Human Resources Specialist

The Human Resources Specialist oversees and coordinates Human Resources administration for Prime Home Health and Companion Care, supporting recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, compliance, training coordination, and workforce management. The role is onsite in Springfield, MA and focuses on meeting federal and Massachusetts employment requirements as well as applicable home care standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage recruitment from job posting through onboarding, including application review, candidate screening, and identification of qualified applicants.
• Create, post, and maintain employment advertisements on appropriate job platforms; monitor recruiting activity, open positions, and hiring outcomes.
• Schedule and coordinate interviews, or route qualified candidates to the designated supervisor, manager, or coordinator for interview scheduling and follow-up.
• Conduct reference checks, employment verifications, and credential verification.
• Process new-hire paperwork and maintain applicant and hiring records; maintain recruitment sources and strategies for caregivers and office personnel.
• Participate in job fairs, career fairs, and community recruitment events.
• Coordinate required employee communications, including hiring announcements, new-employee introductions, promotion notices, transfer notices, and other approved staffing updates.
• Execute and document employee status changes, including new hires, transfers, promotions, demotions, leaves of absence, terminations, rehires, and changes to employment classification or compensation, as authorized.
• Conduct new-employee orientation for caregivers and office staff, and ensure onboarding requirements are completed before work begins or assignments are issued.
• Complete employment eligibility verification and ensure required employment documents are received; conduct staff identification and materials management, including badges, equipment, technology, keys, and agency materials.
• Administer home care orientation programs covering agency policies, client rights, confidentiality, infection control, emergency procedures, incident reporting, abuse and neglect reporting, workplace safety, documentation expectations, and other mandatory topics.
• Coordinate required training, competency reviews, and acknowledgments; maintain training records, competency documentation, and completion reports.
• Manage HR compliance documentation, including personnel files and compliance records, in accordance with record-retention and confidentiality requirements.
• Assist with audits, surveys, payer reviews, inspections, and licensing or accreditation activities; support corrective action plan coordination and completion tracking.
• Maintain HR compliance dashboards, expiration reports, and follow-up logs; complete required exclusion, sanction, and eligibility checks when applicable.
• Process CORI background checks and coordinate additional background checks as required by agency policy, contract, payer, or program, including authorization, review, and adverse-action procedures as applicable.
• Coordinate employee investigations as assigned, including documentation, witness statements, findings, and follow-up actions.
• Administer leave programs, including Family and Medical Leave Act requests, providing required notices, supporting documentation tracking, deadline communication, and return-to-work coordination.
• Coordinate workers’ compensation incident reporting and follow-up; support injury trend identification and prevention efforts.
• Support unemployment claims by submitting information and maintaining accurate claim and decision records, including supporting documentation organization for separations.
• Handle incident reporting routing to appropriate leaders or designated parties, including assistance with incident investigations and tracking of outstanding items through completion.
• Maintain confidentiality for personnel and incident matters and provide HR support for employee questions, concerns, and HR processes.

Training, Compliance, and Credential Monitoring

• Monitor employee credentials and expirations, including professional licenses, certifications, physical examinations, health screenings, CPR and First Aid, HHA or CNA documentation, driver documentation when applicable, and required annual training.
• Ensure policy acknowledgments and annual handbook distribution are completed and tracked, including orientation, annual in-services, refresher training, and mandatory education scheduling.
• Maintain required medical and leave records separately from general personnel files; support disability accommodation requests and the interactive process.

Payroll Coordination and HR Information Management

• Communicate authorized hires, terminations, leave status, deductions, compensation changes, and other payroll-impacting actions to designated payroll staff.
• Reconcile HR records with payroll, scheduling, and benefit systems and address discrepancies promptly.
• Enter and update employee information in HR, payroll, scheduling, training, credentialing, and other approved systems; maintain accurate and confidential electronic and paper personnel files.
• Prepare HR reports related to hiring, turnover, vacancies, attendance, leave, training, credentials, incidents, and workforce trends.

Required Education and Experience

• Associate degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience required.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum three years of human resources experience preferred.
• Experience in home care, home health, healthcare, human services, or long-term care strongly preferred.
• Working experience with employee relations, leave administration, workers’ compensation, unemployment, onboarding, investigations, and compliance documentation.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of federal and Massachusetts employment requirements and sound HR practices.
• Understanding of home care workforce, onboarding, training, credentialing, and documentation needs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organization, follow-through, attention to detail, and ability to manage competing deadlines.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, remain composed, solve problems, and handle sensitive matters professionally.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with management, office staff, caregivers, clients, and external partners.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, HRIS platforms, scheduling systems, training software, and electronic records.
• Bilingual English and Spanish proficiency preferred.

General Requirements

• Ability to perform computer and telephone work for extended periods.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to travel between agency offices, training locations, and community sites as needed.
• Ability to maintain reliable attendance and meet the scheduling needs of a full-time position.

Technologies

• Microsoft Office
• HRIS platforms
• scheduling systems
• training software
• electronic records