HUMAN RESOURCE ASSOCIATE - CORPORATE

About Us: Uwajimaya is more than just a grocery store — we’re a vibrant cultural destination with a rich history rooted in family, community, and food. Since 1928, we’ve grown into the Pacific Northwest’s premier Asian retailer, known for our wide selection, welcoming atmosphere, and commitment to sharing the diverse traditions of Asian cultures. We take pride in creating a one-of-a-kind experience for customers and employees alike — one that’s centered around food, culture, and people.

Why Join Uwajimaya?

At Uwajimaya, we believe in nurturing growth — in our communities, our customers, and our team members. We foster an environment built on collaboration, curiosity, and care. Whether you're starting your career or bringing years of experience, you'll find opportunities to make a meaningful impact in a workplace that values tradition, innovation, and connection.

Who We're Looking For
We’re looking for team members who are collaborative, thoughtful, and passionate about making a difference. Whether you’re serving customers, supporting operations, or leading a team, you bring a people-first mindset and a strong work ethic. If you thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and believe in the power of inclusion, community, and connection — you’ll feel right at home here.

To thrive at Uwajimaya, you should embody our core competencies:

• Functional/Technical Skills: You possess the necessary functional and technical knowledge to perform your job at a high level.

• Customer Focus: You are dedicated to meeting customer expectations and requirements, using feedback for improvements, and building effective relationships based on trust and respect.

• Action Oriented: You enjoy working hard, are full of energy for challenging tasks, and seize opportunities with minimal planning.

• Peer Relationships: You can find common ground with peers, solve problems collaboratively, and are seen as a cooperative team player who encourages collaboration.

• Self-Development: You are committed to continuous self-improvement, adapt to different situations, and work to develop your strengths while addressing weaknesses.

We offer:

• A flexible, inclusive, and friendly work culture

• Competitive starting wages

• Paid holidays from day one

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision benefits

• A generous retirement plan

• Paid time off, long-term disability, and life insurance

• Employee discounts on food and gift items

• Supplemental insurance options

• Opportunities for growth and advancement

Position Summary:

The Human Resource Associate at Uwajimaya supports various functions within the Human Resources Department, including recruiting and hiring, wage and salary administration, benefits and leave administration, reporting, and other employee related actions. The position requires effective collaboration across departments, adherence to legal compliance and confidentiality. Partners with internal and external stakeholders to provide excellent customer service, and employee communication. to The HR Associate must demonstrate organizational skills, diligence, effective communication, experience with HR systems, tools and technical judgment.

Position’s Key Responsibilities:

• Assist in recruitment processes, including candidate screening, scheduling, and interview coordination. Facilitate new hire processes, including background checks, I-9 form compliance, reference checks, drug screening, and other compliance oversight. Manage other state, federal, county and city documentation related to recruitment ensuring legal compliance.

• Maintain HR employee records and personnel files, accruals, and benefits setup, meeting required documentation standards and record retention requirements.

• Support onboarding and off-boarding activities for employees to maintain accuracy in systems and related activities.

• Schedule and administer new hire, exit, and other pulse surveys, providing regular reports and updates on trends to inform needs and effectiveness of HR programs.

• Support payroll administration tasks, including auditing HRIS processes for timeliness, accuracy, and compliance with record-keeping regulations.

• Partner with Human Resources team to deliver and optimize routine HR reports and metrics. Help maintain policies and use of HRIS systems to streamline communications and employee utilization and access.

• Assist in revising and creating job descriptions and assist with annual program/system revisions.

• Serve as primary contact and respondent for unemployment claims, salary verifications, work injury claims, leave administration and other employee related filings.

• Support implementation of HR programs and products, suggest methods for communicating with employees and soliciting feedback for improvements.

• Provide support in the coordination and delivery of employee communications and presentations.

• Work with store teams on recognition and the deployment of other HR related programs.

• Other duties as assigned.

Starting Pay: $24.30/hr., Depending on Experience
Pay Range: $24.30 – $35.23/hr.

Uwajimaya participates in E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility. Please review the E-Verify Participation Poster and Right to Work Poster before proceeding with your application

IER Right to Work Poster (English/Spanish) (PDF, 322.73 KB)

E-Verify Participation Poster (English/Spanish) (PDF, 259.92 KB)

Uwajimaya is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Position Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business (preferably in Management/Human Resources), Social Science or related field.

• Minimum two years of HR experience with preferred experience in recruitment and/or HRIS.

• Strong communication, problem-solving, and multi-tasking skills.

• Ability to take ownership of responsibilities, meet deadlines, and maintain interpersonal relationships.

• Excellent collaboration skills with diverse backgrounds.

• Proficient in office applications (Excel, Word) and other business software tools.

• Adaptive learner, able to follow instructions, and work independently.

• Skilled in working in a fast-paced, high-volume environment with strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

• This position will primarily be required to work in-person at company locations.

• This role requires some travel to various company locations. Candidates must have reliable transportation to fulfill this requirement effectively. Travel frequency may vary based on business needs.

Salary : $24 - $35