering healthcare to our community have someone they can count on when it matters.

What You'll Do (And Why It Matters)

One day, you're helping a new employee understand their benefits. The next, you're resolving an insurance discrepancy before it disrupts someone's coverage. Later, you're working with Payroll to correct a deduction, coordinating with a benefits carrier, helping an employee navigate a retirement plan transaction, or administering a Workers’ Compensation claim.

You'll take primary responsibility for:

• Benefits that work: Administering employee benefit enrollments, eligibility changes, coverage terminations, and open enrollment.
• Getting the details right: Maintaining accurate benefits records, reconciling carrier invoices, reviewing payroll deductions, and resolving discrepancies.
• Being the go‑to person: Helping employees understand their benefits and working with brokers, insurance carriers, and retirement plan administrators.
• Making things better: Improving benefits workflows, employee communications, and HRIS processes.
• Supporting workplace well‑being: Coordinating assigned workers' compensation activities, ergonomic assessments, and safety‑related initiatives.

You'll join a team where accuracy matters, collaboration is essential, and the people behind the paperwork are never forgotten.

Is This You?

You might be exactly who we're looking for if you:

• Enjoy solving problems and have an eye for details others might miss.
• Can explain complicated benefits information in a way that actually makes sense.
• Are comfortable with HR systems, spreadsheets, and learning new technology.
• Take ownership of issues and follow through until they're resolved.
• Bring empathy, discretion, and a genuine desire to help people.
• Want to grow your expertise while contributing to a collaborative HR team.

The Practical Stuff

Position: Human Resources Generalist, Benefits Administration

Location: Watsonville, California

Schedule: Full-time | In-Office

Salary: $86,174.94 - $104,744.93 per year

Benefits: available to all regular Salud employees working 24+ hours per week.

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance Plans
• Paid Time Off (PTO): 19 days per year
• Paid Holidays: 13.5 per year
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with employer contribution
• Voluntary Long-Term Disability

Experience: Minimum three years of progressively responsible HR experience, of which current benefits administration experience will be prioritized. A bachelor's degree in business administration or a related field. Experience with Paylocity, healthcare, or a unionized workforce is a plus. Bilingual English/Spanish skills are also valued.

One Last Thing

You don't need to know every benefits regulation or have encountered every possible employee situation. We're looking for someone who knows how to find accurate answers, takes pride in getting things right, and understands that behind every benefits transaction is a real person counting on us.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Under the general guidance of the Chief Human Resource Officer, the HR Generalist-Specialist plays a pivotal role in ensuring that Salud Para La Gente’s (Salud) HR workflows, processes, and procedures align with Salud’s core values, mission, and organizational goals. Upholding our values at Salud Para La Gente, the HR Generalist-Specialist will support Salud’s mission and goals, organizational quality, and patient-centered care as well as incorporate core organizational values of quality, respect, integrity, partnership and compassion in all activities and decisions.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Human Resources Generalist-Specialist will have both administrative and strategic responsibilities, and will help with important functions such as recruitment and staffing, employee relations, compensation and benefits, training and development, performance management, occupational safety and health, labor relations, employee engagement and satisfaction, and HRIS.

• Work with the HR Director to implement successful workflows and processes.
• Provide personnel policy and procedure guidance to employees and management.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of federal and state employment law and compliance requirements.
• Coordinate recruitment processes, including job postings, candidate screenings, interviewing, and hiring.
• Assist with or coordinate open enrollments, changes, and training for employee benefit programs.
• Respond to all HR employee related inquiries in a timely manner.
• Assist with information or provide data to the payroll department to ensure timely payroll processing.
• Develop and send out internal communications regarding status changes, process, changes, benefits, payroll information, or company policy updates.
• Coordinate/help administer new hire orientations (NEO) and onboarding.
• Develop/assist with maintaining talent management processes and workflows.
• Monitor employee morale and elevate to HR Director or CHRO as needed and necessary.
• Partner with HR Director to develop, implement, and manage effective recruitment strategies, as needed.
• Ensure compliance with all HR compliance, credentialing and privileging and partner with the Compliance department as needed.
• Ensure compliance with California labor laws, OSHA standards, and industry-specific regulations.
• Serve as a mentor to the HR Assistant.
• Maintain and monitor employee personnel records to ensure compliance and document completion.
• Conduct exit interviews as needed.
• Assist with investigations and meeting scheduling as needed.
• Collaborate with the operations team to ensure workplace safety standards are met.
• Promote employee wellness through initiatives and activities.
• Participate in Salud committees or meetings as assigned.
• Assist with other project/tasks as assigned.

Requirements

• Demonstrated knowledge of the HR field.
• Understanding of state and federal employment regulations.
• Awareness of OSHA/Cal_OSHA regulations and compliance.
• Understanding of personnel and compliance records management.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication abilities.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Detail-oriented.
• Resourceful mindset.
• Strong sense of urgency.
• Works comfortably under pressure and meets tight deadlines.
• Strong organizational skills.

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, business administration or related field – preferred.
• 3 years of progressive human resources work experience. Preferably in community healthcare.
• Experience working in a unionized workforce - preferred.Experience with HRIS systems - preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Bilingual English/Spanish a plus.

**Salud is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. Salud is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation, contact the Salud Human Resources Department, [831-728-8250, and [e-mail]].