HR Generalist

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Job Category: Academic Staff

Employment Type: Regular

Job Profile: HR Generalist

Job Summary:

The Administrative Services Unit (ASU) is a shared service model within the Office of Human Resources. ASU provides comprehensive and innovative human resources (HR) services to both administrative and academic divisions across campus. The units supported by the ASU consist of more than 2,000 employees across all appointment types, (i.e., faculty, limited appointee, academic and university staff, employee in training, graduate assistant, and student) from a variety of different funding sources.

Reporting to the HR Manager, the HR Generalist is responsible for a broad range of HR functions, providing support across key HR activities, including the following:

• Provide consultation to departments, units, and programs supported by ASU.
• Responds to and resolves employee inquiries by providing accurate information, guidance, and support on HR-related matters.
• Coordinate, process, and audit recruitment, titling, compensation, and other HR transactions and personnel record changes throughout the employee lifecycle for an assigned portfolio, ensuring accuracy, compliance with established policies and procedures, and adherence to service-level expectations.
• Provide administrative support for general HR, compliance monitoring, project planning and implementation, training, and other related HR needs including representing ASU at workshops, meetings, and training sessions.
• Provide backup HR support for departments, units, programs, and employees outside of assigned portfolio.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Provides consultation, performs analytics, and/or maintains personnel files, communications, and materials for work unit through various mediums
• Executes and audits work transactions and changes adhering to established policies and procedures to meet anticipated deadlines
• Receives, responds to, and resolves employee questions and problems
• Represents unit/program at institutional workshops, informational meetings, and training sessions
• Contributes to the development, implementation, interpretation, and revision of work unit Human Resources policies and procedures according to institutional and legal rules and regulations

Department:

• Located within the Office of Human Resources, the Administrative Services Unit (ASU)

Compensation:

• The minimum annual (12 months) starting salary for the position is $65,000 but is negotiable based on experience, qualifications, and internal parity considerations.
• This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. Please review the summary of benefits for more information.

Required Qualifications:

• Previous HR experience supporting multiple functional areas of HR, including recruitment, onboarding, employee records management, compensation, payroll, and related HR administrative processes.
• Demonstrated ability to engage, support, and collaborate effectively with a diverse workforce representing a variety of employee groups, occupational areas, and organizational levels.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain a high level of accuracy and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to effectively manage competing priorities, triage tasks, and adapt to frequent interruptions while meeting deadlines.
• Effective oral, written, and non-verbal communication skills with internal and external customers.
• Excellent customer service skills, including patience, attentiveness, clear communication, and responsiveness.
• Demonstrates a positive, calm, and helpful approach; actively listens and confirms understanding to ensure customer needs are met.
• Ability to maintain discretion and the highest ethical and professional standards while dealing with confidential information.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience with human capital management software suites, (i.e., Workday, Oracle, SAP, etc.)
• Prior experience with interpreting policy and providing consultations regarding policy.
• Experience working in higher education and/or state service.
• Experience presenting to large groups or conducting employee training.

Education:

• Preferred: Associate degree

How to Apply:

• Please upload a document that includes the items listed below:
• Resume
• A response to the three prompts below--
• Why are you interested in the HR Generalist position and what are the future goals you hope to achieve in this position?
• What parts of HR interest you the most and why?
• What has been your biggest accomplishment in your past work that demonstrates your experience and/or interest in HR?

Please note, when applying, there will be only one attachment field. You must upload all your documents in the attachment field. The application reviewers will be relying on written application materials to determine who may advance to preliminary interviews. Failure to upload all required materials may result in your application not being considered.

Successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. UW-Madison is not an E-Verify employer, and therefore, is not eligible to employee F1 STEM OPT Extension participants.

The application deadline is 11:59pm on October 07, 2026.

Contact Information:

Austin Tamayo: 608-263-3729 : austin.tamayo@wisc.edu

Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.

UW-Madison is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.