HR Generalist (Retail Division) at Elephants Delicatessen – Portland, Oregon

Salary:

$62,000 - $74,000 annually (DOE)

FLSA Status:

Salary Exempt

Schedule:

Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Location & Transportation:

Elephants HQ offices are located at 700 SE Clay St. Regular travel between store locations is required.

About Elephants

Locally owned since 1979, Elephants Delicatessen pioneered the gourmet food industry in the Pacific Northwest. Today, we operate seven Portland-metro retail locations and a thriving catering business - all focused on serving great local food made from scratch.

As a certified B Corporation, we meet higher standards of transparency, accountability, and sustainability. We believe business should be a force for good - for our people, our community, and our planet.

About the Job

We’re seeking a HR Generalist for our Retail Division to join our supportive and solutions-focused HR team. This role offers the chance to make a real impact across the organization and is well-suited for someone with strong technical skills, a sharp eye for detail, and the ability to collaborate across departments.

If you're a proactive and people-centered HR professional with experience in onboarding, compliance, data management, and advanced Excel reporting, we’d love to connect with you.

What You'll Do:

• Oversee onboarding and offboarding for new and returning employees, ensuring a welcoming and seamless experience
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee records across multiple platforms (Paylocity, R365, Toast, SharePoint)
• Conduct monthly and quarterly HRIS audits to ensure data accuracy and compliance
• Create, manage, and present Excel-based HR reports and dashboards
• Support recruiting efforts, including job postings, candidate screening, and interviews
• Assist in employee relations, policy development, and implementation
• Manage benefits administration and leave tracking; serve as a knowledgeable point of contact for employee inquiries
• Lead and maintain our company-wide employee recognition program
• Ensure confidentiality and legal compliance with all local, state, and federal employment regulations
• Partner with managers and teams across the organization to keep HR operations smooth, proactive, and people-centered

Elephants Delicatessen is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion. What we offer:

• Employer contributed vacation and sick time
• Kaiser Medical coverage, with alternative care as a bonus (acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, etc.)
• Mental Health Services
• Dental, FSA (Flexible Spending Accounts), and 401(k) with 4% company match
• Training that will fast-track your culinary/hospitality career
• Free counseling and financial services
• Opportunities for advancement
• Discounts on our delicious made-from-scratch food
• Pet insurance
• Chance to win employee raffles
• Discounts at Sketchers, Shoes for Crews, Verizon, Sprint, select B Corporations, and many more
• A commitment to inclusion, diversity, community involvement, employee well-being, and environmental protection

Elephants Delicatessen provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Elephants Delicatessen participates in the E- Verify program to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Please see the following notices for more information:

E-Verify Participation Poster (English/Spanish) Right to Work Poster (English/Spanish)

What You’ll Do

• Provide day-to-day support to Retail leaders across 7 store locations, ensuring consistent execution of HR processes and policies.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to managers on employee relations, performance management, coaching conversations, and conflict resolution.
• Lead full-cycle recruiting for retail roles, from sourcing to onboarding, ensuring a strong candidate experience and quality hires.
• Guide managers through progressive discipline, documentation, and investigations while balancing risk mitigation and employee engagement.
• Monitor and analyze turnover, engagement, attendance, and workforce trends to proactively recommend solutions.
• Support compensation and performance review processes, ensuring consistency, fairness, and alignment with company philosophy.
• Facilitate onboarding, training coordination, and development initiatives that strengthen leadership capability at the store level.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, company policies, and wage and hour regulations.
• Partner cross-functionally with Payroll, Benefits, Operations, and Finance to support a seamless employee experience.
• Contribute to culture-building initiatives that reinforce accountability, inclusion, and operational excellence across the Retail division.
• Support change management initiatives including new store openings, reorganizations, and business transitions.

What We’re Looking For

• Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, Accounting, or related field (preferred)
• 2 + years of direct HR experience in roles such as HR Generalist, HR Coordinator, or HRIS Specialist, with proven ability to manage core HR functions independently
• Preferred: Experience in food service, hospitality, or other dynamic, fast-paced environments where priorities shift quickly and operational demands are high.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, formulas, formatting) and strong skills in Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Experience with Paylocity, Toast, R365 (or similar HRIS, scheduling, and payroll platforms)
• Solid knowledge of HR compliance, onboarding, benefits administration, and leave tracking
• Excellent attention to detail, organizational skills, and ability to manage multiple priorities
• Advanced problem-solving and communication skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally.
• Advanced proficiency in English, both verbal and written.
• Preferred: Bilingual ability (Spanish) to support diverse staff.

If you love building strong teams, holding high standards, and creating memorable employee experiences, we’d love to meet you!