Human Resources Manager

It is inspiring to work in an organization where individuals are deeply committed to the mission and values that drive our success.

We are dedicated to delivering expert pension service to Illinois public educators as they earn their promised retirement security.

The HR Manager is a strategic and operational leader responsible for advancing organizational effectiveness through integrated talent management, recruitment oversight, and HR systems optimization. This role partners closely with HR Business Partners, leadership, and cross-functional teams to align workforce strategies with business priorities while ensuring efficient, compliant, and data-driven HR operations.

The HR Manager oversees the full talent lifecycle including workforce planning, talent acquisition, development, performance, and retention, while also leading Workday optimization efforts to support reporting, analytics, and process efficiency.

Essential Functions:

• Drive integrated talent strategies by aligning workforce planning, role design, talent acquisition,  succession planning, and retention efforts.
• Partners cross-functionally with HR Business Partners, Learning & Development, and organizational leaders to design and implement staff development programs that address capability gaps and strengthen the internal talent pipeline for succession planning which drives consistency, and supports organizational performance.
• Partner with HR Business Partners and leaders to:
  • Assess current and future talent needs
  • Align roles, skills, and capabilities with business priorities
  • Develop internal talent pipelines for critical roles
  • Support employee growth, engagement, and retention of high performers

• Analyze workforce and talent data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities; translate insights into actionable strategies and recommendations.
• Collaborates with the Organizational Change Management (OCM) team to support change initiatives by identifying talent impacts and helping employees prepare for, learn, and adopt changes.
• Provide strategic oversight for talent acquisition and recruitment activities, ensuring alignment with organizational values, diversity objectives, and workforce priorities.
• Establish and maintain recruitment standards, processes, and metrics to promote consistency, efficiency, and a high-quality candidate experience.
• Partner with the HR Business Partners and hiring leaders to support effective workforce planning, position scoping, and selection strategies.
• Utilize data from compensation platforms to provide guidance and recommendations to the Executive Director/CIO, Chief Financial Officer, and HR Director on system-wide salary grade updates to maintain market competitiveness.
• Partner with the HR Business Partners and hiring leaders to develop and maintain accurate job descriptions, ensuring appropriate market comparables to make accurate salary grade determinations.
• Administer the TRS compensation plan by evaluating salary offers for new hires and internal job changes, ensuring alignment with established methodologies, internal equity, and market conditions.
• Monitor recruitment outcomes and labor market trends to continuously refine sourcing and hiring approaches.
• Provide daily operations and leadership oversight to the TRS recruiting team.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on recruitment best practices, inclusive hiring, and selection methodologies.
• Design, develop, and maintain dynamic HR data tools and dashboards (e.g., Power BI) to provide real-time insights into workforce metrics, enabling data-driven decision-making, and guidance to support leaders.
• Communicate complex talent insights in a clear, compelling manner to diverse stakeholders, including senior leadership.
• Ensure compliance with applicable employment laws, policies, and internal standards across all talent programs.
• Continuously assess and refine approaches based on outcomes, feedback, and evolving business needs.
• Collaborate with the Workday Functional Analyst in the optimization and utilization of Workday to enhance system functionality, streamline processes, and improve data integrity in order to support talent processes, reporting, and decision-making across the system.
• Develop and maintain dashboards, reports, and analytics to provide actionable workforce insights.
• Ensure alignment between Workday processes and talent strategies, including performance management, recruiting, and succession planning.
• Perform other duties as required or assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Strong ability to think systemically about how talent, structure, processes, and culture interact across the system.
• Ability to anticipate workforce needs and implement integrated, forward-looking talent solutions that are aligned with system goals.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret data and translate insights into action.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships and influence leaders and cross-functional partners.
• Demonstrated understanding of compensation methodologies, including job evaluation frameworks, market pricing, salary structure design, and pay-for-performance strategies to recommend salary ranges and provide guidance on compensation decisions using data-driven insights.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience leading recruitment functions and managing competing priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to tailor messaging to diverse audiences.
• Proven ability to lead complex initiatives and drive results.
• High level of discretion and ability to maintain confidentiality.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 6–8 years of progressive HR experience, including talent management, workforce planning, and recruitment oversight.
• Prior experience leading or supervising recruitment teams or enterprise hiring initiatives.
• Hands-on experience with Workday (or similar HRIS), including reporting and process optimization.
• Professional certification (e.g., SHRM-CP/SCP, PHR/SPHR) preferred.
• Experience in complex, fast-paced organizational environments.

If you thrive in a dynamic environment and enjoy collaborating with driven, enthusiastic professionals, you will find a rewarding career with us.

For Illinois job seekers:

Pay Range

$111,112.05 - $173,335.00

Compensation will be determined based on the qualifications and experience of each candidate.

Benefits
TRS is an agency of the State of Illinois. As such, full and part-time employees are eligible for the State of Illinois comprehensive benefits program which includes medical, dental and vision coverage. All employees participate in the TRS retirement pension plan and have the option to contribute to additional State of Illinois deferred compensation plans. The TRS pension plan is a reciprocal system to other state and local pension plans (SERS, SURS, IMRF, etc.)