Human Resource Specialist

Help Build a Workplace Where People Thrive

Are you passionate about people and creating meaningful employee experiences? Do you enjoy balancing recruiting, onboarding, employee engagement, and volunteer support while making a positive impact on your community?

The Whatcom Family Y is looking for a Human Resources Specialist to join our Human Resources team. In this role, you'll help shape the employee and volunteer experience from the first application through onboarding, recognition, and ongoing engagement. Every day brings something new—from welcoming new team members and coordinating volunteer opportunities to supporting employee appreciation events and helping build an outstanding workplace culture.

If you're an organized, people-centered professional who enjoys making a difference behind the scenes and in person, we'd love to hear from you!

What You'll Do

As the Human Resources Specialist, you'll partner with the Association Director of Human Resources to support employees, volunteers, and hiring managers across the organization.

Talent Acquisition & Onboarding

• Coordinate recruitment activities for staff and volunteers across the Association.
• Manage job postings, applicant tracking, candidate communication, reference checks, and hiring process administration.
• Process new hire paperwork and establish employee and volunteer records in HR systems.
• Coordinate and facilitate New Employee Orientation and onboarding.
• Create employee onboarding materials that help new team members feel welcomed and prepared.

Employee Experience & Engagement

• Create employee newsletters, announcements, and internal communications.
• Coordinate employee recognition programs, milestone celebrations, appreciation events, and engagement initiatives.
• Administer employee surveys and assist with tracking and reporting employee feedback.
• Help foster a positive, inclusive, and engaging workplace culture that reflects Y values.

Volunteer Program Support

• Screen, onboard, and recognize volunteers.

HR Operations

• Maintain personnel and volunteer records with accuracy and confidentiality.
• Support HR reporting, special projects, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with Y policies, employment regulations, volunteer standards, and youth protection practices.
• Serve as a trusted resource for employees, volunteers, supervisors, and hiring managers.

We're Looking For Someone Who

• Enjoys building relationships and helping people succeed.
• Is highly organized and can manage multiple priorities with attention to detail.
• Communicates professionally and compassionately with employees, applicants, volunteers, and leaders.
• Maintains confidentiality and exercises sound judgment.
• Takes initiative and enjoys improving processes.
• Believes in creating welcoming, inclusive workplaces where everyone feels they belong.
• Is passionate about strengthening the community through the Y mission.

Why You'll Love Working at the Y

At the Whatcom Family Y, your work has purpose. Every employee hired, every volunteer welcomed, and every recognition event you help coordinate contributes to a stronger organization and a healthier community.

You'll join a collaborative team that values:

• Meaningful work that makes a difference
• Professional growth and development
• A supportive, mission-driven culture
• Opportunities to build relationships across the organization
• The chance to strengthen our community every day

Join Our Team!

If you're excited about helping create an exceptional employee and volunteer experience while supporting an organization that changes lives every day, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today and help us strengthen our community—one employee, one volunteer, and one connection at a time.

The Whatcom Family Y is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and experiences.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Associate's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Communications, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of Two (2) years of experience in Human Resources, recruiting, employee engagement, volunteer management, or related administrative functions.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Passionate about serving the community with a commitment to the Y mission.
• Ability to relate effectively to diverse groups of people from all social and economic segments of the community.
• Proficiency in office suite applications (Microsoft Office, Google Suite) is expected, and Experience HR information systems is preferred.
• Commitment to inclusion and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Completion of Y program-specific training.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The employee needs sufficient strength, agility and mobility to perform essential functions and to safely supervise program activities.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use a computer for extended periods of time and be able to communicate using a computer and phone/smart device.
• The employee frequently is required to sit and reach, and must be able to move around the work environment.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.