Onboarding Specialist

The Onboarding Specialist ensures a seamless experience for new hires from pre-hire through their first day. This role serves as a central point of contact to coordinate pre-boarding communications, required documentation, systems access readiness, and Day 1 orientation logistics so new team members feel prepared and set up for success. The Specialist partners closely with Talent Acquisition, hiring managers, and cross-functional teams to confirm readiness, track completion of pre-employment and onboarding requirements, and proactively identify risks or barriers to a successful start. As a first line of support, this role escalates questions or concerns to the Onboarding Manager, and further to the People Operations team as needed, ensuring issues are resolved in a timely manner through appropriate channels. 

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Onboarding Implementation and Support 

• Serve as the primary point of contact for new hires from offer acceptance through their first day, answering questions and guiding completion of pre-boarding steps. 

• Manage pre-boarding communications and a structured follow-up cadence to keep tasks moving, reduce time-to-start, and ensure Day 1 readiness. 

• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition and hiring managers to create and execute Day 1 onboarding plans tailored to department-specific needs. 

• Track completion of pre-employment and onboarding requirements (e.g., paperwork, state-required clearances to work with children, background checks as applicable, training assignments, and access requests) and provide status updates to the Onboarding Manager and relevant partners. 

• Interpret and apply state-specific clearances-to-work-with-children requirements across the states we serve, ensuring each hire meets policy and compliance expectations prior to start. 

• Support new hires in completing required clearances quickly by providing clear instructions, coordinating appointments, validating documentation, and proactively troubleshooting delays. 

• Partner with Talent Acquisition, hiring managers, and credentialing/compliance partners to align offers, clearance timelines, and orientation capacity—moving candidates to start dates quickly once requirements are met. 

• Support new hires in completing required clearances quickly by providing clear instructions, coordinating appointments, validating documentation, and proactively troubleshooting delays. 

• Partner with Talent Acquisition, hiring managers, and credentialing/compliance partners to align offers, clearance timelines, and orientation capacity—moving candidates to start dates quickly once requirements are met. 

• Manage employment eligibility verification processes, including timely completion of Form I-9 and submission of E-Verify cases, ensuring full compliance with federal guidelines. 

• Partner with the Quality and Education team to ensure Day 1 orientation and any required compliance training are scheduled and ready for new hires. 
• Manage employment eligibility verification processes, including timely completion of Form I-9 and submission of E-Verify cases, ensuring full compliance with federal guidelines. 

Issue Identification and Escalation 

• Act as the first point of contact for new hires and internal partners to report pre-boarding or Day 1 concerns, ensuring timely communication with the People Operations team for resolution. 

• Identify and resolve (or escalate) pre-boarding and Day 1 readiness risks (e.g., missing documentation, unclear start details, systems access delays) to prevent start-day disruptions. 

• Provide updates and recommendations to the Onboarding Manager and People Operations team on recurring onboarding readiness issues to support process improvements. 

Onboarding Coordination and Continuous Improvement 

• Coordinate pre-boarding and Day 1 logistics (e.g., orientation scheduling, systems access, first-day agenda, and key meetings) to ensure every new hire is ready to start. 

• Maintain pre-boarding calendars, checklists, and communications to ensure completion of required tasks and a smooth first-day experience. 

• Collect and synthesize pre-boarding and Day 1 feedback (e.g., new hire check-ins, surveys) to identify trends and recommend improvements. 

• Lead and support ad hoc projects related to onboarding, compliance, and operational scaling; document workflows, identify bottlenecks, and implement process improvements in a fast-growing, constantly evolving environment. 

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES: 

Experience: 

• 2+ years in HR, onboarding, or related team member support roles, or equivalent experience in related fields. 

Education: 

• A bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, or a related field is preferred; equivalent work experience will be considered. 

Skills: 

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously. 

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, focusing on providing exceptional service to team members and managers. 

• Proficiency in HRIS platforms, onboarding tools, and survey tools (e.g., BambooHR, Greenhouse, SurveyMonkey). 

• Ability to interpret and apply state-specific requirements for clearances to work with children, manage time-sensitive documentation, and maintain confidentiality. 

• Comfortable with constant change in a fast-growing organization; flexible, proactive, and able to shift priorities while maintaining accuracy and deadlines. 

• Policy-driven and compliance-minded; able to interpret requirements, follow defined processes, and ensure consistent, audit-ready documentation. 

• Continuous improvement mindset: ability to analyze workflows and feedback, identify root causes, and implement changes that improve compliance, speed-to-start, and the new hire experience. 

PERSONALITY: A successful Team Member will be… 

• Detail-oriented & highly organized 

• Communicative & collaborative 

• Flexible and comfortable in a fast-growing, constantly changing environment 

• Policy-driven, dependable, and committed to doing things the right way while the organization grows 

About Helping Hands Family: 

Helping Hands Family (“HHF”) is an organization that provides Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Our supportive, inclusive culture helps every individual reach their highest potential. 

Helping Hands Family is dedicated to a supportive, inclusive culture. From growing our team to the client treatment plans, we have committed to celebrating differences and helping everyone reach their highest potential. HHF is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any team member or applicant for employment based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, sex, ancestry, citizenship status, mental or physical disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, veteran status, or military status.