Human Resource Specialist - Madison, WI

At WP Beverages, we're more than a manufacturer. We're the force behind some of the most recognized beverage brands in the country, including Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Lipton Iced Tea, Aquafina, Klarbrunn, Vita Ice, and Bubbl'r.

Unlike many manufacturing organizations focused solely on cost and profit, we take a broader view of success. We are committed to creating long-term shareholder value through operational excellence, innovation, strategic growth, and a culture that values and develops our people.

The HR Specialist is a salaried, exempt position responsible for delivering day-to-day human resources administration across the full employee lifecycle for a multi-state workforce of hourly manufacturing and salaried employees. This role manages offer letters, onboarding, personnel action forms, and terminations, and serves as a key point of contact for employees and leaders on HR processes. Approximately 25% of the role supports payroll, including garnishment administration, pay increase approvals, payroll spreadsheet maintenance, reporting, and manual check processing.

Team members enjoy a hybrid work arrangement that balances collaboration and flexibility, working onsite four days per week and remotely one day per week.

Our ideal candidate combines strong HR administration skills with working payroll knowledge, a service-oriented approach, and a passion for continuous improvement. This individual will partner closely with HR leadership, Payroll, Finance, Benefits, and Operations to ensure employee administration processes are accurate, compliant, efficient, and employee-focused while helping drive operational excellence across the organization.

Employee Lifecycle & HR Administration
• Prepare and issue offer letters in coordination with hiring managers and HR leadership, ensuring accuracy of compensation, title, and start date details.
• Coordinate new hire onboarding, including pre-employment requirements, new hire paperwork, I-9 and E-Verify completion, HRIS setup, and orientation scheduling.
• Prepare, review, and process Personnel Action Forms (PAFs) for new hires, pay changes, promotions, transfers, leaves, and status changes, ensuring proper approvals and documentation.
• Administer the termination process, including separation documentation, final pay coordination, benefits notifications, equipment return, and exit processing.
• Maintain accurate and confidential employee records and HRIS data in accordance with legal and company requirements.

Payroll Support
• Maintain the payroll spreadsheet and verify that changes from PAFs, new hires, and terminations are accurately reflected each pay period.
• Process and route payroll approvals for pay increases, confirming proper authorization and effective dates before changes are entered.
• Administer child support orders and wage garnishments, including setup, remittance, tracking, and correspondence with agencies and employees.
• Prepare and distribute payroll reports for HR, Finance, and Operations leadership.
• Prepare and mail manual payroll checks, maintaining appropriate documentation and controls.
• Processing cycles, audits, and year-end activities.

Compliance, Partnership & Service
• Support compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, wage and hour regulations, and company policies.
• Partner with HR, Payroll, Finance, Benefits, and Operations leaders to ensure accurate employee data and seamless administration.
• Deliver exceptional customer service by resolving employee and leadership inquiries in a timely and professional manner.
• Support internal and external audits by providing accurate documentation and records.
• Participate in special projects and other initiatives that support departmental and organizational objectives.

Systems & Continuous Improvement
• Use HRIS and payroll systems to maintain data integrity and produce timely, accurate reporting.
• Identify opportunities to streamline HR and payroll administration processes, strengthen controls, and increase efficiency through automation and best practices.
• Develop, document, and maintain procedures and standard work for HR administration and payroll support activities.

Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field preferred, or 4+ years of human resources experience in a generalist or specialist capacity. Working knowledge of payroll administration, including garnishments and multi-state payroll and experience is preferred.

Strong attention to detail, along with organizational, analytical, and communication skills, is essential, as is the ability to handle confidential information with discretion. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Word is required. The ideal candidate brings a customer-focused approach and a continuous improvement mindset with a track record of improving HR processes and data accuracy.

What You'll Bring
• A commitment to accuracy, confidentiality, compliance, and service excellence.
• The ability to build strong relationships across HR, Finance, and Operations.
• A proactive approach to solving problems and improving processes.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced, multi-site environment.

Why Join Us?
Join a growing organization where human resources plays a critical role in supporting our employees and business success. This position offers broad exposure across the employee lifecycle and payroll, the opportunity to influence process improvements, and the chance to make a meaningful impact across a multi-site manufacturing environment.

Why You'll Love Working Here
We believe in taking care of our people. Here's what you can expect:
• Generous Paid Time Off
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Critical Illness & Accident Coverage
• Life Insurance
• Short & Long-Term Disability
• 401(K) with Profit Sharing
• Parental Leave
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid Holidays

Our Commitment to You
Wis-Pak/WP Beverage is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We comply with EEOC regulations and use E-Verify to ensure employment eligibility.

Ready to make a difference? Join us and be part of a team that's refreshing the world--one bottle at a time.