HR Generalist

Kwik Lok • Yakima, WA

8d • Onsite

About The Position

The HR Generalist serves as the primary point of contact for employees and managers at our US plants (Yakima, WA and New Haven, IN). This role provides guidance on a broad spectrum of human resources matters, ensuring seamless people operations throughout the employee lifecycle. The successful candidate will balance a commitment to organizational culture with a focus on regulatory compliance, operational excellence, and a high-quality employee experience.

Requirements

• Experience in people-support roles guided by compliance requirements (e.g., customer service, legal support, executive administration, education) with dedication to confidentiality, meticulous record-keeping, policy adherence, and strong interpersonal abilities.
• 4-year degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field, or 6 years of related experience in lieu of degree.
• At least 2 years’ experience in HR or a similar compliance-based people-support role responding to high-volume questions with professionalism, empathy, accuracy, and sound judgment.
• Bilingual in Spanish/English.
• General understanding of US and state employment laws and business principles.
• Ability to handle confidential information with absolute discretion.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products (e.g., Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams, and Word).
• Familiarity with HRIS platforms a plus.
• Must be able to pass pre-employment drug and background screenings.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• Possesses strong emotional intelligence, consistent grounding energy, and excellent boundaries.
• Demonstrates high accuracy, attention to detail, thorough documentation, and precise recordkeeping.
• Enjoys routine, and has excellent organization, prioritization, follow-through, and time management skills.
• Strong de-escalation skills with the ability to navigate concerns calmly, objectively, and respectfully.
• Communicates effectively both verbally and in writing, including strong proofreading and clear follow-up communication.
• Resourceful and comfortable proactively researching reliable information to answer questions or escalate concerns.
• Utilizes sound judgment to interpret and apply policies and procedures consistently within established guidelines.
• Confident educating employees and managers on policies, procedures, and process changes in a clear and approachable way.
• Anticipates needs, exercises sound judgment, and identifies practical solutions within established processes.
• Works independently with strong self-direction and ownership of work scope and outcomes, while remaining adaptable and open to feedback for professional growth.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary and accessible point of contact for all employee inquiries concerning policy interpretation, benefits, LOA, HR systems access, and general workplace concerns.
• Ensure prompt response times while maintaining high levels of service, accuracy, and positive employee experiences.
• Work effectively and respectfully with employees at all levels of the organization to build positive, trust-based relationships.
• Listen actively and intuitively to extract objective data, identify root needs, and resolve issues using a solution-oriented approach.
• Conduct thorough, empathetic, and unbiased intake for employee relations issues, documenting findings with high accuracy and collaborating with leadership for fair resolutions.
• Help employees navigate organizational, people, and change-related issues to ensure organizational agility.
• Partner with managers to ensure consistent administration of HR strategies, policies, procedures, and communications.
• Build strong, respectful relationships across department leads, understanding their challenges and needs.
• Assist supervisors and managers with coaching, discipline, and legal compliance in handling sensitive employee issues, escalating to HR leadership when necessary.
• Provide guidance to managers and their employees during performance reviews to ensure fair and constructive evaluations.
• Help managers navigate organizational, people, and change-related issues to ensure organizational agility.
• Continually identify process improvement opportunities and solutions to improve HR operations and internal customer experiences.
• Provide coverage to other HR team members during time off, ensuring seamless employee experiences and on-time HR transactions.
• Monitor and stay up to date on changes in labor laws and regulations and communicate changes to management and employees as needed.
• Understand the organization's strategic objectives, challenges, and competitive landscape.
• Provide support for assigned HR projects.
• Collaborate closely with department leaders to understand their unique talent needs and challenges, proactively identifying opportunities to drive business results.
• Participate in recruiting activities, including posting job requisitions, managing applicant flow, screening candidates, coordinating interviews, and maintaining thorough documentation.
• Facilitate onboarding and stay interviews to ensure new hires are effectively integrated into the organization.
• Partner with People Operations Manager to follow up on identified workforce training needs, development plans, and career paths.
• Facilitate employee offboarding, ensuring a smooth and secure exit experience.
• Support Kwik Lok production activities with a focus on continuing improvement of quality, food safety, and manufacturing processes.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription, Life and Disability Insurance plans (waiting period applies)
• 401K Plan with company match (90 day waiting period - restrictions apply)
• Vacation: 120 hours a year, with increases based on years of service
• Holidays: 70 hours a year (8.5 days): 1 Floating Holiday, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the Friday following, half day on Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day
• Sick Leave: 40 hours a year, accrued at 1 hour per 40 hours worked for hourly employees, salary employees prorated for first year
• Employees may be eligible for annual performance bonuses

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree