CW - HR Operations & Onboarding Specialist

CW - HR Operations & Onboarding Specialist

The HR & Onboarding Leader serves as a key member of the Corporate HR team and provides comprehensive HR generalist support with a strong emphasis on onboarding, compliance, employee support, and cross-functional coordination. This position ensures a consistent, high-quality new hire experience; supports branch management with day-to-day HR matters; manages all drug & alcohol programs; and maintains compliance with federal, state, and customer-specific requirements. The role also supports ongoing HR operations, employee lifecycle processes, and policy and procedure alignment across the organization.

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following:

• Serve as an HR generalist resource, providing guidance on policies, procedures, performance issues, job changes, and general employee support.
• Ensure HR practices comply with federal and state labor laws and internal policies.
• Support managers with employee relations matters, escalating issues appropriately to HR leadership.
• Assist with internal transfers, departmental moves, and updates to employment status or job data.
• Maintain accuracy and integrity of employee information within HR systems.
• Respond to employee inquiries regarding HR processes, benefits contacts, policies, and system navigation.
• Participate in HR projects, audits, policy updates, and continuous process improvement initiatives.
• Complies with all quality, safety, health, environmental requirements, policies and procedures relevant to the position.

Oversee the full pre-employment and onboarding process for all new hires, from offer acceptance through first-day coordination with the Hiring Manager. Maintain onboarding workflows, ensuring branch-specific and HQ-specific processes remain compliant and efficient. Develop, update, and deliver new hire orientation materials, presentations, and training sessions. Create and maintain electronic new hire files, ensuring proper documentation and compliance. Liaise with IT for network account setup, system access, equipment coordination, and troubleshooting for supported systems. Manage new hire communication touchpoints and gather feedback to continually improve the employee experience. Add new hire information into the payroll system and ensure accuracy across HR and Recruiting systems. Maintain all Recruiting and open headcount reporting for the team.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for all Company drug and alcohol programs, including DOT and non-DOT testing.
• Maintain working knowledge of DOT FMCSA and PHMSA regulations and testing protocols.
• Coordinate all testing events (pre-employment, random, reasonable suspicion, post-incident, customer-specific requirements).
• Ensure compliance with third-party auditing companies (e.g., TPS, DISA, NCMS), maintain rosters, and conduct/coordinate audit responses.
• Manage customer-required D&A protocols and ensure alignment with internal procedures and regulatory requirements.

• Partner with the Recruiting team on high-volume hiring processes, updates to hiring portals, and onboarding coordination.
• Support reporting needs across Recruiting and HR, including staffing, headcount, turnover, and onboarding metrics.
• Act as a consultant to candidates and new hires throughout the onboarding phase.

• Serve as the Company Relocation Coordinator for domestic and international moves, supporting new hires and internal transfers with logistics, documentation, and vendor communication.

• Ensure all work is completed in adherence with safety, health, environmental, and quality policies.
• Maintain awareness of evolving regulatory requirements affecting onboarding, employment documentation, DOT compliance, and HR processes.
• Partner with the Corporate HRBP to adjust policies and procedures related to hiring, onboarding, and HR operations.
• Support continuous improvement efforts by gathering feedback from new hires, hiring managers, and stakeholders to strengthen onboarding outcomes.
• Monitor new hire turnover and retention trends; provide insights and recommend improvements.

• Perform special projects or assignments as directed by management.
• Provide cross-functional support to HR peers and Recruiting team members as needed.
• SHRM-CP/PHR or similar certification preferred (or progress toward certification).
• 5+ years of HR experience in generalist, onboarding, or HR operations roles.
• Experience supporting a distributed workforce (branch and corporate teams) is beneficial

SHRM or HRCI certification preferred

Proven experience as an HR Generalist or HR professional in a fast-paced, high-volume environment. Strong knowledge of HR principles, employment laws, and compliance standards. Demonstrated experience with UKG and managing large volumes of employment changes and onboarding actions (strongly desired). Knowledge of DOT FMCSA and PHMSA requirements and drug-testing protocols. Understanding of payroll inputs, processes, and employment documentation. Proficient in MS Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams). Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Strong planning, organization, and attention to detail. Ability to manage confidential information with discretion. Able to work cross-functionally and build strong internal relationships. Strong work ethic and commitment to accuracy, timeliness, and follow-through.

No direct reports; provides strong support and coordination with the Recruiting Team.