HR Staff Specialist

About the role

The Department of Neurology has an outstanding opportunity for HR Staff Specialist to join their team.

Responsibilities

• Independently manage the full lifecycle of staff appointments for all professional and classified staff, temporary employees, graduate and undergraduate students, and intern/volunteer appointments.
  • Serve as the department’s subject matter expert on staff appointment types, employment classifications, and appointment structures across multiple employment categories.
  • Initiate, manage, and audit HR and payroll transactions in Workday and Workday Recruitment including hires, reappointments, salary offers, FTE and compensation changes, funding updates, leaves, and separations.
  • Manage and enter HR transactions in Workday and UW Hires, including salary offers, FTE and compensation changes, hires, terminations, and related actions.
  • Draft offer letters for new hires aligned with appropriate appointment classifications and UW guidelines.
  • Oversee all onboarding activities, including orientations, training reviews, SMART objective development, updates to internal HR policies, and communication through the department’s intranet.
  • Serve as a departmental resource on UW HR and Ethics policies, including compliance, compensation, leave administration, telework requirements, and disability accommodation processes.
  • Develop and maintain documentation for hiring and termination workflows, ensuring clear procedural guidance.
  • Provide hiring managers with best practices for interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and performance management in alignment with legal and UW policies.
  • Conduct phone screens for central administrative roles, coordinate interview scheduling, and track evaluation feedback.
  • Manage the annual professional staff merit process, including data analysis, letter drafting, and related communications.
  • Ensure completion of I-9s within required federal timelines and maintain accurate records for staff credentials, badging, and contact information.
  • Track HR activities using project management tools; maintain compliant files, databases, and spreadsheets in accordance with retention schedules.
  • Maintain and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for HR and Faculty Affairs to document accurate processes, improve efficiency, and ensure compliance.
  • Prepare weekly recruitment status reports for the Associate Director, VCFA, and hiring managers.
  • Track completion of all UW required training for all staff, students, and volunteers and ensure HR folders are up to date.
  • Maintain the intern and volunteer request process, ensuring alignment with UW and Washington State labor laws; oversee onboarding and offboarding, review agreements, and ensure training compliance.
  • Maintain accurate position management, job profiles, and supervisory organizations in Workday; conduct regular reviews to ensure information is correct.
  • Liaise with Campus HR Recruitment and Compensation for position reviews, reclassifications, and compensation adjustments.
  • Partner with hiring managers to create and update job descriptions and requisitions in UW Hires, ensuring alignment with UW classification, compensation guidelines, and collective bargaining agreements.
  • Lead and manage the centralized administrative hiring process, ensuring consistent, equitable, and policy-compliant recruitment from requisition development through hire, including interview logistics, meeting scheduling, candidate communications, and interviewer preparation.
  • Oversee administrative onboarding processes, including onboarding schedules, required training, systems access, and documentation; meet with all new departmental staff to deliver HR onboarding sessions covering required training, time and absence entry in Workday, departmental values, intranet resources, and an overview of UW HR and Ethics policies.
  • Maintain onboarding tools, timelines, and checklists to ensure a consistent and effective new hire experience.
  • Participate in School of Medicine, HR workgroups, and collaborative initiatives.
• Ensure data integrity and compliance with university policies and collective bargaining agreements.
• Monitor and manage the shared NeuroHR Outlook inbox to ensure timely follow-up and coordinated communication, and follow departmental communication standards.
• Generate and analyze Workday reports to monitor staffing trends, appointment end dates, and employment end dates; practically manage and develop solutions for employee dates and provide proactive communication to managers and employees.
• Support internal audits and respond to information requests related to HR/staffing transactions.
• Aid in cyclical HR processes, including training verifications, annual merit, holiday credit uploads, and fiscal year renewals.
• Process improvements and standardization.
  • Identify and implement process improvements related to HR, hiring, interviewing, and onboarding/offboarding workflows.
  • Routinely audit staff and intern/volunteer HR files for compliance with training, security agreements, offer letters, annual reviews, and other UW and department requirements.
  • Maintain and provide HR content updates on the department intranet, including calendars, reminders, and annual communications (i.e. Open Enrollment, inclement weather, sick inventive policy, bargaining unit contract updates, classified staff across the board salary increases/compensation changes).
  • Collaborate with leadership to refine HR, payroll, and operational processes to align with departmental goals and strategic planning.
  • Develop metrics to track performance, exceptions, and improvement opportunities; manage staff retention reporting and contribute data to administrative dashboards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in social sciences, business, communications, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Minimum 2–3 years of relevant work experience.
• Experience with Workday.
• Demonstrated experience onboarding and training new staff members in complex systems.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint).
• Strong organizational, planning, and time-management skills; the ability to work independently with initiative.
• Ability to collaborate effectively as part of a team and lead projects to successful completion.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated program and project management abilities, with the capacity to balance multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate complex structures and develop creative solutions.
• Experience handling sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
• Demonstrated professionalism and commitment to service excellence.

Benefits

To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu.

For information about benefits for this position, visit https://www.washington.edu/jobs/benefits-for-uw-staff/.