Junior HR Generalist

Studs is a category-defining ear piercing and earring brand named one of “the 10 most innovative companies in retail for 2023” by Fast Company. Studs connects ear piercing with aftercare and earring shopping to create an end-to-end Earscaping® experience. We offer a better retail and digital experience that prioritizes safety and expertise in a cool, fun and welcoming environment, along with a wide earring assortment—all at an accessible price point.

The Junior HR Generalist supports the day-to-day administration of People operations across our studios and headquarters. Most of your time is spent completing the recurring work that keeps our HR processes accurate and moving: responding to employee and manager questions, coordinating onboarding and offboarding, processing employee changes, maintaining records, supporting benefits and compliance administration, and helping execute the programs the People team runs. A smaller share of the role supports the day-to-day operation of our New York headquarters.
This is the most junior role on the People team and is intentionally hands-on and execution-focused. You will be one of the first points of contact for routine employee and manager questions and will work from established policies, processes, and resources to resolve them. You will also learn when a question or situation requires additional judgment and should be escalated to another member of the People team.
This role is ideal for someone with early HR experience who is highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable doing the administrative work that strong People operations depend on. You will gain exposure to a broad range of HR work across a fast-growing, multi-location retail business, with opportunities to take on greater responsibility as you build experience and demonstrate readiness.

Salary Range: $80,000 — $90,000

Location: HQ (NYC); onsite Monday - Friday

Key Responsibilities:

Employee and Manager Support

• Own the People Service Center queue as one of the first points of contact for employees and managers, responding to routine questions about policies, pay practices, time off, benefits, records, and People processes.
• Use established policies, resources, and templates to provide clear and consistent answers, and escalate questions that require additional judgment or review.
• Support studio and regional managers with routine People processes, including new hire paperwork, employee and schedule changes, attendance documentation, and separation administration.
• Identify employee relations, leave, accommodation, and other sensitive matters at intake and route them promptly to the appropriate People team owner with the relevant facts documented.
• Maintain help center articles, response templates, and other employee and manager resources so commonly asked questions receive clear and consistent answers.

Employee Lifecycle and Records

• Coordinate onboarding and offboarding for studio and HQ employees, ensuring required documents, system steps, and notifications are completed accurately and on time.
• Process approved employee data changes in ADP and other People systems within your assigned scope.
• Partner with Payroll to confirm hires, employee changes, and separations are entered accurately before payroll cutoffs.
• Maintain employee files and records accurately and consistently, including completing recurring audits and following corrections through to resolution.
• Maintain People team trackers, calendars, and system records so information remains current and reliable.
• Support employee documentation and other recurring administrative processes throughout the employee lifecycle.

Compliance and Benefits Administration

• Complete I-9 verification and reverification on schedule across all locations and maintain required documentation.
• Coordinate recurring multi-state compliance administration, including labor law postings, required employee notices, and training completion.
• Support benefits administration with our benefits partner, including new hire enrollment, qualifying life events, employee questions, and open enrollment communications.
• Gather and organize records and documentation needed for audits, compliance reviews, agency requests, and other People team needs.
• Maintain confidential employee records and information in accordance with established practices and retention requirements.

People Programs and Reporting

• Coordinate the administrative execution of recurring People programs, including performance review cycles, engagement surveys, training, and new hire orientation.
• Pull and reconcile routine headcount, turnover, and compliance reports and flag missing or inconsistent data to the appropriate owner.
• Update forms, templates, instructions, trackers, and intranet content as People processes change.
• Identify recurring questions, administrative issues, or process friction and flag opportunities to make the work clearer or more efficient.
• Support other People team projects and initiatives as needed.

HQ Office Management

• • Support routine office operations, including supplies, vendors, deliveries, and building requests to keep HQ functional and stocked.
  • Support the execution of HQ events, including Town Halls, milestone celebrations, and annual gatherings.
  • Serve as an office safety contact alongside other HQ team members.

Requirements:

• 1–2 years of experience in Human Resources, People Operations, HR administration, or a similar role.
• Experience supporting recurring HR administrative processes such as onboarding, employee changes, records management, benefits administration, or compliance documentation.
• Familiarity with core HR practices and a willingness to build deeper knowledge across areas such as I-9 compliance, wage and hour practices, leave administration, and multi-state requirements.
• Hands-on experience with an HRIS, with ADP preferred, and comfort learning other People systems and tools.
• Strong written communication skills and the ability to provide clear, professional responses to employees and managers.
• Sound judgment about when to follow an established process and when a question or issue needs to be escalated.
• Exceptional attention to detail and the consistency to complete high-volume, recurring administrative work accurately and on time.
• Strong organization and follow-through, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities.
• Complete discretion when handling confidential employee information.
• Experience supporting hourly employees or employees across multiple locations is preferred.
• Able to lift up to 20 pounds.
• Based in New York City and able to work onsite at HQ Monday through Friday

Benefits & Perks

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance (including a plan option with $0 in-network mental health visits)
• Access to Mental Health and Work/Life Resources including Online Therapy, Gender Affirmation Support Services, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Health and Commuter Tax-Advantaged Accounts
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
• Paid Time Off, Paid Safe & Sick Leave, and Paid Parental Leave
• Paid Sabbatical After 4 Years of Service
• Exclusive Employee Discounts on Piercings and Jewelry (we’ve got your friends and family covered too!)
• Access to PerkSpot and additional benefits such as pet insurance, discounted tickets, personal finance coaching, healthy rewards, and more!

Studs is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a work environment that fosters diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity without regard to race, color, gender, age, creed, sex, religion, national origin, disability (physical or mental), marital status, citizenship, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, or any other legally protected status. Studs considers qualified applicants with criminal histories. We comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment in every jurisdiction in which we operate. If you require an accommodation for the application process, please fill out this form.

Massachusetts Applicants: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

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