Human Resources Generalist

HR Generalist

Company: AJ’s Safe Place Residential Facility, Inc.
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Position Type: Full-Time, Salaried
Compensation: $1,875 biweekly
Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Reports To: Owners/Administrators
Introductory Period: 90 Days

Work Arrangement

The regular hybrid schedule is:

• Monday: In Field (As Needed)


• Tuesday: Remote


• Wednesday: Remote


• Thursday: Remote


• Friday: In office

The HR Generalist may be required to work additional days in office during training, audits, investigations, orientations, or when operational needs require an in-person presence.

The standard lunch period is 12:00–1:00 PM , although lunch may shift on orientation days.

Position Summary

AJ’s Safe Place is seeking a highly organized, dependable, and proactive HR Generalist to oversee the daily human resources functions supporting our residential group homes and Day Treatment and Training program.

The HR Generalist is responsible for maintaining employee compliance, recruiting and onboarding qualified staff, coordinating background clearances, managing certifications, leading orientation, administering benefits, supporting payroll, maintaining HR systems, managing employee relations, coordinating offboarding, and providing leadership with accurate and timely HR reports.

This position requires someone who can follow established procedures, take detailed notes, retain training, ask thoughtful questions, manage competing priorities, and become increasingly independent.

The HR Generalist will be provided with an organized HR Hub containing the processes, templates, checklists, schedules, and tools needed to perform the role successfully.

The Non-Negotiable Clearance Rule

Employees who are not fully cleared may not be placed on the schedule or work a shift.

When the HR Generalist is uncertain about an employee’s clearance status, the employee must be held from the schedule until the required information is verified with the appropriate trainer, Quality Assurance representative, or owner.

This expectation applies from the HR Generalist’s first day and remains one of the position’s most important responsibilities.

Weekly Schedule and Required Meetings

The HR Generalist’s week follows a consistent operating rhythm:

Monday — Compliance, Staffing, and Leadership

• Review urgent HR, staffing, payroll, and compliance concerns.


• Audit employee files and clearance requirements.


• Review current vacancies and open shifts.


• Prepare for and participate in the Admin Meeting.


• Recruit, schedule interviews, send offers, and follow up with candidates.


• Complete benefits, payroll, employee-relations, and meeting follow-up tasks.

Required Admin Meeting: 11:00 AM–12:00 PM

During the meeting, HR must report on open positions, new hires, orientation status, compliance deficiencies, fingerprint status, certification expirations, attendance concerns, retention concerns, benefits, and payroll matters requiring leadership support.

Tuesday — Recruiting, Onboarding, and File Completion

• Complete CMU compliance audits and employee-file reviews.


• Conduct interviews and applicant follow-up.


• Contact DDD, training providers, background-check vendors, and other agencies.


• Follow up on onboarding documentation.


• Monitor I-9 documents, fingerprints, CBCs, certifications, and training.


• Conduct retention check-ins.


• Complete offboarding and system updates.

Wednesday — Compliance, Employee Relations, and Orientation Preparation

• Continue CMU compliance work.


• Conduct interviews and recruiting activities.


• Confirm Thursday orientation attendees.


• Review onboarding paperwork and identify missing documents.


• Send orientation reminders and meeting links.


• Assist managers with employee concerns and corrective actions.


• Prepare orientation materials and system-access steps.

Thursday — Online Orientation Day

Online Orientation: 10:00 AM–2:00 PM

The HR Generalist owns the full online-orientation process, including:

• Confirming attendees and readiness.


• Verifying onboarding documents.


• Leading or actively participating in HR portions.


• Covering company expectations, chain of command, attendance, benefits, payroll, scheduling systems, BambooHR, Therap, confidentiality, member rights, and DDD/CMU requirements.


• Recording attendance.


• Uploading completed documentation.


• Identifying missing requirements.


• Sending next-step instructions.


• Coordinating employee assignments and member-specific orientation with managers.


• Clearly identifying employees who are not yet cleared to work independently.

Friday — In-Person Orientation and Weekly Closeout

In-Person Orientation: 10:30 AM–3:00 PM

The HR Generalist owns the full in-person orientation process, including:

• Preparing materials, sign-in sheets, equipment, and the training room.


• Verifying new-hire identity and documentation.


• Leading or participating in company, HR, compliance, payroll, scheduling, conduct, confidentiality, and member-safety sections.


• Uploading completed documents.


• Updating onboarding records.


• Communicating employee status to managers.


• Scheduling member-specific orientation.


• Auditing BambooHR, Paychex, When I Work, and Therap.


• Sending the weekly HR report to leadership.

Thursday and Friday orientations are not meetings the HR Generalist simply attends. HR is responsible for the process before, during, and after orientation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Recruiting and Hiring

• Confirm current staffing needs with Program Directors, Leads, and leadership.


• Maintain an accurate list of openings by program, shift, location, and urgency.


• Create and post approved job advertisements.


• Review applications and screen candidates.


• Schedule and conduct interviews.


• Complete references when required.


• Prepare approved employment offers.


• Maintain prompt and professional communication with candidates.


• Track each candidate from application through final clearance and placement.


• Notify leadership and managers of hiring delays or concerns.

Onboarding and Background Checks

• Manage the full onboarding process from accepted offer through clearance to work.


• Assign and track BambooHR onboarding documents.


• Verify Form I-9 documentation and employment authorization.


• Coordinate E-Verify requirements when applicable.


• Coordinate fingerprint-clearance-card applications.


• Track Criminal Background Checks and Central Registry checks.


• Coordinate AZDPS fingerprint requirements.


• Track SAM, LEIE, OIG, APS, and other required exclusion checks.


• Maintain accurate onboarding and clearance trackers.


• Notify employees of incomplete requirements.


• Confirm that all required steps are completed before an employee is scheduled.

Training and Certifications

• Track all required employee training and certification requirements.


• Monitor CPR, First Aid, Article 9, Prevention and Support, medication administration, and other required training.


• Coordinate training through Omnean and other approved providers.


• Maintain 30-, 60-, and 90-day expiration reports.


• Notify employees and managers of upcoming expirations.


• Escalate unresolved or expired requirements.


• Remove or hold employees from applicable assignments when they are not compliant.


• Track member-specific orientation and readiness to work independently.

CMU Compliance and Staff Files

• Maintain complete, organized, and survey-ready employee files.


• Conduct routine audits of active employee records.


• Use the DDD/CMU monitoring worksheet when reviewing files.


• Verify required hiring documents, clearances, credentials, training, and signatures.


• Correct missing or outdated employee information.


• Maintain evidence of monthly exclusion checks.


• Prepare records for internal reviews, DDD monitoring, and CMU audits.


• Immediately notify leadership of serious compliance concerns.

HR Systems and Tools

The HR Generalist is responsible for accurate employee information and access within applicable systems, including:

• BambooHR


• When I Work


• Paychex Flex


• Therap


• Omnean


• DDD Focus


• QuickConnect


• AZDPS


• Other company-approved HR, compliance, scheduling, background-check, or training systems

Responsibilities include:

• Creating employee profiles.


• Updating job titles, supervisors, assignments, pay status, and employment status.


• Assigning forms, tasks, and signatures.


• Tracking certifications and expiration dates.


• Creating and removing system access.


• Removing former employees from active systems.


• Conducting routine cross-system audits.


• Protecting confidential employee and member information.

Payroll and Benefits

• Assist with new-hire setup in Paychex.


• Verify employee information before payroll deadlines.


• Review missed punches, timekeeping discrepancies, and approved corrections.


• Process approved pay-rate, deduction, benefit, and employment-status changes.


• Assist employees with payroll and benefit questions.


• Track benefit eligibility and enrollment deadlines.


• Coordinate medical-benefit enrollment and payroll deductions.


• Maintain accurate benefit records.


• Assist with qualifying life events and benefit termination.


• Escalate payroll errors or compensation decisions requiring owner approval.

Employee Relations and Retention

• Serve as an accessible and professional HR resource.


• Reinforce the company’s chain of command.


• Assist managers with coaching, corrective action, and performance-improvement documentation.


• Maintain complete and objective employee-relations records.


• Support investigations as directed by ownership.


• Conduct new-hire and employee check-ins.


• Complete 7-day, 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day retention check-ins.


• Identify employees at risk of resignation or disengagement.


• Review patterns involving attendance, leadership, scheduling, training, or morale.


• Recommend practical employee-retention improvements.


• Escalate investigations, terminations, legal matters, harassment concerns, and serious safety issues to ownership.

Offboarding

• Manage resignations, terminations, and job-abandonment processes.


• Prepare separation documents and acknowledgments.


• Confirm the employee’s last date worked.


• Update BambooHR, Paychex, When I Work, Therap, and other systems.


• Remove system and facility access.


• Coordinate benefit termination.


• Track the return of company keys, identification, equipment, cards, and other property.


• Notify managers and leadership.


• Conduct exit interviews when appropriate.


• Document separation reasons.


• Reopen the position when replacement staffing is required.

Reporting

The HR Generalist must maintain and provide accurate reporting regarding:

• Open positions


• Applicants and interviews


• Offers and expected start dates


• New-hire onboarding status


• Fingerprint and background-check status


• Orientation attendance


• Employee clearance status


• Missing or expiring certifications


• Compliance percentage


• Benefits and payroll matters


• Retention check-ins


• Attendance concerns


• Resignations and terminations


• Priorities for the following week


• Matters requiring leadership decisions

A complete HR report is due to leadership every Friday.

Escalation Expectations

The HR Generalist should seek support from:

• Trainer: Processes or responsibilities that are unclear


• Program Director or Program Leads: Scheduling and coverage


• Quality Assurance: Employee-file and survey readiness


• Paychex Representative: Payroll-system questions


• Owners/Administrators: Terminations, investigations, legal matters, major compliance risks, compensation decisions, or member-safety concerns

90-Day Training and Performance Plan

Days 1–45: Orientation and Training

During this period, the HR Generalist will:

• Review the HR Hub and transition binder.


• Learn all HR systems.


• Shadow the trainer.


• Attend and observe meetings and orientations.


• Learn recruiting, onboarding, compliance, payroll, benefits, employee relations, and offboarding procedures.


• Complete assigned audits and training exercises.


• Take detailed notes and ask thoughtful questions.

Days 46–90: Lead While Management Shadows

During this period, the HR Generalist will:

• Begin leading the weekly HR workflow.


• Lead or co-lead orientation.


• Manage recruiting and onboarding.


• Maintain compliance trackers.


• Prepare HR reports.


• Handle routine employee questions.


• Complete system updates.


• Escalate matters appropriately.


• Demonstrate increasing independence while management monitors and supports performance.

The Hub specifically states that the first 45 days are focused on orientation, while Days 46–90 require the HR Generalist to lead while management shadows.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.


• Previous HR, recruiting, compliance, onboarding, payroll-support, or office-administration experience.


• Strong written and verbal communication skills.


• Strong organizational and documentation skills.


• Ability to manage confidential information.


• Ability to learn and navigate multiple software systems.


• Ability to prioritize urgent issues and meet deadlines.


• Ability to work independently after training.


• Ability to travel between company programs when required.


• Ability to pass all required background and employment clearances.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.


• At least two years of HR experience.


• Experience with BambooHR, Paychex Flex, When I Work, Therap, or similar systems.


• Experience with employee-file audits, credential tracking, and background checks.


• Experience in developmental-disability services, behavioral health, residential care, healthcare, or human services.


• Familiarity with Arizona DDD and CMU requirements.


• SHRM, PHR, or related HR certification.

Key Competencies

• Accountability


• Confidentiality


• Reliability


• Initiative


• Accuracy


• Follow-through


• Organization


• Professional judgment


• Emotional intelligence


• Clear communication


• Conflict resolution


• Time management


• Ability to learn and retain information


• Willingness to accept feedback


• Commitment to member and employee safety

Self-Starter Expectations

AJ’s Safe Place provides structured training, checklists, templates, procedures, and leadership support. The HR Generalist is expected to:

• Take detailed notes.


• Review available resources before asking repetitive questions.


• Retain and apply training.


• Complete assigned tasks without repeated reminders.


• Identify concerns before they become emergencies.


• Recommend solutions instead of only reporting problems.


• Maintain regular communication with leadership.


• Ask questions when safety, compliance, payroll, or legal risk is involved.


• Become increasingly independent throughout the 90-day introductory period.

Other Expectations

• Maintain dependable attendance.


• Be available during the regular work schedule.


• Respond promptly to urgent communication.


• Occasionally respond to after-hours emergencies involving serious staffing, payroll, employee-relations, compliance, or member-safety matters.


• Maintain confidentiality at all times.


• Perform other related duties based on regulatory, staffing, and operational needs.

Equal Employment Opportunity

AJ’s Safe Place Residential Facility, Inc. is an equal-opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, performance, business needs, and applicable legal requirements without unlawful discrimination.

Job Description Acknowledgment

This description summarizes the primary responsibilities of the HR Generalist position. It does not include every possible task or responsibility. Duties may change based on company growth, staffing needs, regulatory expectations, and operational requirements. Employment with AJ’s Safe Place is at will.