HR Manager (SMB Generalist) Job Description Template

Recruitment & Hiring: Manage end-to-end staffing needs craft job descriptions, source candidates, lead interviews, and coordinate hiring decisions to fill roles effectively. Ensure positions are filled in a timely manner as the company grows, while maintaining a positive candidate experience.

Onboarding & Training: Oversee onboarding of new employees, ensuring all paperwork, orientations, and training are completed for a smooth start. Set up new hires in payroll/benefits systems and equip them (and their managers) with clear 30/60/90-day goals and resources for success.

Employee Relations: Serve as a point of contact and mediator for employee issues. Communicate policy changes and company-wide messages clearly, conduct employee feedback surveys, and use input to recommend improvements. Handle interpersonal conflicts or complaints with appropriate discretion and professionalism, investigating and resolving issues per company policy

Performance Management: Implement and guide performance review cycles and feedback processes. Train managers on delivering constructive feedback and ensure performance appraisals and check-ins happen on schedule. Assist in developing improvement plans for underperforming staff and recognizing high performers.

Compliance & Policy Administration: Ensure the companys HR practices comply with employment regulations and internal policies. Keep handbooks and HR policies up to date (attendance, leave, conduct, safety, etc.) and educate staff on them. Proactively monitor HR recordkeeping (e.g.

documentation for hires, terminations, I-9s) and legal requirements, addressing issues before they become liabilities.

Payroll & Benefits Oversight: Supervise payroll processing and benefits administration so that employees are paid correctly and on time. Manage time tracking, leave accruals, and deductions, and liaise with finance or providers to resolve any payroll or benefits issues. Ensure open enrollments and changes in benefits are communicated and executed smoothly.

Engagement & Retention: Develop programs to maintain high employee engagement and retention. Monitor metrics like turnover rates and absenteeism, and implement initiatives such as recognition programs, wellness activities, or stay interviews to improve morale. Advise leadership on competitive compensation and benefits offerings

to encourage employees to stay and grow with the company.

HR Strategy & Advising: Consult with company leadership on workforce planning and talent management strategies. Provide data-driven insights (e.g. staffing needs, skill gaps, turnover trends) to align HR initiatives with business goals. For example, forecast hiring needs for expansion and recommend HR budget or policy changes to support growth. In essence, translate business objectives into HR actions that maximize employee contribution and organizational performance.

HR Knowledge & Compliance: Solid understanding of employment regulations and HR best practices e.g. fair hiring practices, wage/hour rules, anti-harassment standards and ability to apply them to keep the company compliant (without needing explicit legal guidance for routine issues).

HRIS & Tools Proficiency: Hands-on experience with HR information systems and related software. Can use an HRIS (e.g. BambooHR, Zoho People) for managing employee records and an Applicant Tracking System for recruiting. Proficient in office productivity tools (Excel/Google Sheets, Word) for HR reporting and data tracking ; able to run basic reports (turnover rates, time-to-fill, etc.) and interpret the data.

Talent Acquisition Skills: Demonstrated ability to execute recruiting processes writing effective job descriptions, sourcing candidates via job boards or LinkedIn, conducting structured interviews, and evaluating candidates. Understands how to screen for both skill fit and culture fit, and can coordinate the hiring process efficiently (e.g. scheduling interviews, collecting feedback)

Payroll & Benefits Administration: Familiarity with payroll processing and benefits programs. Comfortable working with payroll systems (e.g. Gusto, ADP, or QuickBooks Payroll) to input data and verify accuracy. Knows the basics of benefits enrollment, insurance plans, retirement contributions, and can answer employee questions or liaise with providers.

Data Analysis & Reporting: Able to analyze HR metrics and use data to drive decisions. For example, can track turnover, hiring metrics, or engagement scores and identify trends. Should be adept with Excel (including formulas or simple pivot tables) to compile reports, and interpret data to make recommendations (e.g. recognizing a 10% drop in engagement and devising an action plan).

Performance Management & ER Processes: Knowledge of performance management techniques and employee relations procedures. Can design or follow a Performance Improvement Plan process, document employee incidents, and guide managers through disciplinary steps fairly. Understands

progressive discipline and how to conduct investigations (e.g. for a harassment complaint) thoroughly and neutrally.

Business Acumen: Ability to understand basic business finances and how HR impacts the bottom line. For instance, can grasp how hiring plans relate to revenue targets or how overtime trends affect labor costs. This skill enables the HR Manager to align HR initiatives (like staffing plans or training programs) with the companys financial and strategic objectives.

Communication Skills: Exceptional verbal and written communication is essential.TheHR Manager must explain policies and complex information clearly to employees and executives. They write concise, empathetic emails and deliver presentations or trainings in an engaging manner. Strong communication also means active listening making employees feel heard and understood which helps preempt conflicts

Interpersonal & Conflict Resolution: High emotional intelligence for managing relationships. The HR Manager should be approachable and trustworthy, so employees feel comfortable bringing up sensitive issues. Skilled in conflict resolution techniques can mediate disputes between employees or between an employee and manager impartially and calmly. Diplomacy and patience are key; they remain professional and tactful even when handling difficult conversations or delivering bad news.

Organization & Multitasking: Excellent organizational abilities to juggle the roles broad responsibilities. The HR Manager in an SMB might handle recruiting interviews in the morning, a benefits meeting at midday, and a performance issue by afternoon. They need to prioritize tasks, manage time well, and keep accurate records. Multitasking is common, so they must switch contexts quickly while keeping details from falling through the cracks.

Problem-Solving & Decision-Making: A resourceful problem solver who can think on their feet. HR brings unpredictable challenges from resolving a sudden team conflict to adapting a policy due to a new law. The manager should analyze problems, consider implications, and devise practical solutions. They also must be comfortable making hard decisions when necessary

(for example, recommending termination for consistent policy violations, or choosing to deny a request that sets a bad precedent), using sound judgment and fairness.