Human Resources Business Partner (EAP)

Description

Human Resources Business Partner

Department: Corporate Division: Human Resources Location: Corporate Office

• Cerritos, CA Classification: Full-Time, Exempt, Onsite Schedule: Monday to Friday
• 0800-1700 Pay Range: $135,000.00 - $165,000.00 / year Reports To Chief Operating Officer
• Chief Financial Officer Position Summary Ecology Auto Parts, Inc. is seeking an experienced Human Resources Business Partner whose primary operational mandate is complete, hands-on ownership of payroll across the company's affiliated entities. This individual is personally accountable for payroll preparation, validation, execution, reconciliation, controls, reporting, compliance, and timely resolution of payroll discrepancies. In addition to payroll ownership, the position functions as the organization's lead HR authority and primary advisor to executive and operational leadership, with responsibility for employee relations, benefits administration, HRIS governance, employment compliance, performance management, and HR policy administration across a multi-site workforce. Professional fluency in both English and Spanish, along with demonstrated hands-on payroll experience, is required. The ideal candidate will also bring direct Paylocity experience, prevailing-wage and certified-payroll knowledge, and prior experience supporting a transportation or logistics workforce. Responsibilities
• Own the complete payroll lifecycle, including preparation, review, validation, execution, reconciliation, reporting, and resolution of payroll discrepancies.
• Administer payroll through Paylocity and maintain accurate employee, earnings, deduction, tax, timekeeping, and payroll-control data.
• Coordinate payroll inputs across business entities, departments, locations, schedules, and employee classifications; enforce submission deadlines and approval controls.
• Review time records, regular and overtime hours, premiums, bonuses, commissions, garnishments, deductions, paid leave, and final-pay requirements for accuracy and compliance.
• Administer prevailing-wage and certified-payroll processes, including rate validation, required reporting, record retention, and audit support.
• Maintain payroll calendars, standard operating procedures, reconciliations, exception reports, and supporting documentation for internal and external review.
• Partner with Finance on payroll funding, general-ledger coordination, reporting, tax matters, audits, and corrective action while maintaining appropriate segregation of duties.
• Advise executives and operational leaders on employee relations, workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, performance management, and consistent application of company policy.
• Build credible working relationships with leaders and employees across corporate, transportation, field, and operational environments.
• Translate business needs into practical HR actions, communicate risk clearly, and provide timely recommendations supported by policy, documentation, and applicable law.
• Provide clear, professional HR guidance and employee support in both English and Spanish, including during investigations, payroll and benefits matters, policy discussions, and workplace communications.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition on workforce needs, selection processes, offer alignment, onboarding, and staffing transitions without duplicating recruiting ownership.
• Support organizational change, job and reporting-structure reviews, succession planning, retention efforts, employee engagement, and management development.
• Lead prompt, objective, and well-documented workplace investigations involving complaints, conduct, policy violations, retaliation, harassment, discrimination, and other employee-relations concerns.
• Guide managers through coaching, corrective action, performance improvement plans, separations, and other employment decisions with consistent documentation and appropriate escalation.
• Maintain working knowledge of California and federal employment requirements, including wage and hour, leaves of absence, reasonable accommodation, equal employment opportunity, and recordkeeping obligations.
• Develop, interpret, maintain, and communicate HR policies, procedures, forms, and practices; monitor consistent application throughout the organization.
• Coordinate with executive leadership and legal counsel on sensitive employee matters, claims, audits, agency inquiries, and significant compliance risks.
• Oversee employee benefit administration, including eligibility, enrollment, life-event changes, employee communications, invoice review, vendor coordination, and issue resolution.
• Administer leave-of-absence and accommodation processes in coordination with employees, managers, providers, carriers, and legal resources as appropriate.
• Own HRIS data integrity and workflow governance in Paylocity, including personnel actions, security coordination, reporting, document retention, and periodic audits.
• Maintain accurate and confidential employee records and produce recurring and ad hoc workforce, payroll, benefits, and compliance reporting for leadership.
• Develop and maintain HR and payroll procedures, controls, service standards, and continuity plans; identify process gaps and implement sustainable improvements.
• Coordinate and prioritize the work of HR and payroll support resources as assigned, setting clear expectations and reviewing work for accuracy and timely completion.
• Manage the performance-review cycle and support leaders in setting expectations, documenting performance, recognizing contributions, and addressing performance gaps.
• Deliver or coordinate manager training on interviewing, hiring, documentation, performance management, respectful workplace expectations, leaves, wage-and-hour compliance, and other HR practices.
• Use payroll, turnover, attendance, employee-relations, and workforce data to identify trends and recommend practical corrective or preventive action.
• Perform other related duties consistent with the position's HR leadership and payroll-accountability responsibilities. Requirements Qualifications/Knowledge/Critical Skills
• Mandatory: Professional fluency in English and Spanish, including the ability to conduct sensitive employee discussions and communicate complex HR, payroll, benefits, and compliance information verbally and in writing in both languages.
• Mandatory: Demonstrated hands-on, end-to-end ownership of payroll preparation and execution for a complex, multi-site or multi-entity workforce.
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, Accounting, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience.
• Seven or more years of progressive human resources experience, including substantial responsibility for employee relations and HR operations.
• Direct hands-on experience with Paylocity payroll and HRIS functionality is strongly preferred.
• Direct experience administering employee benefits and resolving payroll and benefit discrepancies.
• Working knowledge of prevailing wage and certified-payroll requirements and processes is strongly preferred.
• Strong command of California wage-and-hour, leave, accommodation, employee-relations, and employment-record requirements.
• Demonstrated discretion, sound judgment, attention to detail, and ability to manage confidential and time-sensitive matters independently.
• Strong business and financial judgment, executive communication, investigative skill, operational urgency, and follow-through.
• HR certification such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or equivalent is preferred.
• Payroll certification such as Certified Payroll Professional or Fundamental Payroll Certification is preferred.
• Prior HR and payroll experience supporting transportation, trucking, logistics, or another distributed operational workforce is strongly preferred.
• Experience improving payroll controls, HR