If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.
Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.
The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.
At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:
Job Description
The Senior People & Talent Generalist is responsible for performing People & Talent related duties on a professional level and works closely with People & Talent Business Partners and management in supporting leaders and employees. This position carries out administrative and strategic responsibilities in the following functional areas: benefits administration, employee relations, training, performance management, onboarding, policy implementation, recruitment/employment, and employment law compliance.Primary Responsibilities
Under the direction of a Business Partner, may directly support a client group and/or take on less complex employee relations cases.
Coaches managers and leaders on effective performance management.
Consults and coaches employees and managers on employee relations matters, including University policy interpretation, job performance, and corrective action, while providing solution-oriented recommendations and support.
Administers various People & Talent plans, projects, and procedures.
Assists in the development and implementation of employee policies and procedures.
Prepares and maintains the employee handbook and the policies and procedures manual.
Recommends new approaches, policies, and procedures to continually improve department efficiency, services performed, and the employee experience.
Analyzes data to identify trends and develops solutions to address business issues and challenges.
Participates in developing department goals, objectives, and systems.
Assists in evaluating reports, decisions, and department results in relation to established goals.
Works closely with Business Partners and leadership to track and analyze incoming inquiries and investigations and recommend and develop consistent practices and action plans.
Provides exceptional support to an assigned team of Business Partners.
Raises questions and concerns and recommends potential solutions to performance management issues to ensure effective People & Talent implementation and ongoing process improvement.
Represents the Business Partner Team with ongoing support in project-based teams to support the overall People & Talent strategy.
Facilitates onboarding support for new leaders by introducing university philosophy and culture.
Maintains human resource information system (HRIS) records and compiles reports from the HCM.
Maintains compliance with federal, state, and local employment and benefits laws and regulations.
Collaborates with all People & Talent subject matter experts to support the business collectively.
May act as a mentor to a People & Talent Specialist or People & Talent Generalist.
Performs other job-related duties as assigned.
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Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to articulate ideas and influence others.
Ability to establish presence and credibility quickly and become a trusted resource to employees.
Exceptional business knowledge of HR-related laws, regulations, and practices, including EEOC, ADA, DOL, FMLA, and related requirements.
Ability to make recommendations to effectively resolve problems or issues using sound judgment consistent with applicable laws, philosophies, and practices.
Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality with all interactions and work products.
Demonstrated ability to apply data management and analysis tools in researching and analyzing various types of data.
Ability to observe, understand, and interpret ambiguous issues and apply critical thinking strategies to develop solutions.
Ability to coach employees objectively and effectively through complex, difficult, and emotional issues within a diverse organization.
Exceptional ability to gather and analyze data using meaningful HR metrics and provide recommendations to the Business Partner team and leadership.
Strong understanding of employment law and other state and federal compliance regulations.
Experience with Microsoft Office products, HRIS systems, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), and Performance Management Systems.
Demonstrated project management skills.
Education and Experience:
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources or a related field and five (5) years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the job, totaling nine (9) years.
Preferred Qualifications:
HR Certification (SHRM-CP, PHR)
Previous experience working with client groups as a Generalist/Business Partner
This job description includes a general representation of job requirements rather than a comprehensive inventory of all required responsibilities or work activities. The contents of this document or related job requirements may change at any time with or without notice.
This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.
Position & Application Details
Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.
Additional Information
Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive.
Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].
Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources or related field (or equivalent combination of education and experience totaling nine years) with five years related experience
- Strong knowledge of employment law and compliance (EEOC, ADA, DOL, FMLA)
- Experience with HRIS, HCM, Applicant Tracking Systems, and Performance Management Systems
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
- Demonstrated ability to analyze HR data and use HR metrics to drive recommendations
- Experience coaching managers and handling employee relations, investigations, and corrective action
- Project management skills and ability to support People & Talent projects
- Maintain high level of confidentiality in all interactions and HR matters
- Ability to travel occasionally up to 20% for summits and business needs
- HR certification (SHRM-CP or PHR)
- Previous experience as a Generalist or People Business Partner supporting client groups
What We Do
Western Governors University is a private, nonprofit online university that provides accessible, competency-based education designed for working professionals.
