Senior Human Resources Generalist (6-month contract)

Contract Length 6 Months, potential to hire Contractor Status 1099 Hours per Week 40 Hours Hourly Rate $55-65/hour Start Date Immediately Location Chicago, United States (The Loop) Reports to Senior Global HR Manager Work Schedule This is a full-time, contract role, requiring overlap with United Kingdom working hours. Work Arrangement Hybrid role requiring 2-3 days in the office per week

Your Role

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Chicago, 8th Light is a global technology solutions provider that partners with organizations to solve meaningful challenges and drive sustainable growth. 

As our Senior HR Generalist, you serve as a strategic partner at 8th Light, and are integral to fostering an exceptional employee experience and driving successful business outcomes. You leverage your deep HR expertise and champion the adoption of modern HR technologies, including AI-powered solutions, to inform organizational strategy, optimize operational efficiency, and cultivate a thriving, inclusive, and high-performing culture. By translating US and global policies and processes into streamlined, data-driven workflows, you take pride in ensuring our HR operations run seamlessly, compliantly, and consistently for all stakeholders. This role is based in Chicago and is hybrid, with the expectation to work in the office 2–3 days per week and remotely for the remainder of the week.

Our People Team

We believe our people are 8th Light’s greatest asset and their growth, well-being, and success shape the future of the company. As strategic business partners, our People Team takes a proactive, client-oriented approach to our work. We drive and enable 8th Light’s business strategies, build trust and rapport with our stakeholders, amplify what's working and improve what isn’t, and stay ahead of industry trends and practices.

Your Responsibilities

HR Operations

• Act as the primary point of contact within the HR Team for our global workforce, delivering exceptional customer-focused service, and escalating complex or high-risk queries to the appropriate stakeholders.
• Act as an internal consultant, serving as a subject matter expert who provides accurate guidance and drives the execution of US employment processes and policies in keeping with US employment law at federal, state, and local levels (e.g., FMLA, ADA, FLSA).
• Employ a proactive approach to stakeholder communication, providing holistic and timely updates.
• Lead and manage cross-functional HR projects from planning through execution, inclusive of clear timelines, stakeholder alignment, change management and communication plans, and successful delivery of outcomes that support business objectives.
• Manage and execute the seamless administration of the full employee lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding.
• Lead and administer key lifecycle activities – including relocations, life events, promotions, talent reviews, and compensation changes – supporting workflows with accurate and timely service.
• Manage and oversee all types of leave with a hands-on approach, providing a supportive, proactive, compliant, and efficient experience for 8th Lights and the business.
• Manage compliance training programs, ensuring 8th Lights complete required courses on time and with ample time.
• Own benefits administration, including open enrollment, supporting queries, monthly audits, and overall program health.
• Serve as the primary point of contact and maintain strong relationships with external partners and vendors for benefits, HRIS, and compliance.
• Partner with the Finance Team to ensure accurate and timely payroll processing by providing all necessary updates.
• Enhance and streamline documentation, policies, and processes.
• Maintain and update internal HR resources (e.g., HR Wiki, intranet pages), keeping both employee-facing and internal documentation accurate and easy to access.
• Support HR initiatives - including employee engagement and talent management - by collaborating with stakeholders to deliver desired outcomes on time and within budget.
• Support equipment provisioning and returns, ensuring employees receive the necessary tools and that items are tracked and returned efficiently.

Systems, Data and Compliance

• Serve as 8th Light’s HRIS expert.
• Maintain impeccable system hygiene across all HR tools, including accurate permissioning, access management, and reporting.
• Champion data integrity by conducting routine audits of our HR systems and improving our processes to ensure all employee information is accurate and up-to-date.