People Operations Specialist

Posted Feb 19

EMBARK ON YOUR JOURNEY

We invite you to join Entara and further your career journey with us as our People Operations Specialist. The heart of any company is its people, and here at Entara, we perform the art of cultivating and supporting our people with great care. To be top-tier in our service delivery, we best enable our employees by being a world-class employer. This type of culture wasn’t built overnight, and it takes considerable tending. There is plenty of qualitative work to be done, but we also need to dot our ‘i’s and cross our ‘t’s.

This is where our People Operations Specialist comes into play. Inherent in every employee’s positive experience with Entara is the company’s ability to supply managers and employees alike with the right information, the right guidance, and the right resources. Our People Operations Specialist ensures this flow of activities is happening within a framework that honors our standards while adapting thoughtfully to new challenges. Our PeopleOps function doesn’t just check a box; it provides meaningful order and organization inside of company moving at light speed.

Our ideal People Operations Specialist is a mid-career professional with solid and diverse Human Resources experience under their belts, and who has the strong ambition to take fuller ownership in their career—to build, fine-tune, and refine traditional HR functions whilst broadening their “all things people” craft in the context of a growing ~100 person company. We’re looking for an enterprising, resourceful team player who wants to work alongside our Director of People Operations and Director of Finance to keep our team happy and healthy as we scale. This is a People Operations Specialist who bleeds excellence, loves finding solutions, and prioritizes communication. Does this sound like you?

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

(Otherwise known as the fine print, the list of job tasks and responsibilities.)

The People Operations Specialist will own primary facets of the Human Resources and workforce management functions of the company. This role includes many traditional responsibilities but offers a uniquely comprehensive level of interaction with employees and supervisors. Reporting to the Director of People Operations, the People Operations Specialist executes repeated processes for training, surveying, pay and benefits administration, employee lifecycle management, and company communications. The People Operations Specialist will also be responsible for working with our staff to address individual matters related to employment, career paths, and performance; maintaining and adapting our policies and procedures for a highly-performing remote workforce; and ensuring the integrity of our compliance, documentation, and human capital data. This role will be a vital team member in the larger PeopleOps team and will collaborate closely with their Talent Acquisition focused teammates to ensure a thoughtful employee experience at all points of an employee’s tenure, taking a lead on all HR responsibilities under their ownership.

Employee Engagement and Communications:

Collaborate on the development of our employee engagement strategy, setting initiatives on the calendar and planning for their launch.
Execute certain components of our employee engagement plans as assigned within the PeopleOps team, including but not limited to: managing company events, administering the employee recognition platform, observing celebrations and key milestones of employees, and developing/delivering company-wide communication campaigns.
Organize and implement programs for wellness and DEI while monitoring levels of engagement and adjusting initiatives as needed.
Serve on and lead the company’s Culture Committee to collaborate with employees, keep apprised of thought patterns, and provide guidance on topics related to enhancing company culture.
Launch and administer periodic employee surveys to gather feedback, reviewing those survey results to decipher trends and providing manager summaries/recommendations that affirm approaches or show opportunities for improvement.
Ensure quarterly cadences are followed with respect to the company EOS structure and prepare messaging before and after firm-wide meetings.
Draft, edit, and publish firm-wide updates and news related to pay, benefits, workplace, policies, guidelines, and engagement as needed.

Payroll and Benefits Administration:

Oversee enrollment/unenrollment in all company benefit plans for newly eligible, converted, and departing employees using the HRIS platform and the feeds/processes of various benefits providers.
Process the semi-monthly company payroll accurately and on time through the HRIS platform, accounting for any earnings, deductions, or changes specific to a particular pay period.
Document changes in compensation and benefits using standard processes and ensure all stakeholders receive proper confirmation.
Analyze benefits plans annually, in collaboration with our broker, to compare, select, and integrate all benefit plans into the HRIS platform and prepare for the open enrollment process.
Understand trends and usage of compensation and benefits both inside and outside the company to advise senior leadership on modifications or matters of compensation planning.

Policies and Compliance:

Maintain and update the Employee Policy Manual as needed to thoroughly reflect all company expectations, guidelines, and policies related to employment, including those items specific to particular states.
Suggest and draft new policies in collaboration with senior leadership to respond to the evolving work environment.
Monitor the human resources compliance calendar and ensure that all necessary compliance activities (including government filings/reporting) are completed on time.
Understand which factors—including updates to federal and local laws—would change the company’s compliance obligations, and work with the Director of People Operations to prepare for anticipated changes.
Utilize outlets for HR news to draw from the latest trends, recommendations, updated requirements, and approaches when crafting company policies and procedures.
Discuss and plan for major policy changes or initiatives with the Director of People Operations and corporate counsel.
Carry out active tracking and documentation processes necessary for compliance with FMLA, EEO, FLSA, ADA, and other critical obligations.

Training and Development:

Oversee the new employee onboarding workflow and ensure new hires receive standard human resources training.
Work closely with hiring managers and the PeopleOps team to identify, create, and deliver initial and ongoing training that equips managers and employees to successfully navigate the organization.
Serve as a secondary resource to give new hire orientation training, ensuring a positive first experience with the company.
Manage the and assignments of compliance-based training in the HRIS, driving the completion of those trainings by assignees.
Drive consistent adoption of management practices and frameworks with company supervisors by training, coaching, and providing resources.
Consult with and advise managers on how best to encourage, support, and develop employees within a progressive career path, tailored to the needs and circumstances of each department.

Performance and Job Management:

Take the lead on escalated employment issues, communicate appropriately during the course of resolution, apply relevant facts and standards, and involve company leadership when needed.
Equip managers with tools and procedures for providing performance feedback and performance improvement plans to employees.
Manage job change processes, providing documentation for employees undergoing a position change or promotion, ensuring supervisors have set clear expectations and transitions.
Administer the employee termination process, conducting exit interviews where possible and extrapolating feedback to share with senior managers.
Assist in the comprehensive QA review and development of job descriptions and supportive role reference materials, working closely with the Director of People Operations, managers, and Talent Acquisition teammates.
Ensure that each active role has manager-defined accountabilities, is supported by a job description, and has been classified by exemption status, SOC code, and level.
Assist the Director of People Operations and Talent Acquisition Specialist with mapping, defining, and planning for new roles in the organization as the need arises.

HRIS and Vendor Management

Serve as the primary liaison between the company and its vendors for HR services and tools, operating both proactively and reactively to promptly resolve issues that arise, hold vendors accountable to provide expected service, and to optimize the relationships and flows of information to keep HR operations running efficiently.
Become the subject matter expert and chief administrator of the company HRIS platform and related HR-centric toolsets, performing all necessary tasks, managing the flow of information between the HRIS and its integrations, and ensuring consistency of process.
Make updates and enhancements to accessible modules of the HRIS platform to optimize the employee experience.
Understand the means and limitations of reporting and quickly respond to management requests for information.
Produce and maintain complete and accurate records of employment, including changes in status, eligibility, membership, compensation and benefits, obtained certifications, etc.
Manage and maintain internal and external HR data to ensure compliance, retention, and privacy obligations are met and to preserve the integrity and accuracy of employment data.

WHO YOU ARE: REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

You’re a knowledge seeker. Regardless of method, you have obtained and exposed yourself to knowledge centers that have qualified you to master human resources and people operations best practices, tactics, and procedures. Our ideal candidate could boast of a relevant four-year degree in a related field or has acquired a relevant SHRM, AIHR, or PHR certification.
You have at least four (4+) years of combined experience in a dedicated human resources/people operations role that included a focus on some combination of compliance and policy, employee relations, training and development, performance management, and benefits administration.
You have experience working in a multi-functional position which required you to develop effective organizational and time-management skills and put them to constant use. You have a track record for developing systems and processes and ensuring that you—and other stakeholders—follow them, reinforcing your reputation for consistency. You’d consider yourself a professional at project-managing tasks and assignments that often require persistence to complete.
You have formerly built strong, internal business partnerships given your combined approach of active listening skills coupled with proactive foresight and a solutions-centric “let’s solve it” attitude.
You are a master of the pen (or keyboard, as it were). Communicating clearly, effectively, and persuasively is an ability you are proud of. You consider your professional communication to be impeccable, effective, and appropriately tailored for the audience and context.
You are accomplished with the tools and applications used by People professionals, such as a modern HRIS and payroll system. You also have a knack for learning new software without much formal training; technology in its various forms is something you “get” and understand how to use to your advantage.
Your attention to detail and mastery of nuance are manifested in the quality of the work that you produce. You mind the details, not rushing through an important task just for sake of finishing and checking a box; you like to apply focus and remain thorough, and it’s rare that people find errors in your work.
You have acute sensitivity and discretion for private or confidential information and can handle it with care.
You have an approach to working hours that is more adaptable than the traditional "9-to-5". You're career driven and motivated to put in the time and effort to get the job done right. You can identify when it’s occasionally necessary to work late or start early to provide critical support for the company and its employees. At the same time, you can grasp what to prioritize, when to call it a day, and how best to build in some breaks for personal wellness.
You’re available for a standard working schedule from Monday-Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm CT and are open and flexible to accommodate the additional needs of the team that may require after-hours support on occasion.
You have a dedicated, private space for a home office and have in place a reliable, private internet connection with at least 50MBPS bandwidth. Public Wi-Fi and shared common spaces do not meet these standards. Entara will supply you with certain other hardware to complete your tasks remotely.

WHO YOU ARE: PERSONALITY-WISE

People First. You have a genuine interest in listening to people, seeking to understand issues that affect them, and using your talents to improve their situation. You are a natural empathizer who prioritizes human connection, but you harmonize that with your business sense to exercise good judgment based always on a sense of what is right and fair—even when that’s hard or unpopular.
Hungry for Knowledge. You’re always on the lookout for the next addition to your knowledge arsenal. You appreciate working in an organization that provides exposure to many learning opportunities, and your natural curiosity leads you to seek out information and context that helps you be a better decision maker. And when you run into something you don’t know, you’re determined to be resourceful and find the answer.
A Combo Meal. Your style is winningly ambidextrous. While you are known to be creative, social, and approachable, you also insist on being extremely organized and highly detailed. If Dance Dance Revolution and Microsoft Excel had a love child, it would be you.
Corporate Usain Bolt. You’re capable of moving rapidly from task to task without getting rattled. And no matter the demands of the job at hand, you strive for high-quality, error-free results across the board—not because you’re asked to, but because you want to. Your desk is clear, your email inbox is empty, your kitchen counters aren’t cluttered You are a lean, mean, well-oiled machine.
Accountable & Self-Driven. When you drop the ball or miss the mark, the person who is most disappointed is always you. You take great pride in the quality of your work and the way in which you deliver it, and you learn from your mistakes.
A Trusted Confidant. You are genuinely reliable, respectful, thoughtful, and responsible. You pride yourself on quickly building trust with company leadership, based on your follow through, perceptive listening, and discretion with sensitive assignments. Your strong backbone and constant eye for professionalism equip you to navigate occasional conflicts and sticky situations with composure and business acumen.

WHO WE ARE

Founded in 2001, Entara is an eXtended Service Provider (XSP) focused on providing cutting edge technology and cyber security solutions to companies in regulated industries. With our roots in providing service to the electronic trading market, we are known for growing with the pace of technological change and the developing security needs of our clients. We are redefining ourselves - and our industry - and creating a new class of service providers, XSPs, because we recognize that MSPs and MSSPs are no longer what our clients need. Downward pressure from both regulators and insurance providers convinced us that it was time to integrate our IT and cyber security offerings and deliver strategic, future facing solutions for our clients.  

In order to build, maintain, and optimize these types of solutions, we need high-performing, highly-collaborative teammates who are excited to join in this journey with us. There are several reasons why employees love being a part of the Entara team. We’ve been recognized as one of Chicago’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For since 2017. We are a remote-first workplace. We seek to build a team that’s brought together by more than just skills, but who embrace a personal alignment to the values that underpin the work we deliver: Empathy, Excellence, Execution, and Evolution. If this sounds like you, let’s connect and discover if we have the foundation to build something great together.  

WHAT YOU GET IN RETURN

As an employee at Entara, you will have a direct impact on our operations, our clients, and your fellow EntaraCorps members. Because of that impact, you get our respect and gratitude for the role you play in making Entara the best it can be. We consider mentoring and participating in the continual learning of others to be absolutely essential for both you and your co-workers.

To reflect our commitment to our employees, we offer unlimited PTO, remote-first work, 401k matching, paid parental leave, employee outings (virtual and in person), reimbursement for approved seminars, conferences, and certifications, and 100% employee premium coverage for medical, dental, life, and disability insurance….and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.