HR Generalist

ATI Restoration, LLC•Flemington, NJ

17d•$75,000 - $85,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The People Generalist & Field Experience role is a true generalist position supporting employee lifecycle activities, HR compliance, workforce administration, and field-facing people programs across an assigned geography. The ideal candidate is a highly organized, people-first professional who understands the urgency and complexity of a field-based restoration workforce, can design and execute simultaneously, and takes personal ownership of the new hire experience as a reflection of ATI’s culture and employer brand. Reporting to the Senior Director, Human Resources, the People Generalist works in close partnership with a team to support the operational core of ATI’s People Team field delivery model. The role focuses on a geographic area and is built with enterprise scalability in mind.

Requirements

Minimum of 3–5 years of HR generalist, HR coordinator, or people operations experience, with demonstrated ownership of onboarding, new hire orientation, or early-tenure employee experience programs.
Experience designing and executing onboarding programs in a high-volume, multi-site, or field-based environment is strongly preferred.
Background in restoration, construction, field services, facilities management, or a comparably distributed, operationally complex workforce is a meaningful differentiator.
Demonstrated ability to build HR processes and tools from scratch — this is a builder’s role, and comfort with ambiguity and a bias toward action are essential.
Working knowledge of I-9 and E-Verify compliance, benefits enrollment administration, and HRIS new hire record management.
Experience with ADP Workforce Now, ADP COS, or a comparable HRIS is preferred.
Familiarity with North Carolina employment law, wage and hour requirements, and state-specific onboarding compliance obligations.
Strong project management and organizational skills — the ability to manage multiple new hire onboarding cycles simultaneously without dropping details.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a genuine warmth and ability to connect with employees at every level of the organization — from first-day field technicians to branch managers.
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
PHR or SHRM-CP certification is a plus.

Nice To Haves

Experience designing and executing onboarding programs in a high-volume, multi-site, or field-based environment is strongly preferred.
Background in restoration, construction, field services, facilities management, or a comparably distributed, operationally complex workforce is a meaningful differentiator.
Experience with ADP Workforce Now, ADP COS, or a comparable HRIS is preferred.
PHR or SHRM-CP certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

Provide generalist HR support across the full employee lifecycle for the assigned geography, partnering with Operations and Sales on matters that cross functional lines.
Support HRIS data integrity for new hires in ADP — ensuring all employee records are complete, accurate, and properly configured during the life cycle for the employee.
Assist with job change transactions, internal transfers, and position updates in ADP.
Support the offboarding process for employees who separate, conducting or coordinating exit interviews and surfacing themes to HR leadership.
Respond to general HR policy and program questions from employees and managers within the assigned geography, triaging and escalating complex matters to the Senior Director, HRBPs, as appropriate.
Partner with Talent Acquisition on pre-boarding coordination, ensuring a seamless handoff from offer acceptance to Day 1 with no gaps in communication or preparation and ensuring onboarding is performed for all new employees.
Ensure all onboarding documentation, I-9 records, and new hire paperwork are completed accurately, stored appropriately, and audit-ready in compliance with federal, state, and local requirements.
Maintain compliance with state-specific onboarding and employment requirements across ATI’s multi-state footprint, with particular attention to employment law, E-Verify requirements, and applicable wage and hour regulations.
Support new hire benefits enrollment, ensuring employees understand their options, deadlines, and coverage effective dates — and coordinating with the Total Rewards function on any enrollment issues or exceptions.
Track and report on onboarding completion metrics, new hire survey results, 90-day retention rates, and program quality indicators on a regular cadence to the Senior Director, Human Resources.
Maintain the onboarding program documentation library — ensuring all materials, guides, checklists, and training content are current, version-controlled, and accessible to the People Team.
Serve as a visible, accessible, and trusted People Team presence in the assigned market — attending branch visits, field events, and operational touchpoints to build relationships with employees and leaders on the ground.
Champion ATI’s culture, values, and “The Team That Cares” employer brand in every new hire interaction — ensuring the onboarding experience is a genuine expression of what it means to work at ATI, not a generic HR process.
Support People Team culture and recognition initiatives as they relate to the new hire and early-tenure population — including welcome communications, milestone recognition (30/60/90-day acknowledgments), and connection to the broader ATI community.
Identify cultural integration challenges specific to acquired brands or newly onboarded locations, and surface recommendations to the Senior Director and People leadership.
Partner with the People Generalist for Operations on field employee engagement activities, ensuring the onboarding experience connects new hires to the branch culture and operational team from day one.
Work in close, daily partnership with the all People Generalist, maintaining clear ownership boundaries, shared visibility into the field population, and a consistent employee experience across both roles.
Partner with Talent Acquisition to ensure the candidate-to-employee transition is seamless — no information gaps, no Day 1 surprises, and a handoff that reinforces the positive impression built during the recruiting process.
Collaborate with ATI University and the L&OD function to align onboarding content with early learning requirements, safety training, and certification pathways for field employees.
Support the Total Rewards function with benefits enrollment execution, HSA/FSA setup, and new hire compensation questions during the onboarding window.
Participate in People Team planning meetings, project initiatives, and HR process improvement efforts as directed by the Senior Director.
Perform other related duties as assigned by the Senior Director, Human Resources.

Benefits

Onboarding in a restoration company presents unique challenges that this role is specifically designed to address.
The following industry best practices inform how ATI approaches new hire integration and what this role is expected to build toward:
Speed-to-Productivity for Field Roles
Restoration field roles — technicians, mitigation specialists, and crew leads — are often needed on jobs within days of hire. Onboarding must balance urgency with structure: new hires should be job-ready quickly while still receiving the safety orientation, equipment training, and team integration they need to perform safely and confidently.
Best-in-class restoration companies use a tiered onboarding model: Day 1 essentials (safety, systems, team), Week 1 role fundamentals (equipment, process, job site protocols), and a 30/60/90-day progression that deepens technical knowledge and integrates the employee into the branch culture over time.
Safety as an Onboarding Non-Negotiable
Safety orientation is not optional in restoration. New hires must complete safety training before entering any job site — covering PPE requirements, hazmat awareness, mold and asbestos protocol basics, and emergency procedures. This is both a compliance requirement and a duty-of-care obligation.
Leading restoration companies embed safety culture into onboarding from the first conversation — not as a compliance lecture, but as a genuine expression of how the organization values its people. The People Generalist should partner with the Safety function to ensure this integration is authentic and consistent.
Reducing 90-Day Attrition
Turnover in the first 90 days is the most expensive and preventable form of attrition in field services. Research in the restoration and construction industries consistently shows that 90-day attrition is driven by three factors: unmet role expectations set during recruiting, inadequate manager engagement in the first two weeks, and lack of connection to the team and branch culture.
Structured 30/60/90-day check-ins, proactive manager coaching, and early identification of disengagement signals are the highest-leverage interventions available — and they are all within this role’s direct ownership.
Multi-Brand & Acquired Workforce Integration
ATI’s growth-through-acquisition model means the onboarding function must be able to absorb employees from acquired brands — people who may have their own cultural identity, operating norms, and loyalty to a prior company. Onboarding for these populations requires cultural sensitivity alongside operational integration.
The onboarding program should include an “ATI integration” track for acquired employees — introducing ATI’s values, systems, and support resources without dismissing the identity of the brand they came from.
Certification & Credentialing Pathways
IICRC certifications (WRT, ASD, FSRT, AMRT), OSHA 10/30, and other trade credentials are meaningful differentiators for restoration field employees and direct inputs to career advancement and compensation. Best-in-class restoration companies introduce certification pathways during onboarding — giving new hires a clear picture of how their skills and credentials will be developed and recognized over time.
The People Generalist should partner with ATI University to ensure onboarding materials include a clear credentialing roadmap by role family, reinforcing ATI’s investment in employee development from day one.