People and Culture Senior Generalist

Orangewood Foundation•Santa Ana, CA

11h•Hybrid

About The Position

The People & Culture Senior Generalist supports Orangewood Foundation’s People & Culture function and its mission to empower young people facing foster care, homelessness, and trafficking. Reporting to the People & Culture Partner, this full-time, hourly, non-exempt role works across employee relations and engagement, recruitment and onboarding/offboarding, payroll, benefits, and compliance. The position is primarily in-office, with one to two days of work from home permitted after the first 90 days. Occasional nights and weekends may be required to support housing staff, and the work schedule may be modified based on Foundation needs. The role may require use of a personal vehicle. The Senior Generalist partners with People & Culture leadership and advises managers and team members on employee relations, engagement, conflict resolution, performance, and policy matters. The role participates in sensitive investigations and supports continuous improvement in engagement and retention. The position processes semi-monthly payroll for Orangewood Foundation, Samueli Academy, and the Youth Connected Program; supports employee benefits administration and leave coordination; and maintains compliant employee records and documentation. It also assists with audits and other projects assigned by People & Culture leadership. The Foundation provides programs in basic needs and support, education, life skills and employment, and transitional housing and support. It describes its workplace commitment as including flexible scheduling, teamwork, personal fulfillment, professional development, wellness, and competitive compensation. Its stated values are trust, respect, empathy, inclusion, and advocacy.

Requirements

Some college education is required; a bachelor’s degree is preferred.
At least five years of experience in a human resources generalist role.
At least two years of experience managing employee relations issues and investigations.
At least two years of payroll processing experience.
Ability to handle confidential matters and information.
Demonstrated experience maintaining, troubleshooting, and optimizing HRIS systems.
Strong administrative and organizational skills and attention to detail.
Excellent written and oral communication skills, including comfort presenting at staff meetings.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple assignments and meet tight deadlines.
Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.
Valid California driver’s license and proof of automobile insurance; DMV clearance is required.
Completion of pre-employment criminal background checks, FBI/DOJ fingerprinting, TB test, drug screen, and previous employment verification.
Completion of the required Plum.io assessment as part of the application process.
Understanding of and passion for the Foundation’s mission, vision, and values.

Nice To Haves

Paylocity experience is a plus.
Bachelor’s degree.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with People & Culture leadership to align employee relations initiatives with organizational goals, culture, and values.
Coach leaders on proactive employee engagement and team development practices.
Guide and support managers and team members on conflict resolution, discipline, performance issues, and policy interpretation.
Participate in complex and sensitive employee relations investigations, ensuring fairness, consistency, and legal compliance.
Analyze employee relations data trends and recommend proactive solutions.
Contribute to continuous improvement in employee engagement and retention strategies.
Conduct new employee People & Culture orientations and participate in the onboarding experience.
Facilitate offboarding, including preparing paperwork, final checks, and conducting exit interviews.
Process semi-monthly payroll for Orangewood Foundation, Samueli Academy, and the Youth Connected Program.
Maintain notes during each pay period on items affecting payroll; review timecards; make payroll and benefit-deduction changes; and complete payroll checklist steps and reports.
Provide payroll check registers for review and approval and submit payroll by the deadline.
Coordinate open enrollment and assist employees with benefit enrollments, new-hire enrollments, and qualifying life events.
Assist with leave-of-absence coordination and work with the COBRA and FSA vendor.
Assist with annual benefits reporting requirements.
Review, approve, and send new-hire enrollments to payroll.
Review carrier file-feed reports weekly and follow up with carriers as needed.
Promote consistent application of company policies and practices across locations and departments.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, local, and contract requirements.
Maintain accurate and compliant employee records.
Provide reports and documents requested by auditors and attend audit meetings when requested.
Complete additional projects and tasks assigned by People & Culture leadership.

Benefits

Medical coverage: Blue Shield HMO and PPO with HRA.
Dental coverage through Delta Dental.
Vision coverage through the EyeMed network.
Healthcare and dependent-care flexible spending accounts.
Mental health services through Headspace, including virtual and in-person therapy.
Employee assistance program through Umum and Headspace.
Life, disability, accident, and critical illness coverage.
Pet insurance.
403(b) retirement plan with company match.
Cell phone stipend.
Five sick days per year.
Up to three floating holidays per year.
Year-one PTO: 15 days accrued at five hours per pay period.
13 company-paid holidays.
The Foundation also lists flexible scheduling, professional development, and mental and physical wellness among its workplace commitments.