People Operations Leader: HRIS & Growth Enablement

Buckingham Search; Gurnee (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Buckingham Search is seeking an experienced HR leader to establish and scale a core People Operations function for a growing, acquisition-focused organization. Reporting to the CFO, you will be the go-to HR leader, balancing employee support with the operational work to build programs, systems, and processes.

The role is hands-on, independent, and initially non-managerial, with potential to add HRIS, payroll, and compliance capabilities as the business expands.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive HR experience in a broad generalist or leadership capacity.
• Experience independently managing core HR operations, including compliance and payroll.
• Involvement in HRIS and payroll system implementation.
• Strong knowledge of multi-state employment laws and wage-and-hour requirements.
• Ability to create practical policies in a fast-moving environment.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary HR resource across the full employee lifecycle.
• Lead full-cycle recruiting, onboarding, and candidate communication.
• Develop and maintain the employee handbook and HR policies.
• Manage benefits programs, payroll operations, and related controls.
• Oversee compliance training and employment filings (EEO-1, ACA, OSHA).
• Support acquisitions with HR due diligence and data analysis.
• Lead system implementation for HRIS/payroll and ongoing optimization.

Skills

HR leadership

Full-cycle recruiting

HRIS implementation

Payroll administration

Policy development

Cross-functional collaboration

Multi-state compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field

Job description

Buckingham Search is seeking an experienced HR leader to establish and scale a core People Operations function for a growing, acquisition-focused organization. Reporting to the CFO, you will be the go-to HR leader, balancing employee support with the operational work to build programs, systems, and processes.

The role is hands-on, independent, and initially non-managerial, with potential to add HRIS, payroll, and compliance capabilities as the business expands.