Human Resources Generalist

YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago is seeking an HR Generalist to support the full employee lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, benefits administration, training and leadership development, and policy implementation.

The role partners with HR leaders to provide administrative support to the HR team, ensuring processes are completed efficiently within established timeframes while protecting confidentiality and balancing operational needs with employee experience.

Qualifications

• Associate’s Degree required.
• 1–3+ years of proven experience in an administrative HR role.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Knowledge of HR policies and practices.
• Proficient PC skills including Microsoft Office and HRIS.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Administer day-to-day HR operations across the full lifecycle including recruitment, employee relations, benefits, and training and leadership development.
• Prepare and maintain HR documents, such as employee records, benefits information, and training materials.
• Support talent acquisition: posting openings, screening resumes, offers, background checks, fingerprinting, and onboarding.
• Assist employee relations by responding to inquiries regarding HR policies and procedures.
• Support benefits program and leaves of absence in compliance with laws.
• Coordinate HR-related events and maintain HR databases and systems.
• Support annual budgeting and HR reporting activities, and monitor HR contracts and expirations.
• Support Travel and Training requests and budget/purchasing for the department.
• Conduct research and provide support on various HR projects; prepare leadership reports and metrics.
• Support employee engagement, retention, and culture initiatives.

Skills

Administrative support

HR policies

Microsoft Office

HRIS systems

Communication

Confidentiality

Team player

Education

Associate’s Degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

HRIS systems

Job description

The HR Generalist supports the full employee lifecycle and serves as a trusted resource for employees and the HR department. The role is responsible for administering core human resource functions including recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, benefits admin, training and leadership development, compliance and policy implementation. The HR Generalist partners with HR leaders to provide administrative support to the HR team members to ensure all Human Resources processes are completed as efficiently and effectively as possible within the established timeframes in support of optimizing the employee experience. The position requires strong judgement, confidentiality, and ability to balance operational needs with employee experience.

Scope Of Responsibilities

• Administer day to day human resource operations across the full employee lifecycle including recruitment, employee relations, benefits, and training and leadership development.
• Serve as a point person to prepare and maintain HR documents, such as employee records, benefits information, and training materials.
• Support key talent acquisition processes, including posting job openings, screening resumes, preparing offer letters, and coordinating background and reference checks, fingerprinting, and onboarding processes.
• Support employee relations to assist in responding to employee inquiries regarding HR policies and procedures.
• Support benefits program and leaves of absence in compliance with applicable laws.
• Assist in coordinating HR-related events as requested.
• Maintain and update HR databases and systems as requested.
• Support annual budgeting and HR reporting activities as needed.
• Support, coordinate, and monitor HR contracts and expirations.
• Support, coordinate, and monitor Travel and Training requests and budget/purchasing for department.
• Conduct research and provide support on various HR projects as requested.
• Prepared reports or metrics related to HR activity for leadership review.
• Support employee engagement, retention, and culture initiatives.

Child Abuse Prevention

• Reporting any items that may provide a health or safety hazard to staff, members or guests to your supervisor
• Following all policies and procedures related to keeping children safe in our facilities and programs, including those related to the monitoring and supervision of children
• Reporting any suspicious behavior and violation of policy and procedures to your supervisor
• Completing all child abuse prevention training as required

Commitment to Inclusion

Supports the YMCA’s commitment to inclusion of all members as required by Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Job responsibilities may include implementing program modifications for persons with cognitive, behavioral or physical disabilities, including but not limited to the injection of medical glucagon to members with Type 1 diabetes in emergency situations. Appropriate training and development will be provided to YMCA team members based on your role and responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Associate’s Degree required
• Min. of 1-3+ years of proven experience in an administrative role, preferably in an HR dept.
• Strong attention to detail and exceptional organizational skills
• Ability to prioritize & resolve conflicting deadlines among multiple requests from multiple sources
• Knowledge of HR policies and practices
• Proficient PC skills including Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), HRIS systems and accurate data entry
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong relationship building & collaborative team player skills
• Outstanding customer service orientation
• Strong research skills
• Exhibits high level of discretion for dealing with confidential information
• Passion for and commitment to the Y’s mission and vision