HR (People) Generalist

About the Role

We are seeking a proactive, motivated, and highly trusted People Generalist to join our Houston, TX office. As part of our global People (HR) Team, you will support the business through the delivery of effective People processes, contribute to global initiatives, and act as a trusted advisor to employees and managers in a fast-paced environment. This is an exciting opportunity for an HR professional looking to broaden their experience and take on meaningful responsibility within a dynamic international firm.

 As the sole People Team representative in Houston, you will have significant ownership while partnering closely with a collaborative global People Team and reporting to the North American People Lead based in Stamford, CT. You will gain exposure to a broad range of People disciplines, including employee relations, compensation, benefits, payroll, talent acquisition, learning and development, HR systems, and people analytics.

This will be a full-time role, owning the following responsibilities:

• Support employees and managers throughout the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, employee relations, performance management, development, recruitment, offboarding, and responding to People-related inquiries.
• Own and process US payroll, ensuring accurate and compliant payroll administration, acting as the primary contact for external payroll providers, the internal Treasury team, and supporting global payroll processes where required.
• Administer employee benefit programs, including enrollments, life events, vendor administration, and day-to-day employee support.
• Maintain accurate employee records and HR systems (including HiBob HRIS and Greenhouse ATS), support audits and compliance activities, and prepare People data, metrics, and reporting.
• Manage U.S. employment-based immigration and employee mobility processes, coordinating with external legal counsel to support filings, track renewal deadlines, and maintain work authorization compliance.
• Partner with the global People Team on HR systems, compensation, learning and development, process improvement, and other regional and global initiatives, including operational support across global locations where needed.
• Build strong relationships with local leadership up to Desk Head and C-Suite, providing responsive and high-quality People support and gaining exposure to senior stakeholders.

 About You

You are a collaborative and approachable HR professional who builds strong relationships and provides practical guidance to employees, managers, and stakeholders across the business. You exercise sound judgment, handle sensitive matters with discretion, and take ownership of both day-to-day operations and longer-term initiatives.

Confident operating as the sole HR presence on site, you build credibility quickly and are comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-performance environment. You are organized, adaptable, and detail-oriented, able to manage competing priorities without losing rigor.

Proactive, resilient and quick to learn, you take initiative and don’t shy away from challenging stakeholders. You work closely with the wider People Team, aligning on approach and sense-checking decisions to ensure consistency. You bring strong emotional intelligence and are developing your coaching skills, balancing empathy with a clear and pragmatic approach.

Most importantly, you are motivated to grow your career alongside an experienced People Team and contribute to a collaborative, high-performing culture.

In addition, we are looking for somebody with the following experience and skills:

• 3-5 years in a broad HR Generalist role.
• Experience supporting employee lifecycle processes, including recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, payroll, benefits, and offboarding.
• Working knowledge of US employment law.
• Hands-on experience in payroll processing (ideally using ADP), benefits administration, and support of payroll audits and compliance activities.
• Familiarity with employment-based US immigration processes and working with external immigration counsel.
• Strong Excel skills and experience analyzing HR data and reporting.
• Experience using HRIS and ATS platforms, ideally HiBob and Greenhouse.
• Experience using AI tools to improve productivity, streamline workflows, and support business processes.
• A track record of building strong relationships with employees, managers, and stakeholders and collaborating effectively within a global team.

In addition, the following experiences are not required but desirable for this role:

• Experience working with a PEO (e.g. ADP TotalSource).
• Experience working within a global, multi-functional business with an international People / HR team.
• Experience working in mid-size organizations (200 – 500 employees).
• Previous exposure to financial services, commodities, and/or technology sectors.

 What we offer

• Competitive compensation and participation in Engelhart’s discretionary bonus plan. 
• 20 days of paid time off and 10 public holidays.
• Robust benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life insurance, HSA and 401(k) contribution match, and supplemental benefits partially subsidised by the Company.
• Eligibility to receive external and internal training in accordance with our Training & Development Policy.