Human Resource Manager

Hands On Children's Museum; Olympia (WA); On-site; USD 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Paid holidays

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Culture committee involvement

Job summary

Hands On Children’s Museum in Olympia, WA is seeking a mission-driven HR Manager to elevate our people experience and support a dynamic nonprofit team. You will lead onboarding, payroll, benefits, HRIS, policy guidance, and compliance while partnering with managers to foster a positive, inclusive culture.

This role blends HR expertise with culture leadership in a welcoming environment that serves families and staff alike.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of HR experience (nonprofit experience a plus)
• Strong knowledge of employment laws and HR best practices
• Experience with HRIS systems (Paylocity, ADP, etc.)
• Excellent communication and people skills
• Ability to handle confidential information professionally

Responsibilities

• Serve as the main point of contact for policies, benefits, and payroll questions
• Support managers with employee relations, coaching, and conflict resolution
• Lead onboarding and orientations for new hires
• Manage benefits enrollment and vendor coordination
• Process semi-monthly payroll and maintain HRIS records
• Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal HR laws
• Coordinate employee leave programs (FMLA, WA PFML)
• Support training and staff recognition programs

Skills

Communication skills

Discretion

Organizational skills

People-first mindset

Proactivity

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR/Business

Tools

Paylocity

ADP

Job description

Description

About Hands On

The Hands On Children’s Museum is located on the picturesque East Bay waterfront in downtown Olympia. We are a nationally known family learning destination and the most visited children’s museum in the Pacific Northwest hosting more than 300,000 visitors each year. Our mission is to stimulate curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking skills through rich, interactive learning experiences. We believe that all children deserve respect and the opportunity to learn, regardless of their ability to pay, which is why the Museum works hard to serve more than one-third of its annual visitation through the Inspired Learning for All initiative. The Museum is recognized as a national Museum for All and won a Noyce Foundation Bright Lights Award for bringing art and science education to underserved populations.

Voted a “Best Place for Kids” for more than a decade, the Museum offers a state-of-the-art LEED Gold facility with 150 indoor exhibits, a half-acre Outdoor Discovery Center, Art Studio, a MakeSpace for tinkering and inventing, café and gift shop, and award-winning education programs including camps, workshops, preschool, parenting classes, field trips, community outreach and family support programs.

Position Overview

Do you love people, problem-solving, and purpose driven work? Are you the kind of person who can juggle recruiting, employee support, compliance, and still bring positive energy to the table? If so, we have the position for you!

At the Hands On Children’s Museum, we believe work should be meaningful and even a little fun. As our Human Resources Manager, you’ll be the heartbeat of our employee experience, helping create a workplace where people feel supported, engaged, and inspired.

From welcoming new hires to guiding managers, managing benefits, and keeping us compliant, you’ll touch every part of the employee journey. Think of it as part HR pro, part culture champion, part problem-solver superhero.

What You Will Be Doing

People & Culture

• Be the go-to for employee questions on policies, benefits, and payroll
• Support managers with employee relations, coaching, and conflict resolution
• Help build a workplace culture that’s positive, inclusive, and engaging

Talent & Onboarding

• Recruit and hire employees (post jobs, screen candidates, coordinate interviews)
• Lead onboarding and orientations that make new hires feel welcome from day one
• Support smooth offboarding experiences

HR Operations & Compliance

• Process semi-monthly payroll
• Maintain HRIS systems and accurate employee records
• Ensure compliance with HR laws and regulations (local, state & federal)
• Manage employee leave programs (FMLA, WA PFML, etc.)

Benefits & Programs

• Oversee benefits enrollment and vendor coordination
• Manage Open Enrollment for employee benefits
• Support employee recognition programs and staff communications

Training & Development

• Track required training and coordinate sessions
• Help ensure employees have the tools they need to succeed

Bonus Fun Stuff

• Help plan all-staff meetings
• Be part of (and help lead!) the FUN Committee
• Foster engagement across the museum team

Visit https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:16131d4b-665f-42d0-9b4b-17784e538073 for a detailed description of responsibilities.

Workplace Values

Achieving our mission requires great people who actively demonstrate our core values.

Compensation & Benefits

$33.00 - $40.00 hourly, DOQ, medical, dental, and vision, paid holidays and time off, a 401(k) retirement plan, and lots of adorable children. Benefits vary by number of regularly scheduled hours worked, length of employment, and employment status. See the benefit details for this position here.

For more information, please visit our website at www.hocm.org

The Hands On Children’s Museum exhibits, education programs, and employment are available to all without discrimination.

Requirements

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or related field (or HR certification -- SHRM-CP/PHR)
• 3+ years of HR experience (nonprofit experience is a plus!)
• Strong knowledge of employment laws and HR best practices
• Experience with HRIS systems (Paylocity, ADP, etc.)
• Great communication skills and a people-first mindset
• Ability to handle confidential info with professionalism
• Proactive, organized, and solutions-oriented approach
• Bonus points if you love facilitating positive workplaces and can bring a little energy into everything you do

Physical Demands

Must be able to sit for long periods at a time and complete work at a desk.