Human Resources & Safety Specialist

The Energy Cooperative, headquartered in Newark, Ohio, serves over 72,000 electric, natural gas and propane members throughout east-central Ohio. As a non-profit cooperative, we are member-owned and controlled by the members we serve. We are committed to serving our members safe, high quality energy services at a reasonable price. We believe in our employees and strive to provide fair, honest and equal treatment with a commitment to training, education, and opportunity for advancement in a safe and secure environment.

At The Energy Cooperative, we take pride in offering competitive benefits and want our employees to have what they need to be their best.

Here’s a glimpse of the programs we offer our employees:

- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

- Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance

- Supplemental Life Insurance Programs for Employee, Spouse and Children

- Disability Insurance

- Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

- Paid Time-Off (PTO)

- Paid Holidays

- Traditional 401(k) and Roth 401(k)

- Retirement Pension Plan

- Education Assistance

- Employee Assistance Program

We are currently looking to fill the position of Human Resources & Safety Specialistbased at ourNewark, OH Headquarters Office. This non-exempt position provides comprehensive support to the Human Resources (HR) and Safety departments, ensuring the cooperative maintains compliance with employment laws, safety regulations, and organizational policies. This position serves as a key resource for employee inquiries, safety programs, benefits administration, training coordination, and regulatory compliance. The role requires a proactive professional who can balance HR responsibilities with safety program support, contributing to a safe and productive workplace.

# Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

- Support and incorporate the Cooperative’s Mission, Vision and Values in professional behavior and decision-making.

- Comply with all Cooperative policies, procedures, goals and objectives and meet attendance and punctuality guidelines.

- Understand, observe and enforce cooperative safety and security procedures and report potentially unsafe conditions to department supervisor and/or safety department personnel.

- Maintain and ensure the highest level of confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion.

- Human Resources Administration:

- Maintain accurate and confidential employee personnel files and HR records in compliance with company policies and legal requirements.

- Assist with recruitment, onboarding, and employee status changes, including preparation of new hire and termination documentation.

- Process bi-weekly payroll, verifying time records and ensuring accurate deductions for benefits and other programs. Ensure all current applicable wage and hour laws are adhered to and pay policies are interpreted and applied correctly.

- Prepare HR-related correspondence, reports, and documentation as needed.

- Benefits Administration:

- Administer employee benefits programs, including health, dental, vision, life, disability, and retirement plans.

- Serve as the primary point of contact for employees and retirees regarding benefits inquiries and eligibility.

- Coordinate annual open enrollment and ensure timely processing of benefit enrollments and changes.

- Reconcile monthly benefit invoices and maintain accurate records of benefit deductions.

- Process FMLA, short-term disability, and other leave programs, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and policies.

- Safety Department Administration:

- Maintain and update employee driver qualification files in accordance with Department of Transportation (DOT) and company requirements.

- Administer the Drug and Alcohol Testing Program, including scheduling pre-employment, random, and post-accident testing and maintaining related documentation.

- Track employee safety training records, certifications, and renewals.

- Assist with incident and accident reporting, documentation, and follow-up actions.

- Complete OSHA recordkeeping and reporting requirements.

- Coordinate safety meetings, training sessions, and maintain accurate attendance records.

- Provide administrative support for safety initiatives, audits, and compliance tracking.

- Maintains external relations with retirees, third-party administrators, BWC, managed care organizations, NRECA, and medical facilities utilized in the administration of the drug & alcohol policy.

- Perform other related work in addition to other duties as may be assigned.

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and/or abilities necessary. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

- Experience and Education: Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, or related field. Minimum of 2-3 years of experience in HR, benefits, or safety administration or an equivalent combination of experience, education and/or training. Proficient with Microsoft Office applications. Possess strong math aptitude and the ability to work with numbers.

- Certificates, Licenses, and Training: Must maintain a valid driver’s license and be able to attend meetings and/or training seminars when requested and travel to and from field office locations upon request. Working understanding of human resource principles, practices and procedures. Prior training and/or working experience in benefits administration, payroll, FMLA, ADA, Workers’ Compensation and OSHA preferred.

- Language and Interpersonal Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills. Excellent organizational, communication, and administrative skills. Must be detail oriented with excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.

- Other Skills and Abilities: Ability to function well in a a high-paced and at times stressful environment. Perform a variety of duties, often changing from one task to another of a different nature, without loss of efficiency or composure. Maintain confidentiality in all aspects of job.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

- Work is primarily performed in an office environment where climate and noise levels are controlled. Travel to and from various office locations is required from time to time, as well as attend various job-related meetings and training sessions which may include overnight travel.

- The physical demands of this position include prolonged sitting at a desk and working on a computer and keyboarding. Standing, walking, lifting and/or carrying light loads, talking, hearing, visual acuteness, and mental and emotional demands.

- Must be available to work during non-working hours which may include weekends and holidays.

- This position is subject to pre-employment background, physical and substance abuse testing and may be subject to random testing in accordance with the Cooperative’s substance abuse policy.