HR Advisor & Employee Relations Specialist - Billerica, MA

At Curriculum Associates, we believe in the potential of every child and are changing the face of education technology with award-winning learning programs like i-Ready that serve a third of the nation’s K–8 students. For more than 50 years, our commitment to making classrooms better places, serving educators, and supporting accessible learning experiences for all students has driven the continuous improvement of our innovative programs. Our team of more than 2,500 employees is composed of lifelong learners who stand behind this mission, working tirelessly to serve the educational community with world-class programs and support every day.

About the Role

The HR Advisor is a trusted partner to managers and employees across Curriculum Associates, providing hands-on guidance and owning a broad portfolio of employee relations casework. This role combines deep ER expertise with the judgment to navigate complex, sensitive situations — working in close partnership with HR Business Partners, HR Operations, and HR Centers of Excellence to strengthen manager capability and elevate the employee experience. This is a role for someone who wants ownership: you'll manage cases end-to-end, coach managers through difficult moments, and help shape how ER practices operate across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Employee Relations
  • Own a broad range of employee relations matters — intake, fact-finding, risk assessment, documentation, and resolution — with the judgment to identify when to escalate high-risk or complex matters to HR Business Partners.
  • Coach managers through performance, behavior, conflict, and policy-related issues, ensuring alignment with CA's values and strategic priorities.
  • Conduct investigations and assess severity, risk, and next steps using established frameworks.
  • Maintain thorough, accurate, and compliant case documentation, and contribute to the ongoing development of ER practices across the organization.
• Manager Coaching & Capability Building
  • Proactively coach managers on performance management, feedback delivery, and conflict resolution — building their confidence and capability to navigate people decisions independently over time.
  • Advise on consistent application of company policy, and help prepare managers for difficult conversations.
  • Partner with hiring managers on crafting job descriptions that align talent needs with business priorities.
• HR Operations & Case Management
  • Own end-to-end case management for assigned matters — triage, prioritization, resolution, and closure within defined SLAs.
  • Identify recurring issues, trends, or process gaps, and bring insights forward to HR Business Partners and Centers of Excellence to inform broader practice.
  • Contribute to SOPs, knowledge articles, and documentation standards; support core HR processes including onboarding, offboarding, and performance management.
• Process & Consistency
  • Ensure consistent application of HR policies and standards across teams.
  • Support recurring people processes — goal setting, performance cycles, talent reviews, compensation planning — alongside HR Business Partners and Centers of Excellence.
  • Provide feedback to HR leadership on process effectiveness and employee experience trends.
• Collaboration
  • Partner closely with HR Business Partners, HR Operations, and Legal to reach sound, well-documented resolutions to employee matters.
  • Contribute to cross-functional HR initiatives and reinforce a "One Team" approach across regions and functions.

Requirements

• 5–7 years of experience in employee relations, with demonstrated end-to-end ownership of investigations and casework (not primarily a supporting role).
• Strong working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment law and HR risk management.
• Proven ability to coach managers through performance, behavior, conflict, and policy matters — including delivering difficult messages clearly and professionally.
• Strong operational rigor: ability to manage multiple concurrent cases, prioritize effectively, and meet SLAs while maintaining thorough documentation.
• Experience with HR case management systems (e.g., Workday, ServiceNow, HR Acuity).

Preferred Qualifications

• Multi-state ER experience.
• Experience supporting a remote or hybrid, geographically distributed workforce.
• Exposure to process improvement, SOP development, or change management.
• HR certification(s) (e.g., PHR, SHRM-CP).

Location & Travel

• This role is based in our N. Billerica, MA office, following the company's in-office day schedule.
• Occasional travel to other offices (1–2x per year).
• Candidates must live within commuting distance of N. Billerica, MA.

Pay

Salary range for this role is $69,250 - $118,250. The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that Curriculum Associates considers in making compensation decisions based on our Compensation Philosophy. Actual base pay within that range will vary based upon several factors including, but not limited to, prior experience and relevant skill sets. This role is also eligible to participate in the company bonus plan.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance for benefit-eligible employees and their families.
• 401k plan with employer match.
• Flexible vacation and sick policy in addition to twelve paid holidays and a winter office closure between Christmas and New Year's.
• Additional perks and benefits.