Senior HR Generalist

Newsela is seeking a Senior HR Generalist to join our People team. The ideal candidate has at least 5 years of experience as an HR Generalist, with proven expertise supporting teams within the SaaS industry. This position reports to the VP of People and will play a critical role focusing on the operations side of the People Team supporting our workforce by delivering key HR functions including performance management, compliance, onboarding, and more, and will partner with Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partners, and Payroll & Benefits.

What you’ll be doing:

• Oversee and enhance onboarding and offboarding processes to ensure a seamless employee experience.

• Partner with the Director of People Operations to evaluate and implement scalable HR processes, tools, and workflows to support company growth across multiple geographies.

• Collaborate on the development and maintenance of Employee Handbook and other policies and documentation

• Manage the international contractor workforce employee lifecycle 

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee records within our HRIS (UKG).

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local labor laws and internal policies

• Lead the performance management process, including goal-setting, reviews, and development planning

• Manage the Leave of Absence process in partnership with the Benefits & Payroll Manager and external vendors (Sparrow)

• Help drive initiatives to improve employee engagement, recognition, and retention

• Collaborate with Recruitment and Talent Management to support workforce planning and organizational development

• Manage the DEIB Council to drive culture, support, and learning & development initiatives aligned with company values

• Partner with the Benefits & Payroll Manager to support accurate payroll and benefits processing; act as a backup for payroll coordination when needed

• Support change management initiatives during periods of organizational growth or HR system implementations, ensuring adoption across both U.S. and international teams.

• Serve as a central point for HR-related communications, crafting and distributing company-wide updates, policy changes, and employee initiatives in a clear, consistent voice in partnership with the People Operations Specialist

• Coordinate and facilitate company-wide all-hands including content planning, building collateral (slides) and presenting

• Gather feedback and insights from employees post-communications or events to continuously improve messaging and format

Why you’re a great fit:

Required:

• 5+ years of HR Generalist experience, specifically in a SaaS or tech company

• Strong knowledge of HR laws, regulations, and best practices across the U.S. (multi-state experience preferred)

• Proven ability to manage sensitive and confidential matters with discretion and professionalism

• Expertise in Leaves of Absence

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills

• Experience as a power user/admin within UKG

• Bias to act and drive toward completion

• Proficiency with the Google Suite

Preferred:

• HR certification (PHR, SHRM-CP) 

• Experience with the following tools: Greenhouse, Rippling, Deel

• Experience with near and offshore talent (Canada, Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, and or Argentina preferred) 

• Experience with SOC2 compliance audits

Compensation: 

• Base salary: $75,000 - $90,000 per year. 

• Total compensation for this role also includes incentive stock options and benefits. 

Why you’ll love working at Newsela:

• Health & Wellness: 

  • Company contribution toward medical insurance

  • Discounts and resources to stay healthy for you and your family- including pet insurance

• Work From Home: Our roles are fully remote - tech stipend included!

• Supporting ALL Families: Supplemental programs and time off to take care of your family and yourself.

• Time Off: Flexible PTO to recharge, including holiday break and Sabbatical Leave!

• Professional Development: Annual stipend towards professional development

• Make A Difference: No matter your role or department, the work you do each day helps share the future of education and improves the lives of students and teachers.

About Newsela:

Newsela takes authentic, real world content from trusted sources and makes it instruction ready for K-12 classrooms. Each text is published at five reading levels, so content is accessible to every learner. Today, over 3.3 million teachers and 40 million students have registered with Newsela for content that's personalized to student interests, accessible to everyone, aligned to instructional standards, and attached to activities and reporting that hold teachers accountable for instruction and students accountable for their work. With over 15,000 texts on our platform and multiple new texts published every day across 20+ genres, Newsela enables educators to go deep on any subject they choose.

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