HR Operations Manager

Description

The HR Operations Manager is responsible for leading and managing the day-to-day HR operational processes that support employees, managers, and the broader HR function across the organization. 

Reporting to the Vice President of HR, Risk & Compliance, this role is accountable for the effective administration, governance, and continuous improvement of core HR processes across the employee lifecycle, including HR systems and data integrity, payroll and benefits administration, employee records, employment transactions, temporary labor administration, compliance processes, reporting, and HR operational support. 

The HR Operations Manager will directly manage the Payroll & Benefits Specialist and will serve as the primary owner of the HR Operations sub-function, ensuring that critical HR administrative processes are accurate, timely, compliant, documented, controlled, and scalable. 

This role will work closely with HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Finance, Safety, IT, Operations, business leaders, staffing agencies, and other external partners. The successful candidate will combine strong operational discipline with a continuous-improvement mindset and will be expected to identify process gaps, establish clear ownership and controls, improve the manager and employee experience, and strengthen the overall effectiveness of HR operations. 

Key Responsibilities 

HR Operations Leadership 

• Lead and manage the HR Operations sub-function and its associated processes and workflows. 
• Own the execution, governance, and continuous improvement of core HR administrative activities across the organization. 
• Establish clear ownership, service expectations, escalation paths, and process standards for HR operational activities. 
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex HR administrative, payroll, benefits, HRIS, employee data, employee lifecycle, and related operational issues. 
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, process maps, checklists, forms, templates, workflows, and internal controls. 
• Identify opportunities to eliminate unnecessary manual processes, reduce duplication, improve cycle times, and strengthen service quality. 
• Establish appropriate operational metrics and monitor accuracy, responsiveness, completion rates, and service effectiveness. 
• Ensure HR operational processes can scale effectively as the organization grows, adds locations, changes structure, or expands into new jurisdictions. 
• Build consistent and sustainable processes that reduce reliance on tribal knowledge or individual employees. 

Employee Lifecycle Administration 

• Own the operational administration of the employee lifecycle from hire through separation. 
• Ensure accurate and timely processing of new hires, transfers, promotions, compensation changes, organizational changes, employment status changes, leaves, and terminations. 
• Establish controls to ensure employee changes are properly approved, documented, entered into HR systems, and communicated to appropriate stakeholders. 
• Partner with Talent Acquisition to ensure a seamless transition from candidate acceptance through employee onboarding. 
• Coordinate HR operational aspects of onboarding, including required documentation, system setup, payroll setup, employment eligibility, benefits eligibility, and employee records. 
• Manage employee change documentation and ensure appropriate approvals are obtained prior to processing. 
• Ensure separation processes are completed accurately and consistently, including HRIS termination, payroll coordination, benefits termination, required notices, and record retention. 
• Monitor employee lifecycle transactions for completeness, timeliness, and accuracy. 
• Maintain standardized employee status-change processes across all locations and functions. 

Temporary Labor and Staffing Agency Administration 

• Serve as the primary HR point of contact for temporary labor and staffing agency relationships. 
• Coordinate with approved staffing agencies regarding temporary worker assignments, onboarding requirements, conversions, employee changes, and assignment terminations. 
• Manage and track temporary employees across the organization to ensure visibility into assignment status, tenure, cost, location, role, and conversion eligibility. 
• Establish and maintain standardized processes for temporary labor requests, approvals, agency engagement, onboarding, extensions, conversions, and terminations. 
• Partner with business leaders and HR Business Partners to evaluate temporary labor needs and ensure appropriate approvals are obtained. 
• Manage the temporary-to-regular employee conversion process, including eligibility review, required approvals, conversion timing, agency requirements, fees, background or employment screening requirements, and employee onboarding into company systems. 
• Serve as the primary point of contact for staffing agencies on conversion terms, assignment changes, employee concerns, administrative questions, and required documentation. 
• Monitor temporary worker tenure and identify assignments approaching contractual or policy thresholds. 
• Partner with Finance and business leaders to monitor temporary labor costs and agency fees. 
• Support the review and administration of staffing agency agreements, rate structures, conversion provisions, and service expectations. 
• Maintain accurate temporary labor reporting and support leadership visibility into temporary workforce utilization. 
• Ensure temporary worker administration is consistent with company policies, contractual requirements, and applicable employment practices. 

Payroll Oversight 

• Provide functional leadership and oversight of payroll administration through the Payroll & Benefits Specialist. 
• Ensure payroll is processed accurately, timely, and in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements. 
• Establish appropriate payroll review, reconciliation, approval, and audit controls. 
• Partner with Finance to reconcile payroll-related accounts, deductions, accruals, taxes, funding, and general ledger activity. 
• Oversee administration of earnings, deductions, bonuses, commissions, incentive payments, garnishments, retroactive adjustments, and other payroll transactions. 
• Ensure payroll changes are supported by appropriate authorization and documentation. 
• Review payroll exception reports and identify trends, recurring errors, or control weaknesses. 
• Coordinate resolution of payroll discrepancies and employee payroll inquiries. 
• Partner with Finance, HR leadership, and external vendors on year-end payroll processes, tax reporting, and payroll audits. 
• Maintain appropriate segregation of duties and internal controls within payroll processes. 

Benefits Administration 

• Oversee day-to-day administration of employee benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, retirement, and other employee benefit programs. 
• Provide leadership and support to the Payroll & Benefits Specialist in benefits administration and employee issue resolution. 
• Ensure accurate benefits enrollment, eligibility, changes, terminations, payroll deductions, and vendor file transmissions. 
• Lead benefits reconciliation processes to ensure carrier invoices, payroll deductions, enrollment records, and HRIS data are aligned. 
• Identify and resolve discrepancies, overpayments, missed terminations, incorrect deductions, and other benefits administration issues. 
• Coordinate annual open enrollment operational activities and system configuration. 
• Support benefit plan implementations, renewals, vendor transitions, and employee communications. 
• Partner with brokers, carriers, third-party administrators, Finance, and HR leadership on benefit administration matters. 
• Support administration of retirement plans and coordinate operational requirements related to eligibility, contributions, reporting, and audits. 
• Maintain accurate documentation and records supporting benefit plan administration and compliance. 

HRIS, Systems, and Data Governance 

• Serve as the primary functional owner for HR operational systems and employee data administration. 
• Maintain HRIS data governance standards and ensure employee data is accurate, complete, secure, and appropriately controlled. 
• Establish processes for routine employee data audits and reconciliation. 
• Review system access, roles, workflows, approvals, and permissions to ensure appropriate controls. 
• Identify opportunities to improve HR system configuration and functionality and reduce manual administration. 
• Lead or support HR technology implementations, upgrades, integrations, testing, and process redesign. 
• Partner with IT, Finance, payroll providers, benefits vendors, and other external partners to resolve system and integration issues. 
• Ensure consistency between HRIS, payroll, benefits, recruiting, learning, timekeeping, and other HR-related systems. 
• Maintain accurate organizational structures, reporting relationships, job information, employee classifications, compensation data, and employment status within HR systems. 
• Develop standardized reports and dashboards that provide leadership with reliable workforce information. 

HR Reporting and Workforce Data 

• Establish and maintain recurring HR operational reporting. 
• Produce and validate workforce reports related to headcount, turnover, hires, terminations, vacancies, payroll, benefits, temporary labor, employee changes, and other HR metrics. 
• Partner with HR leadership to develop dashboards and management reporting. 
• Establish standardized definitions and data sources for key HR metrics. 
• Identify data inconsistencies and correct underlying process or system issues. 
• Support workforce planning, budgeting, labor-cost analysis, compensation planning, and organizational design activities through accurate data and reporting. 
• Provide recurring and ad hoc HR data to Finance, leadership, auditors, and business partners. 
• Maintain strict confidentiality and controls over employee, compensation, payroll, and benefit information. 

Compliance and Records Management 

• Ensure HR operational processes comply with applicable federal, state, and local employment requirements. 
• Maintain compliant employee personnel files and HR records, including appropriate retention practices. 
• Establish consistent document management and recordkeeping standards across the organization. 
• Oversee completion and maintenance of employment eligibility documentation and related audit processes. 
• Support required government reporting and HR compliance submissions. 
• Partner with HR leadership and legal counsel to implement regulatory changes impacting HR administration. 
• Coordinate responses to HR-related audits, benefits audits, payroll audits, retirement plan audits, and other compliance reviews. 
• Develop corrective action plans when administrative or compliance deficiencies are identified. 
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality and privacy controls relating to employee records and sensitive HR information. 
• Ensure HR Operations processes appropriately support leave, accommodation, workers’ compensation, and other employee programs in partnership with HR Business Partners, Safety, and other stakeholders. 

Process Improvement and Operational Excellence 

• Evaluate HR workflows and identify opportunities to simplify, automate, standardize, or eliminate unnecessary processes. 
• Use root-cause analysis to address recurring HR operational errors and service issues. 
• Lead HR operational improvement initiatives from assessment through implementation. 
• Develop clear process handoffs between HR Operations, HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Finance, Safety, IT, and business leaders. 
• Establish quality-assurance processes and periodic audits of HR transactions. 
• Develop tools and resources that enable managers to complete routine HR activities efficiently and correctly. 
• Evaluate HR vendors and service providers for effectiveness, cost, performance, and service quality. 
• Support HR department budgeting and monitor HR operational expenses and vendor costs. 
• Recommend improvements that increase efficiency while strengthening compliance and internal controls. 

Team Leadership 

• Directly supervise and develop the Payroll & Benefits Specialist. 
• Establish clear expectations, priorities, service standards, and performance measures. 
• Provide coaching, feedback, development, and ongoing performance management. 
• Build appropriate cross-training and backup coverage for critical HR operational processes. 
• Reduce key-person dependency by documenting procedures and establishing sustainable processes. 
• Create an environment of accountability, professionalism, confidentiality, collaboration, and continuous improvement. 
• Assess future HR Operations staffing and capability needs as organizational complexity increases. 

Cross-Functional Partnership 

• Partner closely with HR Business Partners to ensure HR administrative processes support effective employee relations and workforce management. 
• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition on hiring, onboarding, requisition controls, temporary labor, candidate-to-employee conversion, and new-hire administration. 
• Partner with Talent Management on performance management, learning administration, succession processes, and other talent programs requiring HRIS or operational support. (Future State) 
• Work closely with Finance regarding payroll, benefits, temporary labor costs, headcount reporting, reconciliations, audits, and budgeting. 
• Partner with Safety and Risk on employee data, workers’ compensation administration, compliance records, and related processes. 
• Collaborate with IT regarding system access, integrations, security, automation, and technology support. 
• Work with managers and leaders across the organization to improve understanding and execution of HR processes. 
• Maintain productive working relationships with staffing agencies and other external HR vendors. 

Key Deliverables and Measures of Success 

• Accurate and timely payroll processing. 
• Accurate and reconciled benefit enrollment and billing. 
• Improved HRIS data accuracy and integrity. 
• Reduction in payroll, benefits, and employee-data errors. 
• Documented and standardized HR processes. 
• Consistent employee lifecycle administration. 
• Improved response and resolution times for HR operational matters. 
• Reduction in manual transactions and administrative inefficiencies. 
• Successful HR, payroll, benefits, and retirement plan audits. 
• Reliable workforce and headcount reporting. 
• Accurate temporary labor tracking and cost visibility. 
• Timely and controlled temporary-to-regular employee conversions. 
• Consistent staffing agency administration and relationship management. 
• Strong employee record and compliance practices. 
• Effective HR technology utilization. 
• Strong internal controls and approval workflows. 
• Reduced dependency on individual employees for critical HR processes. 
• Effective leadership and development of the Payroll & Benefits Specialist. 

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or related discipline, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. 
• Typically 7+ years of progressive HR experience with meaningful responsibility for HR operations, payroll, benefits, HRIS, employee data, HR administration, or related disciplines. 
• Prior experience supporting HR operational processes in a multi-location organization. 
• Demonstrated experience managing payroll and/or benefits administration. 
• Strong working knowledge of HRIS and payroll systems. 
• Experience establishing process controls, standard operating procedures, and audit practices. 
• Experience managing employment transactions and employee lifecycle administration. 
• Strong understanding of employee records, HR data privacy, and compliance requirements. 
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data, reconcile information, troubleshoot discrepancies, and identify root causes. 
• Strong project management and process-improvement capabilities. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage confidential and sensitive information. 
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple competing priorities. 
• Experience supervising, coaching, and developing employees. 

Preferred 

• Experience supporting a multi-state and/or multi-location workforce. 
• Experience in distribution, manufacturing, transportation, construction-related, or similarly operational environments. 
• Experience with temporary labor program administration and staffing agency management. 
• Experience with HRIS implementation, optimization, system configuration, or integrations. 
• Experience with payroll and benefits vendor management. 
• Experience supporting retirement plan administration and audits. 
• Experience with workforce analytics, dashboard development, or HR reporting. 
• Professional HR certification such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or equivalent. 
• Payroll, benefits, HRIS, or project management certification is a plus. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies

• Operational Discipline: Demonstrates strong attention to detail while maintaining a broader view of process effectiveness, scalability, compliance, and business impact.
• Process Orientation: Naturally evaluates how work moves through the organization and identifies unclear ownership, unnecessary complexity, risk, and opportunities for improvement.
• Systems Thinking: Understands how HR systems, payroll, benefits, employee data, temporary labor, Finance, and business processes intersect and ensures changes are evaluated end to end.
• Data Integrity: Maintains a high standard for accuracy and does not accept unreliable or inconsistent HR data as normal operating practice.
• Accountability: Establishes clear ownership, deadlines, controls, and service expectations and follows issues through resolution.
• Customer Orientation: Balances compliance and operational controls with practical, responsive service to employees and leaders.
• Vendor Management: Builds productive external partnerships while maintaining accountability for service, cost, compliance, contractual requirements, and issue resolution.
• Problem Solving: Investigates root causes rather than repeatedly correcting symptoms and develops sustainable solutions.
• Change Leadership: Is comfortable introducing structure and process into environments where practices may historically have been informal, decentralized, or inconsistent.
• Collaboration: Works effectively across HR, Finance, Safety, IT, Operations, leadership, and external vendors while maintaining clear functional accountability.
• Judgment and Confidentiality: Exercises strong discretion and sound judgment when handling employee, payroll, compensation, benefits, and other sensitive information.
• Leadership: Builds capability within HR Operations, creates appropriate backup coverage, and develops employees to operate with increasing independence and accountability.

Working Relationships

• Reports To: Vice President, HR, Risk & Compliance
• Direct Reports: Payroll & Benefits Specialist
• Key Internal Partners: HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Safety, Finance, Accounting, IT, Operations, Regional and Branch Leadership, and Executive Leadership
• Key External Partners: Staffing agencies, payroll provider, benefit brokers and carriers, retirement plan providers, HR technology vendors, auditors, consultants, and other third-party HR service providers

Role Mandate

The HR Operations Manager is accountable for bringing structure, consistency, accuracy, and operational discipline to the administrative infrastructure of HR. This is a hands-on leadership role responsible not only for ensuring work is completed, but also for improving how the work is performed.

The successful leader will continually evaluate whether HR operational processes are:

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• Clearly owned. 
• Properly controlled. 
• Consistently executed. 
• Accurate and timely. 
• Compliant. 
• Documented. 
• Measurable. 
• Technology-enabled where appropriate. 
• Easy for employees and managers to navigate. 
• Supported by reliable data. 
• Scalable as the organization grows. 

The HR Operations Manager should operate as both a leader and a builder of sustainable HR infrastructure, with the expectation that HR processes become more standardized, reliable, efficient, controlled, and measurable under their leadership.