Human Resources Generalist

About Lil Sweet Treat

Lil Sweet Treat is an expanding candy and sweets retailer that brings a modern, design-oriented approach to traditional candy shops. We currently operate stores in major cities including New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, supported by warehouse and fulfillment centers in Brooklyn and Long Beach. Our organization is in a growth phase, building structured systems, clear career pathways, and a dynamic HR function suited to our multi-city retail presence.

Role Overview

The HR Generalist will take charge of end-to-end people operations across our corporate offices, warehouses, and store associates in over seven markets. This comprehensive role encompasses full-cycle recruitment and onboarding for store teams, core talent lifecycle management including employee relations, benefits, compliance, and performance support. Notably, the position includes an operational responsibility to process and manage hourly payroll for store and warehouse associates in collaboration with the Finance team, which retains final approval and funding authority. This role is central to maintaining fully staffed stores and ensuring seamless openings of new locations.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage entire recruitment cycle for store associates and managers, including ongoing job postings across all markets and rapid candidate pipeline management.
• Coordinate interviews with store managers and oversee candidate tracking from application to hiring.
• Lead surge hiring efforts during new store launches and seasonal demand spikes.
• Maintain detailed recruitment tracking metrics; provide regular updates to leadership.
• Oversee onboarding processes for store managers, hourly associates, and warehouse personnel, including all relevant documentation and first-week coordination.
• Conduct corporate onboarding in partnership with leadership.
• Serve as primary contact for employee inquiries, managing relations, complaints, and investigations with discretion.
• Maintain and synchronize personnel records across HRIS platforms (Gusto and 7shifts) ensuring accuracy in rates, roles, and statuses.
• Support performance management, disciplinary actions, and offboarding processes adhering to statutory final pay requirements.
• Advisor to store managers on scheduling and daily people management best practices.
• Develop and improve team retention and employee engagement initiatives across all locations.
• Handle hourly payroll processing for stores and warehouses using 7shifts, in coordination with Finance for approvals and funding.
• Audit timekeeping, wage data, and employee information between scheduling and payroll systems before pay runs.
• Administer tip pooling and reporting compliant with jurisdiction-specific regulations.
• Manage paid sick leave and PTO accruals conforming to local laws such as NYC Earned Safe and Sick Time Act and others.
• Process off-cycle payments, corrections, retroactive adjustments, and final paychecks within required timelines.
• Manage wage garnishments, income withholding orders, and employer obligations accurately and promptly.
• Coordinate with Finance on payroll tax registrations and accounts for new jurisdictions or entities.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws across multiple states, including wage notices and postings.
• Maintain I-9 and employment eligibility verification compliance.
• Manage unemployment claims and responses, including attending hearings as needed.
• Maintain records and follow up on workers' compensation claims.
• Administer mandated benefit programs such as commuter benefits and disability/paid family leave.

Candidate Profile

• 3 to 5 years of HR generalist experience with substantial exposure to hourly, multi-location retail or hospitality workforces.
• Proven success in managing high-volume hourly recruiting, ideally within retail, food service, or hospitality sectors.
• Experience with payroll processing platforms such as 7shifts or Gusto strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of multi-state wage and hour laws, especially for New York, California, Pennsylvania, or Illinois.
• Excellent attention to employee data accuracy and detail orientation.
• Strong emotional intelligence with the ability to build trustworthy relationships across organizational levels.
• Exceptional communication skills for sensitive matter documentation and candidate interaction.
• Highly organized with the capability to manage multiple roles and payroll groups across diverse geographies independently and efficiently in a dynamic setting.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.

Additional Preferences

• Experience supporting new store or market openings including surge hiring and payroll/compliance setup.
• Familiarity with tipped employee rules and tip pooling operations.
• Background in specialty retail, food & beverage, or direct-to-consumer brands.
• Experience with Square POS onboarding and retail technology implementations.
• Skilled in creating dashboards and trackers using Google Sheets or Airtable; familiarity with Asana and Google Workspace.
• Experience operating within a multi-entity company structure.

Compensation & Equal Opportunity

The annual salary range for this position is $75,000 to $80,000. Lil Sweet Treat is dedicated to equal employment opportunities and values diversity, striving to build a team representative of the communities we serve.