HR Specialist - Chicago - SEIU HCIIMK

Description

SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana is a dynamic, action-oriented union of over 85,000 healthcare and childcare workers throughout Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Kansas. As one of the largest and fastest growing affiliates of the Service Employees International Union, SEIU HCII is committed to building power for low- and moderate-income families by organizing low wage workers for economic and social justice.
Purpose:
The Human Resources (HR) Specialist performs a staffing and recruitment, payroll support, project management, compliance, and administrative support role. The HR Specialist's primary responsibility is to partner with hiring managers to recruit for various positions. This position also serves as a backup to the payroll process as needed, works closely with the HR leadership to ensure projects are successfully and effectively managed, and compliance with local, state, and Federal regulations. The HR Specialist provides support for filing, reporting, and staff communications. This position also plays a pivotal role in maintenance of HR records. This position reports directly to the HR Director with no direct reports.
Location: Chicago (Hybrid)
Duties and Responsibilities:
The HR Specialist performs a wide range of duties supporting HR functions. Specific responsibilities are below:
Staffing and Recruitment

• Own and lead full-cycle recruitment efforts for SEIU HCII, serving as a strategic partner to hiring managers to ensure timely, equitable, and high-quality hiring outcomes aligned with organizational goals.
• Serve as a strategic recruitment partner to hiring managers, providing consultative guidance on workforce planning, job design, market trends, equitable hiring practices, and candidate assessment.
• Manage end-to-end recruitment processes, including intake meetings, job postings, sourcing, screening, interviewing, reference and background checks, offers, and onboarding coordination for employees and temporary staff.
• Develop and execute recruitment strategies in partnership with hiring managers, including training managers on selection processes and interview compliance standards.
• Oversee interview coordination and candidate communication to ensure a positive and timely candidate experience.
• Track, analyze, and report recruitment and workforce metrics, including headcount, turnover, diversity, and hiring progress.
• Maintain and manage the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), ensuring accurate documentation, timely candidate dispositioning, and data integrity.
• Partner with the HR Director to continuously evaluate and refine recruitment and selection procedures to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws.

Member Intern and Lost-Timer Project Management

• Serve as the primary owner of the Member Intern and Lost Timer processes, overseeing timelines, documentation, approvals, and execution.
• Partner closely with Payroll to ensure all individuals are accurately entered into payroll systems and compensated correctly and on time.
• Collaborate with Administrative Liaisons to ensure all required documentation is complete, accurate, and submitted according to established deadlines.
• Provide training, guidance, and ongoing support to Directors, Administrative Liaisons, and staff to promote understanding of requirements, roles, and best practices related to onboarding and payroll processing.

Compliance and Reporting

• Ensure HR practices and processes comply with applicable laws, organizational policies, and regulatory requirements, while safeguarding sensitive and confidential information.
• Monitor and support adherence to SEIU HCII policies, procedures, and compliance requirements.
• Prepare and provide documentation and information required for audits, investigations, and regulatory compliance.
• Partner with the Chief of Operations and HR Director on ongoing HR compliance initiatives, including the SEIU Code of Ethics and Harassment-Free Workplace policies.
• Maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion when handling sensitive employee and organizational information.
• Ensure required compliance postings are current and properly displayed at all locations.
• Oversee completion, accuracy, and auditing of I-9 documentation, including annual I-9 audits.

Human Resource Information Systems (Paylocity)

• Serve as a steward of HR data integrity by managing and maintaining accurate employee records within Paylocity and related HR systems.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee data within Paylocity, ensuring consistency across HR, Payroll, and Staff Development functions.
• Process and track employee lifecycle changes, including new hires, terminations, transfers, promotions, anniversaries, training, policy acknowledgments, and events.
• Ensure personnel files are complete, accurate, and maintained in compliance with legal and organizational requirements.
• Support onboarding by maximizing system functionality for new hire documentation and workflow completion.
• Partner with Payroll and internal stakeholders to ensure HRIS data supports accurate reporting and payroll processing.

Other

• Serve as a point of contact for staff HR-related inquiries, responding directly or routing matters appropriately to ensure timely resolution.
• Apply working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations (including EEO, ADA, FMLA, ERISA, DOL, NLRA, OSHA, WC, and unemployment reporting) to support compliant HR operations.
• Provide backup support to Payroll as needed, including assistance with payroll processing, wage garnishments, and other payroll deductions.
• Support administrative and operational HR functions, including document preparation, reporting, data entry, record maintenance, and correspondence, as required to support HR initiatives.
• Partner with staff to coordinate and complete annual driving background check requirements.
• Monitor and manage the HR email inbox and mailbox daily, ensuring inquiries and materials are distributed appropriately, and employee relations matters are flagged or supported as needed.
• Collaborate with the Chief of Staff or designee to coordinate and administer the 3-, 6-, and 9-month probationary review process.
• Support benefits administration activities, including Open Enrollment and annual renewals, by providing administrative and operational assistance as needed.
• Creating, maintaining, and regularly reviewing standard operating procedures (SOPs), guides, and reference materials to ensure consistency, clarity, compliance, and continuous process improvement.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support the overall effectiveness of the Human Resources function.

Scope and Nature of Supervision:
The HR Specialist must be able to organize their time to complete their role and responsibilities with minimal supervision. They must also be able to receive direction from and interact with their immediate supervisor and organizational leadership, as necessary.
Criteria for Evaluation:

• Maintain working relations with other staff and members.
• Balance conflicting demands successfully.
• Work independently and collaboratively.
• Meet deadlines for monthly and yearly reporting.
• Successfully manage projects effectively.
• Carry out assigned responsibilities in a competent, timely, and professional manner in keeping with the Local's overall Mission, Vision, Values, goals, and expectations.

Working Conditions/Duration:
The HR Specialist will be paid a salary based on the staff pay scale for full-time work. Weekly hybrid schedule working up to 2 days off-site per supervisor approval.
Minimum Qualification Criteria:

• Minimum 5 years of HR or related work experience.
• Associate degree, or some college-level or technical school coursework in a related field is required. A Bachelor's Degree (B.A. / B.S.) in Human Resources, or a related field, is preferred.
• A Professional of Human Resources (PHR) and/or SHRM Certified Professional (CP) certification is strongly preferred.
• Proficiency in Paylocity or other HRIS systems is a must.
• Strong knowledge of HR functions and responsibilities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Understanding of SEIU and the Union's commitment to social justice.
• Ability to work in a multicultural and diverse work environment.
• High level of ethics and integrity to manage sensitive and confidential situations and documentation.
• Ability to operate most standard office equipment (i.e., scan, print, copies, phone, calculator).
• Writing and verbal skills, including the ability to write and speak in a clear and concise manner.
• Demonstrated judgement and ability to prioritize work in a dynamic and changing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong recruitment experience preferred, including experience sourcing, screening, interviewing, and closing candidates in a fast-paced or mission-driven environment.
• Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus but not required.

Salary and Benefits:
Salary: $86,628 - $94,245/ Annually