Sr. HR Generalist

About the Opportunity

Our client is seeking an experienced and highly independent Sr. HR Generalist to join their team in South Pasadena. This position requires a proactive HR professional who can quickly step into the role with minimal training, take ownership of responsibilities, and confidently navigate complex employee relations, workers' compensation, risk management, leave administration, and payroll processes.

The ideal candidate will possess strong knowledge of California employment laws, payroll compliance, workers' compensation administration, and employee relations. Spanish bilingual skills are highly preferred but not required.

Key Responsibilities

Human Resources & Employee Relations

• Serve as a trusted HR partner supporting employee relations, performance management, employee engagement, and workforce planning initiatives.
• Conduct employee relations investigations, conflict resolution, corrective actions, and policy interpretation while minimizing organizational risk.
• Partner with managers to address performance concerns and provide coaching on HR best practices.
• Develop and maintain HR policies, procedures, and employee handbook updates.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, orientation, and employee development initiatives.

Leave of Absence Administration

• Manage full-cycle leave administration, including:
  • FMLA
  • CFRA
  • ADA accommodations
  • Paid Family Leave
  • Pregnancy Disability Leave
  • Return-to-work programs
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local leave regulations.
• Maintain accurate leave documentation and communicate effectively with employees and management throughout the leave process.

Workers' Compensation & Risk Management

• Oversee all aspects of workers' compensation claims management.
• Coordinate claim reporting, communicate with insurance carriers and medical providers, and monitor claim status.
• Facilitate modified duty and return-to-work programs.
• Partner with leadership to identify safety concerns and implement risk mitigation strategies.
• Support OSHA compliance, safety reporting, workplace investigations, and injury prevention initiatives.

Payroll Administration

• Review, process, and audit payroll data to ensure accurate and timely payroll processing.
• Manage wage adjustments, bonuses, commissions, deductions, garnishments, and final pay requirements.
• Maintain compliance with California wage and hour laws.
• Partner with payroll providers and finance teams to resolve payroll-related discrepancies.
• Utilize ADP for payroll administration and reporting.

Benefits & HR Operations

• Administer employee benefits programs including enrollment, eligibility management, vendor communication, and employee education.
• Maintain employee records and HRIS systems, ensuring data confidentiality and accuracy.
• Generate HR reports related to payroll audits, turnover, employee engagement, safety incidents, and workers' compensation trends.
• Support internal and external audits related to payroll, benefits, workers' compensation, unemployment claims, and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive HR Generalist experience.
• Strong experience handling:
  • Workers' Compensation
  • Risk Management
  • Payroll Processing
  • Leave of Absence Administration
  • Employee Relations Investigations
• In-depth knowledge of California employment laws and wage and hour regulations.
• Experience with ADP payroll systems preferred.
• Strong understanding of FMLA, CFRA, ADA, OSHA, EEOC, and workers' compensation regulations.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative with minimal supervision.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills.
• Bilingual Spanish is highly preferred.

Location: South Pasadena, CA
Pay Rate: $30-37.00/hour
Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Duration: Temp-to-Hire
Work Environment: Fully Onsite