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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Human Resources Administrator

💰 $ - $

Human ResourcesHRAdministration

🎯 Role Definition

The Human Resources Administrator is a hands-on HR professional responsible for day-to-day HR operations, employee lifecycle management, HRIS data integrity, benefits and payroll coordination, and compliance with federal, state and local employment laws. This role supports recruiting and onboarding, administers compensation and benefits programs, drives HR process improvements, and acts as a trusted HR contact for employees and managers. Optimized for HR administration, employee relations, HRIS, and HR compliance keywords.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • HR Assistant / HR Coordinator — first-line experience with employee records and basic HR processes.
  • Administrative Assistant — transferrable HR-adjacent administrative and organizational skills.
  • Talent Acquisition Coordinator / Recruiter — hands-on recruiting and candidate management experience.

Advancement To:

  • HR Manager / HR Business Partner — strategic HR leadership supporting business units.
  • Senior HR Generalist — broader responsibility for policy, compliance, and complex employee relations.
  • Compensation & Benefits Specialist / HRIS Analyst — specialization in payroll, benefits and systems.

Lateral Moves:

  • Talent Acquisition Specialist / Recruiting Lead
  • Payroll Specialist / Benefits Administrator
  • Office Manager / Facilities & Operations Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage full-cycle HR administration for a defined employee population, including processing new hires, transfers, promotions, terminations, and internal reclassifications while ensuring accuracy in HRIS and payroll systems.
  • Coordinate and deliver comprehensive onboarding programs, new hire orientations, and pre-boarding activities that accelerate time-to-productivity and improve first‑90‑day retention.
  • Maintain HRIS master data integrity by entering, auditing, and reconciling employee records, job codes, compensation data, and organizational changes; execute periodic data quality audits and corrective actions.
  • Process and coordinate payroll inputs, time and attendance exceptions, salary changes, and payroll reconciliations in partnership with Finance, ensuring timely and accurate payroll runs.
  • Administer employee benefits programs (medical, dental, vision, 401(k), FSA/HSA, short/long-term disability) including enrollment, qualifying events, vendor reconciliation, and benefits communications during open enrollment and year-round.
  • Serve as the first point of contact for employee relations inquiries, proactively resolving routine issues, escalating complex matters to HR Business Partners, and documenting actions in the HRIS.
  • Ensure legal and regulatory compliance by supporting employment law audits, preparing documentation for audits, maintaining I-9 and immigration compliance, and implementing changes arising from new legislation.
  • Prepare and issue offer letters, employment agreements, change-of-status documentation, severance paperwork and separation notices using approved templates and protocols.
  • Coordinate background checks, reference checks, drug screening, and credential verifications, and ensure consistent application of company hiring policies and procedures.
  • Support performance management processes by administering performance review cycles, collecting manager and employee inputs, tracking due dates, and generating performance-related reports and notices.
  • Create, maintain and distribute HR policies, the employee handbook, procedures and job aids; ensure employees and managers are informed about policy changes and best practices.
  • Generate HR metrics and reports (headcount, turnover, time-to-fill, absence, benefits enrollment, diversity metrics) and provide actionable insights to HR leadership and business stakeholders.
  • Manage leave of absence administration, ADA accommodation intake, and FMLA tracking; coordinate return-to-work plans in conjunction with managers and third-party leave vendors.
  • Support compensation administration activities including salary benchmark research, pay adjustments, market data compilation, and input coordination for compensation cycles.
  • Facilitate internal transfers, promotions and reorgs by partnering with hiring managers to manage job requisitions, approvals, internal postings and employee communication plans.
  • Lead or participate in HR projects and process improvement initiatives such as HRIS upgrades, automation of manual processes, and standardization of onboarding/offboarding workflows.
  • Coordinate employee separation processes including exit interviews, final pay calculations, return of company property, benefit terminations, and completion of termination checklists.
  • Manage vendor relationships with benefits brokers, payroll providers, background check vendors and recruiting partners; act as primary operational liaison for issue resolution and contract compliance.
  • Maintain strict confidentiality and ethical handling of sensitive information, including personnel files, compensation data, medical records and investigation records.
  • Draft and distribute clear HR communications, FAQs, and manager toolkits to support policy changes, benefit programs and HR initiatives across the organization.
  • Assist managers with workforce planning and headcount tracking, maintain organizational charts and support requisition approvals and hiring prioritization.
  • Conduct routine HR process and documentation audits to ensure adherence to internal controls and prepare required materials for external audits or legal discovery.

Secondary Functions

  • Provide ad-hoc HR reporting and analytical support for special projects, executive dashboards and board-level workforce summaries.
  • Help design and coordinate internal training, employee engagement events, recognition programs and inclusion initiatives that support retention and culture goals.
  • Assist HR leadership in implementing HRIS configurations, testing HR system updates, and documenting business requirements for system enhancements.
  • Support benefits open enrollment communications, employee Q&A sessions, and benefits vendor meetings to improve enrollment accuracy and employee understanding.
  • Partner with Finance for payroll audits, tax reporting reconciliations and year-end processes such as W-2 preparation and 1095 distribution.
  • Participate in cross-functional compliance initiatives including workplace safety, workers' compensation intake and accommodations coordination.
  • Administer ad-hoc HR projects such as salary surveys, HR policy rollouts, headcount forecasting and benchmarking studies.
  • Serve as a backup contact for recruiting coordination and candidate experience activities when recruitment volumes peak.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • HRIS administration and data management (experience with Workday, ADP, BambooHR, Oracle HCM or similar systems).
  • Applicant Tracking System (ATS) usage and requisition management (e.g., Greenhouse, iCIMS, Lever).
  • Payroll processing fundamentals and familiarity with payroll systems (ADP, Paychex, UKG) and payroll reconciliation procedures.
  • Benefits administration and vendor management for medical, retirement, disability and ancillary plans.
  • Strong Excel and Google Sheets skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data cleaning and basic macros) for HR reporting and analysis.
  • HR reporting and analytics: headcount, turnover, time-to-fill, and other workforce KPIs; ability to produce executive-level HR dashboards.
  • Knowledge of federal, state and local employment laws (FMLA, ADA, Title VII, EEO, wage and hour regulations) and employment compliance best practices.
  • Performance management and talent lifecycle administration (performance reviews, goal-setting systems, succession planning workflows).
  • I-9, background check and employment verification protocols; experience managing documentation and audit trails.
  • Time and attendance systems administration and leave management tools.
  • Document management and record retention best practices, including confidential file handling and HRIS archival processes.
  • Familiarity with process improvement methodologies and basic project management tools (Asana, Jira, Trello, MS Project).

Soft Skills

  • Clear, professional written and verbal communication with employees, managers and external vendors.
  • High degree of discretion, integrity and the ability to handle confidential personnel issues sensitively.
  • Strong attention to detail and accuracy when processing payroll, benefits, and HRIS updates.
  • Problem-solving orientation and the ability to resolve employee issues while balancing policy and compassion.
  • Excellent organizational and time-management skills; ability to prioritize competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
  • Customer-service mindset with a focus on delivering a positive employee experience.
  • Collaboration and stakeholder management skills to partner effectively across departments.
  • Adaptability and resilience in the face of changing HR regulations, systems and business needs.
  • Critical thinking and the ability to synthesize data into actionable recommendations.
  • Initiative and continuous-improvement mindset to identify and implement HR efficiencies.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:
Associate degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field OR equivalent HR administrative experience (typically 2+ years).

Preferred Education:
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Labor Relations, or related discipline. HR certifications such as SHRM-CP, PHR or equivalent are highly desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Human Resources Management
  • Business Administration / Management
  • Industrial-Organizational Psychology
  • Labor Relations / Employment Law
  • Organizational Development

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:
2–5 years of progressive HR administrative or HR generalist experience supporting recruitment, onboarding, HRIS and benefits/payroll coordination.

Preferred:
3+ years experience in an HR Administrator or HR Generalist role, with demonstrated experience using HRIS and ATS platforms, processing payroll inputs, administering benefits programs, and managing employee relations inquiries. Experience in a multi-state environment, knowledge of employment law, and one or more HR certifications preferred.

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