HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST

Kalamazoo County Government Human Resources Department seeks three Human Resources Specialists. While the description below encompasses the breadth of tasks that could be assigned to an HR Specialist in this position, the current vacancies are projected to each have a different primary focus:
1. Benefits Administration, to administer and process benefits enrollment, changes, and billing.
2. Recruitment and Onboarding, to lead the recruitment and onboarding processes in keeping with the County’s strategic plan and values.
3. Performance Management, to strengthen team management skills for supervisors County-wide and support resolution of employee performance issues.

These position offers the potential for a flexible work arrangement:

Candidates for this position should be comfortable working in an autonomous environment and passionate about working with Kalamazoo County Government Staff, Retiree’s, future employees and the community to provide an informative and welcoming environment.

GENERAL SUMMARY
The purpose of this job is to assist in the operations of the Human Resources Department to provide efficient, fair, and equitable services to County employees in compliance with Federal and State laws, and County policies and procedures. The focus of this position is on recruiting and hiring staff, payroll, timekeeping, unemployment coordination, benefit and benefit administration, safety/security issues, and the worker’s comp program for 900 active employees (including 7 collective bargaining units) and 28 elected officials. Facilitate pension and benefits administration for 500 retirees.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supports recruiting, payroll, safety and employee benefit administration.
• Manages, facilitates, and audits benefit enrollment, terminations, billing, and changes with all applicable vendors and third-party administrators for County employees.
• Educates employees on available support services such as the Family Medical Leave Act and the American Disabilities Act.
• Oversees and coordinates the production of routine, retirement, and special payrolls.
• Processes, maintains, and updates transaction records such as deductions, withholdings, and action forms; audits, reviews, and corrects payroll information as necessary.
• Validates calculations and invoices for tuition reimbursements; verifies wage, tax, and benefit and tax deduction calculations.
• Interprets personnel policies and collective bargaining unit agreements to ensure compliance.
• Provides information to employees, supervisors, and outside agencies related to earnings, deduction, leave plans, and County policies and procedures.
• Coordinates County recruitment process; writes, publishes, and advertises job positions; attends job fairs and other recruiting events, schedules interviews and candidate evaluations; organizes new employee onboarding.
• Maintains County HR and payroll systems including the timekeeping systems.
• Calculates and manages complex pension and benefit packages, including preparing actuarial reports, calculating pension liabilities, and balancing annual contributions.
• Assists with the training of the Administrative Assistant and covering the duties of that position when the employee is out of the office.
• Supervise/manage skill building & employees issues.
• Design, implement, and facilitate managers training programs.
• Provide individual coaching and support to managers.
• Oversee annual performance review administration
• HR liaison for first level employee issues (escalating more severe issues to HR Managers)
• Performs related work as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• 3 to 5 years of related work experience working with payroll, benefits, retirement, trainings and hiring. Strong preference for previous experience working in County government.
• Any equivalent combination of training, education, and experience that provides the required skills, knowledge, and abilities

Veterans are encouraged to apply. Please provide your joint services transcript with your application.

109(00) $32.28/hr.

Monday- Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Position : 10938001

Code : 25150-1

Type : INTERNAL & EXTERNAL

Job Family : HUMAN RESOURCES

Posting Start : 12/04/2025

Posting End : 01/09/2026

Details : Benefits Information

MINIMUM HOURLY RATE: $31.34