Human Resources Business Partner, Human Resources and the Office of the Provost

Wake Forest University is seeking an HR Business Partner (HRBP) to align and execute a division-based HR strategy for staff in the Provost’s Office and administrative departments.

About the role

The HRBP will provide leadership, guidance, and resources for all staff HR-related activities, including talent acquisition, development, management, and engagement. This position reports to the Executive Director for Recruitment and Solutions and, through a dotted line, to the Provost. The HRBP will serve as the key strategy collaborator with administrative leaders in the Provost’s Office and will be a member of the Provost’s leadership team. The role includes supervision of the Director of Talent Management.

Responsibilities

• Employee Relations
  • Serve as the division’s initial HR point of contact for employee relations matters, providing strategic consultation and partnering with HR-Employee Relations on all employee relations matters.
  • Provide consultative guidance and advice to administrative leaders and managers on staff employee matters, ensuring alignment with institutional policies and practices established by HR-Employee Relations.
  • Develop processes within the division to support the consistent application of approaches and standards established by HR-Employee Relations.
  • Participate in case management meetings with HR-Employee Relations, assist with relevant documentation, identify trends, and promptly escalate complex or high-risk matters to the Director of Employee Relations.
  • Conduct initial intake with departmental leaders regarding employee concerns. When a matter may require a workplace investigation, consult and coordinate with the Director of Employee Relations and HR-Employee Relations before initiating investigative activity and throughout the investigation process.
  • Collaborate with HR-Employee Relations and Provost’s Office leaders regarding employee separations, including transition and succession planning. Analyze separation data to identify trends and escalate recurring concerns to Provost’s Office leadership and HR-Employee Relations.
• Talent Acquisition
  • In partnership with the Recruiter for the Provost’s Office, develop and lead the execution of a comprehensive talent acquisition and retention program that effectively attracts and retains a talented workforce to drive the Provost’s Office core mission.
  • Conduct analysis to fully understand position requirements of jobs within the division and assist hiring managers in developing position descriptions.
  • Develop and drive recruitment strategies for individual positions, or groups of positions, to source highly talented potential employees.
  • Serve in Workday as a Talent Liaison to provide support to the Director of Talent Management and primary Talent Liaison as needed.
  • Assess onboarding of staff across Provost’s Office administrative units and assist with addressing any gaps related to tools/resources.
  • Provide support consistent with the Provost’s Office Recruiter guidance for divisional recruitment and selection processes, ensuring consistent candidate communications, efficient processing, policy, and legal compliance.
  • Assist in negotiating/extending job offers, provide compensation support, and partner with the HR-Employment Solutions team to organize the execution of effective onboarding of employees.
  • Work with all Provost’s Office senior administrative leadership team to develop an understanding for the long-term staffing needs of the division.
• Professional Development
  • Responsible for assessing, improving/creating, and promoting targeted employee learning and development programs, leveraging and aligning with programs offered by the university.
  • Align individual and team development programs to support long-term organizational strategies.
  • Develop, deliver, and procure training and development to support objectives.
  • Guide managers on developing career development and growth opportunities for employees.
  • In collaboration with all members of the Provost’s leadership team, lead in the design and execution of individual and team development and succession plans that build resiliency in the workforce.
• Talent Management
  • Develop and deliver a comprehensive talent management program that includes performance assessment, employee feedback, performance improvement, pay for performance, and formal disciplinary programs.
  • Lead and facilitate, in partnership with HR-Employee Relations, performance management processes across administrative areas in the division for all levels of staff employees.
  • Once implemented, maintain a market-based staff salary structure for the Provost’s Office in consultation with HR-Compensation and Provost’s Office senior leadership. Monitor consistency of promotion/pay decisions.
  • Partner with the Provost’s administrative leadership team and serve as a strategic advisor and thought partner for organizational redesigns within the Provost’s Office.
  • Collaborate closely with the AVPABA to ensure that hiring plans and HR actions fit within the scope of the budget for the division.
  • Develop and manage fiscal resources necessary to meet HR program requirements within the division.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 5 years of related experience in human resources.
• Recent progressive and consultative HR experience in a complex organization with diverse departmental cultures, geographies, and operating environments, including experience providing forward-facing strategic recommendations, working with executive leadership, and influencing and managing people and projects in direct and indirect supervisory roles.
• Increasing levels of responsibility to include a broad HR generalist background with experience in multiple disciplines such as talent acquisition, talent management, talent development, performance management, compensation, and more.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment with quickly shifting priorities.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to maintain discretion and the highest ethical and professional standards while dealing with confidential information.
• Management-level experience delivering HR services.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• Related HR certifications such as PHR, SPHR, or SHRM-CP.
• Significant and increasing levels of HR responsibility within higher education.
• Experience with Workday HCM.

Accountabilities

Responsible for one direct report.

Physical Requirements

• Work primarily involves sitting/standing, communicating with others to exchange information, operating a computer, and assessing the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned.
• Subject to inside environmental conditions. Not typically exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

This position is not eligible for sponsorship of non-immigrant or immigrant visa status through Wake Forest University.