Human Resources Manager

Human Resources Manager

Since 1932, Legal Aid has provided civil legal assistance to clients in individual cases and engaged in systemic reform. Currently, we provide individual representation in consumer law, domestic violence/family law, housing, immigration, public benefits, and appellate matters. We help individuals with the collateral consequences of their involvement with the criminal legal system. From the experiences of our clients, we identify opportunities for law reform, public policy advocacy, and systemic impact and appellate litigation.

Legal Aid believes that meaningful pursuit of our anti-poverty mission requires an unwavering commitment to racial justice and equity. We aspire both to reflect the rich racial diversity of the communities we serve and to value, respect, and empower our staff and clients to be effective agents of change.

We are looking for candidates who are interested in working closely with employees to provide great customer service and who are eager to collaborate with the rest of the People & Culture team to continue to make Legal Aid DC a great place to work. This role is an opportunity to further develop and streamline processes and have influence on how we are fulfilling our benefits and payroll functions. This role will also be cross-trained in other department functions and expand the role's responsibilities as you gain tenure at the organization.

We are looking for a candidate who can start in the role in January 2026.

Responsibilities

• Compensation
• Ensure accurate and on-time bi-weekly payroll processing
• Implement, maintain, and review payroll processing systems to ensure timely and accurate processing of payroll transactions including salaries, benefits, taxes, and other deductions.
• Ensure accurate and timely processing of payroll updates including new hires, terminations, and changes to pay rates and deductions. Ensure all required notices related to payroll go to employees.
• Maintain an in-depth understanding of Legal Aid DC's salary scales and compensation structure
• Facilitates accurate and timely delivery of employer contributions and employee payroll deductions to carriers, plan administrators, or other appropriate service providers.
• Ensures compliance with federal, state, and local payroll, wage, and hour laws and best practices.
• Benefits Administration
• Administers all employee benefits, including health, life, and disability insurance programs, 401(k) plan, leave, and any additional benefits that may be added.
• Advises and informs employees about their benefits, works with insurance broker and outside vendors to troubleshoot any employee benefit issues
• Informs employees of changes and developments related to benefits including eligibility, coverage, and provisions.
• Assists with documentation required by federal, state, and provider rules, regulations, and policies.
• Ensures employees receive all required notifications and updates.
• Works closely with brokers to identify and recommend carriers and plans based on quotes, available benefits, and prior experience.
• Ensures benefit plans are compliant with all relevant laws and employer requirements.
• Employee Leave
• Go-to resource for employees to understand their paid and unpaid leave policies.
• Work with employees going on long-term leave including parental and FMLA leave to understand their leave options.
• Understand and administer all parental leave supplemental programs, including short-term disability and DC Paid Family Leave
• Assist with other department functions
• Assist with any of these areas as needs arise: onboarding, training, and employee events.
• Maintains working knowledge of our HRIS and troubleshoots issues as they arise.
• Backfill other People & Culture functions to ensure timely customer service to employees.
• Work in-office 2-3 days per week.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Even if you do not have the exact experience and skills listed, we still encourage you to apply if you have equivalent or related experience:

• Prior experience administering employee benefits and payroll.
• Extensive knowledge of payroll, including preparation, balancing, internal control, and payroll taxes.
• Experience with administering full suite of organizational benefits including health insurance, employee leave, 401(K), short & long term disability, commuter benefits, and more.
• Knowledge of COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA requirements.
• Familiarity with using an HRIS to administer benefits.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or similar software.

If you have any of the following experience, we strongly encourage you to apply:

• Familiarity with assisting employees with FMLA and/or DC Paid Family leave requests.
• Experience setting up and maintaining an HRIS system.
• Experience working with employees to help them understand their available benefits.
• Experience analyzing benefits to identify modifications and additions to benefits that can be value added for employees.
• Experience with Microsoft Excel
• Experience at a nonprofit organization.
• Experience at a unionized organization.

Salary and Benefits

The Human Resources Manager will be paid in accordance with Legal Aid's policy based on years of full-time experience. Lateral hires will receive credit for years of relevant work experience as outlined in the policy. Starting salaries are as follows:

• Manager with 5 years full-time work experience: starting at $71,054
• Manager with 10 years full-time work experience: starting at $85,852
• Manager with 15 years full-time work experience: starting at $93,437

Legal Aid generally provides two salary increases per year, depending on funding availability: a cost-of-living increase at the beginning of the year and a step increase in July.

Legal Aid offers a generous benefits package that includes fully paid health insurance for the employee, annual discretionary retirement match, 12 paid holidays, personal leave, and generous annual and sick leave allotments starting at 15 days each per year.

This position is not included in the bargaining unit represented by the National Organization of Legal Services Workers, UAW Local 2320 and is categorized as a confidential employee. New hires start with a 4-day in-person schedule for the first two months of employment, then move to a 2-3 day a week hybrid schedule.

Legal Aid values an inclusive, diverse workplace and encourages applications from interested persons from diverse backgrounds of any race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, personal appearance, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. We strongly encourage applications from people with personal experience with the criminal justice system and/or with lived experiences in the communities we serve. Interested persons are encouraged to apply immediately and should submit a letter of interest and resume here. Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted. This application has a deadline of 5:00 pm on November 21, 2025.