Staff HR Generalist Intermediate
How to Apply
A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The letter should address your:
- Specific interest in this position
- Skills and experience which directly relate to this position
Who We Are
The School of Kinesiology is the fourth largest school at the University of Michigan - the top public research institution in the country. Currently, we have three undergraduate majors, six graduate degree programs, and 35 research labs and centers. We are proud to occupy the fully renovated School of Kinesiology Building, a 221,600 gross square foot space adjacent to the Diag. It is an exciting time to be in the School of Kinesiology; check out our facts and figures here!
Job Summary
The School of Kinesiology (SoK) is looking for an experienced, customer-oriented HR professional to join our growing team. In this newly designed role, you will be a point of contact for staff HR related questions. You will conduct full cycle recruitment efforts, develop, implement, and provide consistent interpretation of policies and practices. You will ensure prompt, accurate, and professional responses to all requests. Reporting to the Manager of Staff HR, you will support organizational effectiveness through recruitment, onboarding, offboarding, compliance, policy development, and process improvement initiatives. You will independently analyze issues, make decisions within your scope, and adapt to evolving departmental and recruitment needs. Review the full job description here.
Responsibilities
(E) = Essential Function
HR Administration, Employee/Labor Relations, and Compliance (25%)
- Assist employees and supervisors with interpreting standard practices and policies to ensure university, school, and collective bargaining agreement compliance. (E)
- Serve as a point of contact for employee inquiries, payroll and benefits, and providing guidance, answering questions, and directing employees to appropriate HR staff, resources, or U-M partners as needed. (E)
- Track term-limited staff appointments; facilitate related communications and extensions. (E)
- Lead the HR team with recordkeeping and record retention compliance. (E)
- Ensure accurate system processing of staff job changes with the Shared Services HR Coordinator services team.
- Support the annual performance management process.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for staff leaves of absence and counsel managers and staff of viable options, university policies, and federal/state laws (e.g. FMLA).
Recruitment and Hiring (30%)
- Assist hiring managers in developing job descriptions, determining job classifications, and establishing equitable salary ranges. (E)
- Create postings on the U-M careers site in partnership with the Shared Services HR Coordinator services team. (E)
- Partner with hiring managers to create competency based interview questions and candidate evaluations. (E)
- Provide guidance, information, and updates to stakeholders, and coordinate all aspects of the search and hiring process. (E)
- Prepare offer analyses by benchmarking and analyzing university and school salary data. Collaborate with the HR Manager/Director to make equitable offers. (E)
- Create transfer and term-limited offer letters. (E)
- Proactively optimize recruitment strategies and staff hiring procedures.
- May partner with central U-M Talent Acquisition.
Projects and Initiatives (20%)
- In consultation with senior staff HR teammates, lead our team's creation and documentation of policies, processes, and best practices; ensure they are maintained on our intranet and monitored and updated at consistent intervals. (E)
- Participate on cross-functional teams projects and initiatives aimed at improving processes and employee engagement. (E)
- Ensure compliance with internal controls; lead the coordination for the HR team to ensure any gaps are addressed. (E)
- Collaborate with fellow HR team members to ensure cross-training and coverage during vacations, sick leaves, or busier periods throughout the year. (E)
- Be prepared to undertake other projects and responsibilities as assigned.
Onboarding and Offboarding (12.5%)
- Assist in facilitating the onboarding process for new hires, ensuring a smooth transition into SoK. (E)
- Schedule and facilitate HR welcome meetings with Research Job Family new staff hires. Serve as the back-up for all HR welcome meetings, as needed.
- Send related onboarding and offboarding communications to the employee, supervisor, and internal SoK partners. (E)
- Track offboarding items to completion for compliance purposes. (E)
- Conduct exit interviews, compile related data, extract themes, and share with senior staff HR personnel for review at regular intervals.
Other Duties (12.5%)
- Serve as back-up support for unit timekeeping responsibilities, including responding to timekeeping and payroll inquiries and assisting with issue resolution as needed. Serve on committees as the HR representative.
- Create ad-hoc reports using tools like Business Objects, Tableau, and other university data systems.
- Suggest creative solutions to staff and supervisors on matters of moderate to complex nature.
- Other responsibilities and back-up coverage as assigned.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 3+ years of professional experience in human resources, including full cycle recruitment, developing and interpreting human resource policies, and employee relations.
- Experience with employment and workforce regulations and programs, including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
- Knowledge of payroll and benefits and time keeping systems.
- Experience with leading successful process improvement initiatives.
- Proficiency with enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and office productivity software.
Why Work at Michigan?
In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, The University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:
- Eligibility to participate in the school's 2027 merit program.
- Generous time off
- A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
- Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
- Life insurance
- Long-term disability coverage
- Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses
- Maternity and parental leave
- University commitment to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities
Modes of Work
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
The work requirements allow both onsite and offsite work and an employee has an expected recurring onsite presence. On occasion, the employee may be required and must be available to work onsite more frequently if necessitated by unit leadership or their designee and/or the job requirements.
Additional Information
Compensation may vary based on experience, skills, qualifications, and internal equity. Benefits are included with this position. This position is onsite in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with eligibility for a hybrid schedule of up to two remote days per week, subject to departmental needs and annual review. Wednesdays are required in-office days. This description outlines the general responsibilities of the role and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties.
Background Screening
The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third-party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Application Deadline
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.
U-M EEO Statement
The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
