Sr. Human Resources Business Partner - Employee Relations & Experience

The Senior Human Resources Business Partner (Senior HRBP) – Employee Relations & Experience serves as the primary HR partner and first point of contact for staff employment matters across nonacademic departments and administrative functions. The role provides strategic and operational consultation to directors, managers, and supervisors on workforce decisions, performance, policy application, and organizational effectiveness. The Associate Vice President (AVP), People & Culture retains primary HR partnership responsibility with the executive leadership team and oversight of significant institutional employment matters.

The Senior HRBP owns the staff employee relations process, including intake, workplace investigations, performance concerns, corrective action consultation, case documentation, and resolution, with appropriate escalation to Legal and Institutional Compliance. The position also leads staff employee experience and engagement efforts, including appreciation, recognition, engagement surveys, and action planning, and partners with the Webster Staff Alliance (WSA) to understand staff perspectives and identify improvements. The role provides HR due diligence on organizational restructures, promotions, position changes, and related business case justifications.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Staff HR Business Partnership & Leadership Consultation (25%)

• Serve as the primary HR contact for staff and nonacademic departments; advise directors, managers, and supervisors on employment practices, workforce planning, and people-management matters.
• Provide confidential, practical consultation on performance, workplace concerns, policy interpretation, organizational change, and employee-related risk.
• Build trusted partnerships with leaders; identify workforce trends and recommend operationally sound solutions. Escalate executive-level and significant matters to the AVP.

2. Employee Relations, Investigations & Performance Management (30%)

• Own staff employee relations case management from intake and assessment through investigation, documentation, recommendations, resolution, and follow-up.
• Conduct or coordinate impartial workplace investigations involving employee complaints, conduct, policy violations, and interpersonal conflict, ensuring procedural fairness, confidentiality, and timely handling.
• Consult with leaders on coaching, performance improvement plans, corrective action, disciplinary recommendations, and separations; ensure decisions are consistent with policy and appropriately documented.
• Coordinate staff ADA accommodation and interactive-process matters with designated stakeholders; refer Title IX, civil rights, and other specialized matters to accountable officials.
• Analyze employee relations trends and recommend policy, training, or leadership interventions; elevate high-risk cases to the AVP, Legal, or Institutional Compliance.

3. Employee Experience, Engagement & Recognition (20%)

• Lead staff employee experience initiatives spanning engagement, recognition, appreciation, workplace culture, and retention.
• Coordinate employee engagement surveys, including planning, communication, participation, results analysis, leadership reporting, and measurable action planning.
• Build an ongoing collaborative partnership with the Webster Staff Alliance (WSA) to understand staff experiences, surface themes, and inform improvements.
• Partner with Talent Management & Organizational Effectiveness on onboarding experience, leadership development, performance practices, and other employee lifecycle initiatives.

4. Organizational Effectiveness, Workforce Actions & HR Due Diligence (15%)

• Provide independent HR review and consultation on proposed restructures, position eliminations, staffing changes, promotions, reclassifications, and related workforce actions.
• Evaluate business case justifications for organizational need, alternatives, operational impact, internal equity, policy compliance, and employee relations risk.
• Partner with Finance, Compensation, Talent Acquisition, and department leaders to develop defensible, fiscally responsible recommendations; escalate decisions requiring institutional approval.
• Support change planning, workforce impact assessments, leadership communications, and transition risk mitigation.

5. HR Governance, Cross-Functional Partnership & Service Excellence (10%)

• Coordinate with Institutional Compliance, Legal, Payroll, Benefits, Talent Acquisition, and Talent Management & Organizational Effectiveness to deliver consistent HR services.
• Provide leaders with education on employee relations, performance management, policy requirements, and engagement practices.
• Maintain accurate case records and workforce action documentation; strengthen procedures, reporting, confidentiality, and process consistency.
• Represent HR on relevant committees and staff initiatives; perform related duties as assigned.

Salary range for this position: $80,000-$90,000 annually.

Requisite Experience and Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, or related field required
• Seven (7) to ten (10) years of progressively responsible HR experience, including HR business partnership, employee relations, or senior-level workforce consultation.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex employee relations matters, conducting workplace investigations, and advising leaders on performance and employment decisions.
• Experience with employee engagement, organizational change, workforce planning, and cross-functional initiatives; experience evaluating staffing proposals or restructures preferred.
• Experience in a complex, matrixed organization; higher education experience preferred. Direct supervisory experience beneficial but not required.

Functional/Technical Skills

• Exceptional consultation, communication, negotiation, coaching, conflict-resolution, and relationship-building skills with staff leaders and employees.
• Demonstrated expertise in HR business partnership, employee relations, workplace investigations, performance management, workforce planning, and employment law.
• Ability to conduct objective investigations, evaluate evidence, document findings, and make sound, policy-based recommendations.
• Experience with employee engagement surveys, recognition programs, staff feedback, retention strategies, and action planning.
• Strong organizational design, project management, workforce analytics, change management, and business case assessment skills.
• Working knowledge of ADA, FMLA, wage and hour requirements, discrimination and harassment prevention, and relevant federal and state employment laws.
• Ability to collaborate across HR, Finance, Legal, and administrative units; proficiency with HRIS, case management systems, Microsoft Office, and workforce reporting.
• Commitment to confidentiality, sound judgment, equitable practices, continuous improvement, service excellence, and institutional stewardship.