HR Generalist/Employee Relations/Payroll

Curtis is seeking a highly capable and service-oriented HR Generalist to join a team-oriented, inclusive, and professional learning community. Curtis School is an independent, DK-6 co-ed elementary school whose mission is to develop, in every child, a sound mind in a sound body, governed by a compassionate heart.

We place an equal emphasis on academic, physical, social-emotional, and character education and instill a growth mindset modeled by faculty and staff who are the best in their craft.

The HR Generalist will support the day-to-day needs of Curtis School and help deliver a consistent, thoughtful employee experience. This role is designed for a hands-on HR operator who can balance employee support, administrative excellence, compliance awareness, and partnership with the CFO and Head of School.

The HR Generalist will serve as a trusted first point of contact for employees and Directors across a wide range of HR topics, including onboarding, employee relations intake, HR systems, performance process support, policy questions, leave coordination, benefits administration, and employee engagement initiatives. The successful candidate requires sound judgment, responsiveness, confidentiality, and the ability to build trust while escalating appropriately when issues require senior HR or legal guidance.

Serve as a reliable HR point of contact for employees and managers, responding to questions with professionalism, discretion, and a service-oriented approach.

Coordinate new hire onboarding activities, ensuring employees have a smooth, organized, and welcoming experience from offer acceptance through the first several months of employment.

Maintain accurate employee records and HRIS data, ensuring timely updates, data integrity, and appropriate documentation across personnel files and HR systems.

Assist with leave of absence coordination, accommodation intake, and related documentation in partnership with senior HR leadership, legal, or external advisors as appropriate.

Provide frontline support for employee relations matters by gathering information, documenting concerns, identifying risks, and escalating sensitive or complex matters appropriately.

Support performance management processes, including annual reviews, goal-setting cycles, manager reminders, documentation, and process tracking.

Help ensure compliance with employment policies, required notices, training, recordkeeping, and applicable federal, state, and local employment requirements.

Draft, update, and organize HR policies, employee communications, templates, and process guides to improve consistency and clarity.

Partner with payroll, finance, IT, and operations to ensure employee data, compensation changes, access needs, and employment changes are handled accurately and on time.

Coordinate employee engagement activities, pulse surveys, recognition programs, and culture-building initiatives that support retention and connection.

Prepare basic HR reports and dashboards related to headcount, turnover, onboarding completion, training completion, and other workforce metrics.

Identify process gaps and recommend practical improvements that reduce friction for employees, managers, and HR stakeholders.

Handle confidential information with exceptional judgment, professionalism, and adherence to company policies and applicable regulations.

Strong working knowledge of core HR practices, including onboarding, employee records, benefits, leave administration, performance support, employee relations intake, and HR compliance.

Demonstrated ability to manage multiple HR priorities with strong organization, follow-through, and attention to detail.

Sound judgment and discretion when handling confidential, sensitive, or employee-related matters.

Clear, professional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain HR processes in a practical and employee-friendly manner.

Strong customer service orientation and ability to build trust with employees, managers, and cross-functional partners.

Ability to identify when an issue requires escalation and to document matters accurately and objectively.

Comfort working in HR systems, payroll systems, benefits platforms, and standard business tools.

Working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment regulations is preferred.

Education, Training and Experience

3+ years of progressive HR experience, preferably in a growing, multi-state, professional services, technology, healthcare, benefits, educational or non profit organizations, or similarly complex environment.

Experience supporting onboarding, employee records, benefits administration, leave coordination, HRIS updates, and employee relations intake required.

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field preferred.

SHRM-CP, PHR, or similar HR certification preferred, but not required.

Experience with HRIS and payroll platforms required; familiarity with reporting, workflow automation, or employee engagement tools preferred.

Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Google Suite and collaboration tools required.

Employees and managers experience HR as responsive, organized, practical, and easy to work with.

Employee records, HRIS data, onboarding tasks, benefits updates, and employee changes are accurate, timely, and well documented.

Routine HR questions and process needs are resolved quickly, while sensitive issues are escalated appropriately.

Managers receive consistent support on HR processes, documentation, and employee lifecycle activities.

HR processes become more organized, repeatable, and scalable.

The HR function has stronger operational discipline, better data integrity, and improved employee experience.

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