Human Resources Generalist - Employee Relations Ministry Advisory

Position Summary:   The Human Resources Generalist – Employee Relations & Ministry Advisory serves as a professional people support consultant to Unity Communities & Leaders and affiliated ministries across the movement.

This role provides advisory expertise in employee relations, conflict resolution, employment documentation, governance alignment, accountability systems, and HR best practices.

Rather than conducting investigations directly, this position equips and guides ministry leaders and boards to handle people-related matters with clarity, professionalism, and integrity — strengthening their internal capacity while aligning with Unity values and applicable employment standards.

This role operates within the People Support department to ensure neutrality, consistency, and scalable best practices across the movement.

Essential Job Functions:        

1. Employee Relations Advisory & Conflict Support
   • Serve as a consultative resource to ministry leaders navigating workplace or governance challenges.
   • Provide structured frameworks for addressing interpersonal conflict.
   • Coach leaders on documentation, progressive discipline, and accountability conversations.
   • Guide development and implementation of performance improvement plans.
   • Provide mediation tools and structured approaches ministries can implement locally.
2. Investigation Guidance & Ethics Support
   • Advise ministries on best-practice investigation processes.
   • Provide templates, checklists, and documentation guidance for internal investigations.
   • Coach leaders on how to conduct fair, neutral, and well-documented reviews.
   • Recommend when external legal counsel or third-party investigators may be appropriate.
   • Support clarity between governance issues and employment matters.

Note: This role does not serve as the primary investigator of record except in rare circumstances approved by the Chief People Officer.

3. Employment Documentation & Structural Clarity
   • Review and provide recommendations on:
     • Job descriptions
     • Employment agreements
     • Independent contractor agreements
     • Board/staff role delineation documents
     • Performance evaluation tools
   • Develop standardized templates and scalable resources.
   • Advise on employment classification and compensation best practices (without direct payroll authority over ministries).
4. Governance & Board-Staff Alignment
   • Provide guidance on clear delineation between board governance and operational management.
   • Offer advisory input regarding financial controls and accountability systems.
   • Help ministries create clarity around authority, reporting relationships, and decision rights.
5. Training & Scalable People Support Systems
   • Develop onboarding resources and foundational HR training for ministers and board leaders.
   • Create scalable people support education modules (hiring basics, documentation standards, employee relations fundamentals, etc.).
   • Contribute to development of a Unity People Support Toolkit for movement-wide use.
   • Support a proactive, education-first approach to reducing “ethics-labeled” concerns.
6. Risk Awareness & Best Practice Guidance
   • Maintain awareness of evolving employment standards.
   • Provide high-level guidance regarding employment compliance considerations.
   • Identify patterns across ministries and recommend systemic improvements.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, organizational leadership, business, or related field.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years progressive HR experience with strong emphasis in employee relations.
• Experience advising leaders on workplace investigations (not necessarily serving as investigator of record).
• Experience developing performance improvement plans and documentation frameworks.
• Demonstrated coaching or consultative experience with senior leaders.
• Strong written documentation and policy development skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and neutrality.

Preferred Skills:

• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification.
• Experience in nonprofit, faith-based, or decentralized organizations.
• Experience working with boards and governance structures.
• Mediation or conflict resolution training.
• Experience building scalable HR toolkits or educational programming.

Core Competencies:  

• Consultative Mindset
• Employee Relations Expertise
• Conflict Resolution Frameworks
• Governance Awareness
• Systems Thinking
• Emotional Intelligence
• Professional Neutrality
• Servant Leadership Alignment
• Clear & Structured Communication

Work Environment & Physical Requirements 

Additional Information 

Work Environment: Office Environment; on-location is preferred, national travel as needed

Acknowledgment 

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.