People Operations Generalist

People Operations Generalist Newburyport, MA Hybrid: In office Mon-Thurs, Remote Fri Matter Communications is an independent and thriving integrated PR, social media, digital marketing, and creative services firm focused on what matters most: our people, our clients and our results. From fast growth startups to established brands, we work with B2B and B2C companies at all stages of development and across all industries. As we’ve grown, we’ve maintained focus on building and nurturing a team-oriented and creative environment because we know that when we tap into our collective brainpower we come up with inspired solutions for our clients and because it makes for a happy place to work.  We work with people we like and can learn from, making our jobs a positive aspect of a balanced life. At Matter, we prioritize employee diversity, equity and inclusion and value everyone’s unique story. We’re proud of the many awards that we’ve garnered as a Top Place to Work and as a Top Agency in the US, but we’re equally as proud of the many organizations that we’ve helped through our agency-wide volunteer initiative.  If you’re the kind of professional that takes their work seriously, but also doesn’t take themselves too seriously, this could be the place to grow your career. We’re looking for a people-first HR professional who thrives in a collaborative, fast-paced environment and enjoys creating a positive employee experience from onboarding through ongoing support. In this role, you’ll partner across teams to help keep our people operations running smoothly while supporting employee engagement, compliance, payroll, and benefits. Here’s a mix of what you’ll work on day to day: Accurately process multi-state payroll for over 150+ employees Reconcile each payroll run for accuracy related to benefits, taxes, 401K contributions and employer match Reconcile monthly/quarterly/annual payroll reports Maintain payroll and benefits forecast in excel Manage employee leave of absence processes Manage time tracking compliance and adoption of ClickUp time tracking tools Administer employee benefits, including open enrollment, monthly processing, and reconciliations Manage PTO requests and ensure accurate tracking within our HRIS (iSolved) Oversee all aspects of the employee lifecycle, including engagement and offboarding Support compensation audits and monthly compensation reviews Ensure accurate documentation of employee movements, promotions, and organizational changes Help maintain HR and employment law compliance across the agency Contribute to building and maintaining a strong, inclusive employee culture across all offices Provide day-to-day HR support to employees and managers as needed What we’re looking for: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience 3-5+ years of HR or People Operations experience Solid understanding of HR practices, policies, and employment laws Agency experience is a plus Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with professionalism and discretion Strong attention to detail and organizational skills Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment and adapting to shifting priorities Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Ability to work independently while collaborating cross-functionally Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Teams, HRIS platforms, and applicant tracking systems Experience with iSolved strongly preferred Why Matter? A healthy culture requires healthy, happy people. That’s why Matter goes above and beyond to provide exceptional benefits, fun bonuses, and culture perks to our workforce. These include: Exceptional company culture, monthly FUN events in all offices, happy hours, and surprise rewards throughout the year. A comprehensive time-off plan that includes PTO, sick time, a yearly winter break, birthdays off, short Fridays EVERY week, and other out of office time to support work/life balance. Competitive salaries, and lots of room for long-term growth and development Top notch health, dental, and vision plans Extensive and ever-growing programs for diversity, equity and inclusion, plus a variety of specialized employee resource groups, diversity focused events and initiatives, and more. Paid volunteer time through our Helping Hands program. Matter Wellness program, featuring extracurricular activities and interoffice competitions Employee referral program (get a $$ bonus for referrals we hire) Lots of other stellar benefits like a 401K program, pet insurance, FSA and Dependent care plans, paid parental leave, and so much more. Compensation: The pay range for this role is between $70,000-$85,000 based on experience. Matter provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Matter also participates in the E-Verify program. #LI-NBPT