Human Resources Generalist
About the job
- Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail.
- Ability to think critically and solve problems independently.
- Excellent communication and customer service skills.
- Process payroll accurately and on schedule, ensuring employee changes, timekeeping records, and payroll transactions are completed correctly and within deadlines.
- Audit payroll and workforce management data to maintain accuracy, compliance, and data integrity.
- Maintain employee records and support HR system administration, reporting, troubleshooting, and process improvements.
- Coordinate onboarding activities, including I-9 verification, employee data entry, and payroll and benefits enrollment.
- Administer employee benefits, including enrollments, changes, audits, reporting, and responding to routine employee questions.
- Support leave administration by maintaining leave records, coordinating required documentation, and communicating next steps and key dates to employees and managers.
- Provide operational support to the Human Resources team, maintain confidentiality, and assist with HR projects and continuous process improvements.
About the company
Cottingham & Butler is a large, privately held U.S. insurance broker focused on property & casualty and employee benefits. It helps clients manage risk by assessing needs, designing and placing insurance programs with carrier partners, and providing ongoing advisory, service, and claims support. Compared with competitors, it differentiates itself through its independence (not owned by carriers), scale, and a promise of consistent, improved outcomes—articulated as Better Every Day: better advice, better service, and better ideas than peers. The company emphasizes challenging conventional wisdom, innovating its services, and improving client results as it grew from 1887 to become the 3rd largest independently held broker. Its goal is to deliver measurable value for clients every day, helping them reduce risk and optimize benefits while maintaining strong growth and industry expertise.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Dubuque, Iowa
Founded
1987
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- The September 2026 Transportation Summit signals active demand generation and client intimacy.
- A 1,300-person national platform gives Hessling immediate distribution and cross-sell capacity.
- July 2026 leadership promotions suggest internal bench strength and continued growth investment.
What critics are saying
- The 2025 Massachusetts data incident keeps creating legal and reputational exposure.
- Transportation concentration ties results to trucking cycles, fleet claims severity, and carrier pricing.
- If Hessling fails to scale beyond trucking, niche dependence limits growth and valuation.
What makes Cottingham & Butler unique
- Mike Hessling became president on January 19, 2026, sharpening strategic execution.
- C&B runs one of the largest specialized trucking practices nationwide, per July 2026.
- The firm serves employers across property, benefits, captive, claims, and safety consulting.
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Benefits
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
- 401(k) Company Match
- Profit Sharing
- Unlimited Paid Time Off
- Paid Holidays
- Company-paid ST and LT Disability
- Maternity Leave
- Parental Leave
- Subsidized Parking