HR Generalist

The Role

Newsela is seeking an HR Generalist to join our People team. The ideal candidate has at least two years of experience in a generalist function on a People team, with tech industry experience strongly preferred and SaaS industry experience a plus. This position will play a critical role focusing on the operations side of the People Team, supporting our workforce by delivering key HR functions including, compliance, onboarding, and more, and will partner with Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partners, People Operations, and Payroll & Benefits. In short, you’ll ensure our people feel supported, informed and empowered.

What You'll Be Doing

Employee Lifecycle & Experience

• Oversee onboarding and offboarding processes to ensure a seamless employee experience.
• Assist in maintaining accurate and up-to-date employee records within Google Drive and our HRIS (UKG).
• Help drive initiatives to improve employee engagement, recognition, and retention.
• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition & Talent Management to support candidate scheduling, workforce planning, performance review cycles, employee surveying and exit interviews.

HR Systems & Operations

• Partner with the Director of People Operations and HRBPs to assist in the management of HR systems, ticketing processes, and ensure data integrity across platforms (e.g., HRIS, ATS, Jira, payroll).
• Monitor HR metrics, identifying trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Partner with the Payroll & Benefits Manager to support accurate payroll and benefits processing; act as a backup for payroll coordination when needed.

Policy & Compliance

• Collaborate on the maintenance of our Employee Handbook and other policies and documentation.
• Help HRBPs and People Ops document HR policies, procedures and best practices.
• Assist in researching federal, state, and local labor & employment laws and internal policies to ensure compliance.
• Coordinate the Leave of Absence process in partnership with the Payroll & Benefits Manager and external vendors (Sparrow).

Communications & Culture

• Coordinate and facilitate company-wide all-hands including content planning, building collateral (slides) and presenting.
• Serve as a key player in managing HR-related communications, helping craft and distribute company-wide updates, policy changes, and employee initiatives in a clear, consistent voice.
• Act as the central point of contact for responding to inbound employee inquiries on people topics and coordinate employee engagement initiatives and internal communications.
• Gather feedback and insights from employees post-communications or events to continuously improve messaging and format.

Why You're a Great Fit

Required:

• 2+ years working in a HR Generalist capacity or a similar role
• Solid grasp of core HR processes and compliance basics
• Proven ability to manage sensitive and confidential matters with discretion and professionalism
• Exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Bias to act and drive toward completion
• Familiarity with HR tools and systems (e.g., UKG, Greenhouse)
• Passionate about building inclusive, equitable workplace cultures
• Proficient with the Google Suite

Preferred:

• Experience with the following tools: UKG, Greenhouse, Rippling, Deel
• Comfort with Excel
• Experience managing short-term projects with limited oversight
• Experience assisting with corporate audits

Compensation

• Base salary: $62,650 - $72,050 per year.
• Total compensation for this role also includes incentive stock options and benefits.

Why You'll Love Working at Newsela

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical benefits with employer contribution to premiums and to HSA accounts. Additional benefits such as pet insurance, free access to the Calm app, and more to help you stay healthy: mind, body, and soul.
• Work From Home: We are a fully remote company. We provide a monthly tech stipend.