Senior Human Resources Generalist

Overview

The Senior Human Resources Generalist supports the full range of human resources functions, with a primary concentration in employee benefits, employee relations, organizational development, and performance management. This role administers broad HR programs and activities including policy review and administration, regulatory compliance, and recruitment support - serving as a trusted advisor to employees and leaders at all levels of the organization.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Administer employee benefits programs and serve as the primary point of contact for benefits-related matters.
• Initiate employee relations matters including investigations, coaching, and disciplinary processes.
• Support organizational development initiatives including leadership development, succession planning, and change management.
• Manage performance management cycles and partner with leadership to drive employee development and retention.
• Ensure compliance with federal and state employment laws and HR regulatory requirements.
• Support full-cycle recruitment and HR operations including HRIS data management and reporting.
• Administrative responsibilities to include processing Verifications of Employment, Benefits Enrollment, New Hire Processing and Onboarding/Offboarding processes.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Employee Benefits Administration

• Support the enrollment and administration of employee benefit programs including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, FSA/HSA, and 401(k) plans.
• Manage annual open enrollment process end-to-end: communications, system configuration, employee education, and reconciliation.
• Serve as the primary employee point of contact for benefits questions, claims support, and carrier escalations.
• Monitor and manage COBRA, FMLA leave interactions, and qualifying life events.
• Conduct benefits audits to ensure accuracy of enrollments, deductions, and HRIS data.
• Support DOL reporting efforts.

Employee Relations

• Serve as first point of contact for thorough, timely, and objective investigations into employee complaints, policy violations, and workplace incidents.
• Document investigative findings and recommend appropriate remediation or corrective action in preparation for review by the Executive Director.
• Provide coaching to managers on delivering feedback, managing performance, and navigating difficult conversations.
• Support the administration of disciplinary processes including Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) and separations.
• Support the implementation of workplace investigation platform.
• Maintain accurate and confidential records of all ER cases and outcomes.

Organizational Development

• Support design and delivery of OD initiatives including leadership development, succession planning, and change management.
• Collaborate with campus managers to assess effectiveness and identify talent gaps.
• Coordinate learning and development programs; manage logistics, vendor relationships, and completion tracking.
• Champion a culture of continuous learning, inclusion, and organizational agility.

Performance Management

• Support the annual and mid-year performance review cycle including system setup, communications, and reporting.
• Train and coach managers on goal-setting (OKRs/SMART goals), evaluation calibration, and documentation best practices.
• Partner with leadership to ensure performance ratings are fair, consistent, and legally defensible.
• Identify performance trends; recommend interventions to support employee development and retention.
• Maintain performance records and support compensation planning processes tied to performance outcomes.

Policy Review & Administration

• Collaborate with the Executive Director and committee to review, update, and maintain the employee handbook and HR policies in alignment with current employment law.
• Communicate policy changes effectively to the workforce; develop FAQs and manager toolkits.
• Support the development of new policies as the organization evolves.

Compliance

• Ensure organizational compliance with FMLA, ADA, FLSA, EEO/AA, Title VII, HIPAA, and applicable state/local laws.
• Maintain required labor law postings, I-9 records, and personnel files in accordance with records retention policy.
• Assist with EEO-1 reporting, AAP preparation, and audit responses.
• Stay current on employment law developments and proactively advise leadership on risk and compliance obligations.

Recruitment Support

• Support full-cycle recruiting as needed including job posting, candidate screening, interview coordination, and offer preparation.
• Partner with hiring managers to develop job descriptions and define selection criteria.
• Ensure a positive candidate experience and consistent application of hiring processes.
• Maintain ATS records and support hiring metrics and reporting.

HR Operations & Reporting

• Maintain accurate employee data in HRIS; process employee transactions including new hires, transfers, and terminations.
• Generate HR metrics, dashboards, and ad hoc reports for leadership (turnover, headcount, time-to-fill, engagement, etc.).
• Support HR projects, system implementations, and process improvement initiatives.
• Onboard new employees and facilitate orientation programs in partnership with department leaders.

Supervision

• Supervises the work of HR student employees.

Required Skills and Qualifications

Technical Skills

• Proficiency with HRIS platforms (Workday, ADP Workforce Now, UKG, or equivalent).
• Experience with ATS platforms.
• Strong Microsoft Office/365 skills; intermediate Excel capability.
• Familiarity with performance management and LMS platforms.

Knowledge

• Solid working knowledge of federal and multi-state employment law and HR compliance requirements.
• General understanding of employee benefit plan design, administration, and regulatory compliance (ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA) a plus.
• Familiarity with OD methodologies, change management frameworks (e.g., ADKAR, Kotter), and talent management practices.

Certifications (Preferred)

• PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification strongly preferred.
• CEBS or benefits-specific certification a plus.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, or a related field (required).
• Master's degree in HR or related discipline (preferred).
• Minimum 5 years of progressive HR generalist experience with demonstrated breadth across multiple HR functions.
• Prior experience working in Higher Education.

Full-time 40 hours per week position minimum. Working hours will occasionally include evenings and weekends during peak periods including registration.