Founded in 1991, AHA Consulting Engineers, Inc. has a 30+ year proven track record in the design of complex, high-performance buildings. We are consultants and advisors first, focused on our clients’ vision and success during and beyond every project.
AHA’s Team of dedicated professionals in our Burlington and Boston, MA; Atlanta (Alpharetta), GA; Philadelphia, PA; and Ashburn, VA offices expertly advise, evaluate, model, design and commission high-performance building systems delivering trusted performance to our clients under the most challenging budget and schedule constraints.
As a multi-discipline building system consulting firm, our offerings include best-in-class HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical and Fire Protection (MEP/FP) and Technology Design; Energy & Sustainability Consulting; Commissioning, BIM/VDC and Advisory Services; Arc Flash and Coordination Studies; and Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling.
We are a recognized expert in the AEC (Architectural, Engineering and Construction) industry with a targeted focus on Science & Technology, Mission Critical, Industrial, Academic, and corporate markets.
Lastly and most importantly, AHA is as committed to our Team Members as we are to our clients. Our benefits package, training program, and office culture supports our employees’ professional growth and well-being. AHA also promotes the continued personal and professional development of our dedicated professionals to stay current on the latest developments in the AEC industry through participation in professional organizations, industry seminars and trade shows, as well as continuing education classes and lunch-and-learns. Our AHA University program provides the opportunity for our professionals to be part of an AHA Team presenting information sessions of our building performance consulting expertise to our architectural, development, and end-user clients. Furthermore, AHA has competitive salaries, PTO, health, and retirement benefits and, AHA is a partial ESOP company which further enhances our retirement benefits. And finally, our unique Path to Partnership opportunity provides employees the guidance and mentorship to advance up the corporate ladder to leadership positions in the firm.
Why This Role Matters
The HR Generalist / Payroll Backup plays an important role in supporting AHA’s employees and maintaining accurate, responsive, and reliable HR operations. This position is part of AHA’s HR Team and will work closely with, and report to, the Director of Human Resources, sharing responsibility for these functions as part of a small, collaborative HR team.
This position will provide hands-on support for benefits administration, payroll backup, employee records, onboarding, compliance, recruiting coordination, and future HRIS and payroll system conversion efforts.
The successful candidate will combine strong attention to detail with a service-oriented approach and will help strengthen the processes, systems, and infrastructure needed to support AHA’s continued growth.
Key Responsibilities
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Serve as a primary point of contact for employee benefit questions and qualifying life-event changes.
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Administer new-hire benefit enrollments, employee changes, terminations, and COBRA-related activity.
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Support medical, dental, vision, life, disability, retirement, and related benefit programs.
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Reconcile monthly benefit invoices and work with accounting to resolve discrepancies.
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Review employee eligibility, benefit deductions, and enrollment records for accuracy.
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Support annual open enrollment communications, employee meetings, and system updates.
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Coordinate leave-of-absence administration with employees, payroll, managers, and benefit vendors.
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Maintain accurate records related to employee benefits, leaves, deductions, and eligibility.
Payroll Backup and Payroll Coordination
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Serve as a trained and reliable backup for payroll processing.
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Review employee data changes affecting pay, deductions, taxes, and benefit withholding.
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Coordinate with HR, Accounting, managers, and employees to confirm payroll-related changes.
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Support payroll audits, deduction reviews, benefit premium reviews, and employee-data validation.
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Assist with payroll reporting and year-end payroll follow-up, as needed.
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Maintain confidentiality and a high degree of accuracy when handling compensation and employee information.
HR Operations and HRIS Support
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Maintain employee records, personnel forms, and HR documentation in a timely and organized manner.
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Process employee status changes and maintain accurate information within HR and payroll systems.
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Support onboarding and offboarding administration.
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Coordinate background checks and employment-verification requests.
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Assist with HR compliance notices, reporting, recordkeeping, and document retention.
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Prepare ad hoc HR reports and employee data summaries.
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Support future HRIS and payroll system conversion efforts.
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Assist with data cleanup, file validation, system testing, report review, workflow mapping, and process documentation.
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Identify opportunities to improve HR processes, documentation, and employee communications.
Recruiting, Training, and General HR Support
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Assist with job postings, applicant tracking, interview scheduling, and candidate communications.
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Support college recruiting, career fairs, and internship or co-op initiatives.
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Assist with new-hire orientation and onboarding activities.
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Coordinate training logistics, employee communications, service awards, and other HR initiatives.
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Provide general administrative support to help the HR department operate efficiently.
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Respond to employee questions in a professional, timely, and service-oriented manner.
Required Qualifications
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At least three years of experience in human resources, benefits administration, payroll support, or a related HR operations role.
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Working knowledge of employee benefits administration, payroll processes, and HR compliance fundamentals.
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Experience handling confidential employee and compensation information.
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Experience reconciling benefit invoices and auditing payroll deductions.
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Experience supporting leave administration, COBRA, onboarding, and open enrollment
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Strong attention to detail and the ability to identify and resolve data discrepancies.
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Strong Microsoft Excel, Word, and general systems skills.
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Comfort working with HRIS, payroll, benefits, and employee-data systems.
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Clear written and verbal communication skills.
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Strong organizational and time-management skills.
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Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet recurring deadlines.
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Collaborative, responsive, and service-oriented approach.
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Ability to work independently within a small HR team.
Preferred Qualifications
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Five years’ experience with benefits administration
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Experience with payroll backup or supporting payroll processing.
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Experience supporting multi-state payroll or benefits administration.
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Prior involvement with HRIS, payroll, or benefits system implementation or conversion.
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Familiarity with ADP Workforce Now, Deltek Vantagepoint, or similar HR and payroll platforms.
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Experience working in a professional-services, engineering, architecture, or consulting environment.
What Success Looks Like (First 6-12 Months)
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Develop a strong working knowledge of AHA’s benefit plans, payroll processes, HR systems, and employee policies.
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Serve as a dependable backup resource for payroll processing and payroll-related questions.
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Independently manage routine employee benefit enrollments, changes, terminations, and reconciliations.
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Improve the accuracy and organization of employee records, benefit data, and payroll-related documentation.
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Build effective working relationships with employees, managers, Accounting, benefit vendors, and other internal partners.
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Support the preparation, testing, and data-validation work required for a future HRIS and payroll system conversion.
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Identify and document opportunities to improve HR workflows, reporting, and employee communications
At AHA, our success starts with our people — and we invest in creating an environment where you can grow and thrive. In addition to competitive pay and comprehensive benefits, we offer programs that set us apart:
- Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) – giving you a real stake in AHA’s long-term success
- Path to Partnership – a transparent, attainable leadership development framework
- Student Debt Repayment Program – direct financial support to help reduce student loan burden
- Flexible & Hybrid Work Schedules – supporting balance, autonomy, and professional growth
- Professional Development & Mentorship – including FE/PE exam support and structured training opportunities
At AHA, you’re not just joining an engineering firm — you’re building a career where your ideas matter and your contributions have a meaningful impact.
Equal Opportunity Employer
AHA is an EO/AA Employer – M/F/Disability/Veterans
Staffing Firms Notice
AHA does not accept unsolicited resumes from staffing firms unless a current, executed agreement is in place and has been expressly invited by AHA to submit candidates for a specific search.
