Human Resources - External Worker Specialist

Job description

**This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Human Resources - External Worker Specialist based in the United States.** The External Worker Specialist will lead the governance, administration, and continuous improvement of an organization-wide external workforce program. This role will serve as the subject matter expert on worker classification, compliance, and engagement models across U.S. and international arrangements. You will evaluate proposed engagements, establish scalable approval processes, and help ensure external workers are managed consistently throughout their lifecycle. The position combines HR operations, compliance, workforce governance, systems administration, and cross-functional collaboration. You will work closely with HR, Legal, Finance, Procurement, IT, Talent Acquisition, and business leaders to manage risk while enabling effective workforce solutions. The role offers significant ownership in building processes, controls, reporting, training, and governance for a growing external worker population. This is a fully remote opportunity for an experienced HR or workforce professional who is comfortable navigating complex requirements, exercising sound judgment, and driving programs independently. ### Accountabilities: - Design, document, implement, and continuously improve a comprehensive external worker governance framework covering intake, classification, approval, onboarding, extensions, monitoring, and offboarding. - Serve as the primary subject matter expert on external worker compliance, classification, and engagement models across U.S. and international jurisdictions. - Review proposed external worker engagements, assess the facts and circumstances, and recommend the appropriate engagement model before work begins. - Identify classification, employment, tax, immigration, co-employment, and other compliance risks, pausing, declining, or escalating engagements when requirements are not met. - Establish consistent intake and approval workflows, documentation standards, decision records, and exception-management processes. - Administer external worker records within UKG Pro, maintaining accurate worker data, organizational assignments, engagement dates, documentation, and lifecycle status. - Coordinate onboarding and offboarding with hiring leaders, HR, IT, Finance, Procurement, Legal, and other stakeholders to ensure appropriate access controls and complete system removal. - Monitor engagement end dates, renewals, extensions, breaks in service, and duration limits, ensuring timely reassessment when engagement circumstances change. - Maintain auditable records and conduct periodic reviews to identify misclassification risks, expired engagements, incomplete documentation, unauthorized extensions, access concerns, and other control gaps. - Track applicable laws, regulations, and emerging practices affecting external workers and translate changes into practical policies, workflows, controls, and business guidance. - Partner with Legal, Finance and Accounts Payable, Procurement, Talent Acquisition, HR Systems, IT, local HR, and business leaders while maintaining clear accountability for external worker governance. - Support the selection and oversight of staffing agencies, employer-of-record providers, and other external workforce partners by defining compliance expectations and monitoring service performance. - Develop training, tools, templates, and communications that help leaders understand engagement models, approval requirements, compliance obligations, and ongoing responsibilities. - Produce dashboards and reporting covering external worker populations, engagement types, locations, tenure, upcoming end dates, compliance status, exceptions, and program risks. - Support internal and external audits, investigations, and information requests related to external worker engagements and recommend corrective actions when issues are identified. ## Requirements - Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, employment relations, compliance, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered. - Seven or more years of progressive experience in HR operations, contingent or external workforce management, employment compliance, procurement, or a related discipline. - Demonstrated experience evaluating worker classifications and developing or administering external workforce programs, controls, and lifecycle processes. - Strong working knowledge of U.S. federal and multi-state worker classification requirements, co-employment considerations, and related employment and tax compliance concepts. - Experience supporting international external workers, employer-of-record arrangements, or cross-border workforce compliance is strongly preferred. - Experience administering worker data in an HRIS or vendor management platform; UKG Pro experience is preferred. - Strong data management skills, with the ability to maintain accurate records and translate workforce information into actionable reporting. - Demonstrated ability to build new processes, establish governance structures, define roles and controls, and take programs from design through implementation and ongoing administration. - Strong judgment and confidence when evaluating complex or ambiguous workforce arrangements, communicating risk, making defensible recommendations, and escalating or stopping noncompliant engagements. - Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex compliance requirements into practical business guidance. - Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively across HR, Legal, Finance, Procurement, IT, Talent Acquisition, and business leadership. - Ability to work independently in a fully remote environment, manage competing priorities, maintain sensitive information, and drive initiatives to completion with limited oversight. - Strong organizational, analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder-management skills. ## Benefits - Base salary range of $80,000–$95,000 USD per year, with actual compensation determined by skills, experience, qualifications, and location. - Eligibility for performance-based bonuses. - Medical, dental, and vision insurance. - 401(k) plan with company match. - Paid time off and company holidays. - Wellness programs and employee assistance resources. - Professional development support. - Fully remote work within the United States. - No routine travel is expected. - Opportunity to build and influence external workforce governance, compliance, and HR operations processes across a complex organization. - Exposure to U.S. and international workforce arrangements, cross-functional stakeholders, and evolving employment compliance requirements.