Lead HR Operations Specialist

Overview

Are you ready to work for a Dental Support Office where every child is treated with compassion, every family feels welcomed, and every visit is designed to create a positive dental experience.

At Chord Specialty Dental Partners we believe that empathy, teamwork, and exceptional patient care are at the heart of everything we do. You'll have the support, resources, and opportunities needed to thrive while helping us deliver outstanding care to the communities we serve.

We combine our individuality and child-centered dental expertise to practice group dentistry to create healthy smiles and positive experiences that last a lifetime. By working together as one team, we provide compassionate, high-quality care tailored to the unique needs of every child and family.

Responsibilities

The Lead HR Operations Specialist plays a key role in managing Chord's day-to-day HR operations and ensuring employees and managers receive consistent, high-quality HR support across the organization. Serving as the senior operational leader within HR Operations, the Lead HR Operations Specialist supervises the HR Operations Specialist and owns the compliance-heavy, judgment-based work that sits above day-to-day intake. This role owns Tier 2-3 employee relations, leave of absence and ADA management, workers' compensation, unemployment, ACA compliance, policy and handbook administration, and job description management, and approves employee data changes. This is a supervisory, compliance-driven role requiring sound judgment, and strong attention to detail.

Essential Functions

• Supervise the HR Operations Specialist and manage the daily HR Operations workload and People Assist service levels
• Own Tier 2-3 employee relations cases, escalating high-risk matters as needed.
• Manage leave of absence, FMLA, state leave, and ADA accommodation processes in compliance with federal, state, and company requirements
• Manage workers' compensation claims and respond to unemployment claims, protests, and hearings
• Administer and manage the employee handbook, HR policies, and job description library
• Ensure HR compliance, including ACA, I-9, licensure, Hepatitis B policy, labor law posters, and recordkeeping
• Review and approve UKG HR workflows and employee data changes to ensure data accuracy
• Administer the performance review cycle
• Maintain current knowledge of federal and state employment law across all Chord states

Core Competencies

• Judgment & Escalation: Knows when to resolve, approve, or escalate, and routes legal-exposure matters to Legal before acting.
• Compliance Focus: Applies federal, state, and company requirements consistently and keeps documentation audit-ready.
• Confidentiality & Integrity: Protects sensitive employee information and handles every case with discretion.
• Team Leadership: Sets clear priorities, reviews work for quality, and coaches the HR Operations Specialist.
• Service Orientation: Resolves People Assist requests on time and communicates clearly with employees and managers.
• Attention to Detail: Maintains accurate records in UKG and catches errors before they become compliance issues.

Qualifications

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent work experience
• 5+ years of progressive HR experience, including leave of absence, ADA, workers' compensation, and unemployment administration
• Strong working knowledge of FMLA, ADA, state leave laws, and multi-state employment compliance
• Experience with UKG or a comparable HRIS
• Sound judgment on when to resolve, approve, or escalate; ability to maintain strict confidentiality

Preferred

• Experience supervising or leading HR staff
• SHRM-CP, PHR, or equivalent certification
• Working knowledge of FMLA, ADA, and state leave laws