Human Resources Business Partner
University Overview
The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer…
Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.
Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.
The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.
Posted Job Title
Human Resources Business Partner
Job Profile Title
Director, Human Resources, School/Center
Job Description Summary
This position provides strategic consultation and operational leadership in workforce planning, organizational design, employee and labor relations, talent management, performance management, leadership coaching, organizational change, compliance, and employee engagement. The HRBP serves as a trusted advisor, helping leaders navigate complex organizational and workforce challenges while ensuring alignment with university policies, values, and strategic objectives.
Job Description
Job Responsibilities
Strategic HR Partnership
- Serve as the primary strategic HR advisor to senior leadership, providing consultative guidance on organizational effectiveness, workforce planning, talent strategies, and employee engagement.
- Develop trusted partnerships with leaders to align human capital strategies with institutional and departmental priorities.
- Advise leadership on emerging workforce trends, organizational risks, succession planning, and long-term talent strategies.
- Utilize workforce analytics and HR metrics to identify talent trends, inform staffing needs and other decision-making, and recommend data-driven solutions.
Organizational Effectiveness & Change Management
- Lead organizational design initiatives, including evaluating reporting structures, workflows, staffing models, and resource allocation to improve organizational effectiveness.
- Partner with leadership to plan and implement organizational changes, restructuring efforts, and workforce transitions while minimizing disruption and maintain employee engagement.
- Facilitate change management strategies that support successful implementation of new initiatives, organizational priorities, and business transformations.
- Identify opportunities to improve HR processes, operational efficiencies, and service delivery.
Talent Management & Leadership Development
- Partner with leaders to identify current and future talent needs through strategic workforce planning.
- Facilitate talent review and succession planning processes to strengthen organizational capability and leadership pipelines.
- Identify competency gaps and recommend learning, leadership development, coaching, and career development opportunities.
- Collaborate with Learning and Organizational Development teams to build leadership capability across client organizations.
Performance Management & Leadership Coaching
- Advise leaders throughout the performance management cycle, including goal setting, coaching, feedback, performance improvement, and recognition.
- Coach managers on effective leadership practices, difficult conversations, conflict resolution, employee development, and accountability.
- Support leaders in addressing complex employee performance issues while promoting consistency, fairness, and compliance.
Employee Relations & Employee Experience
- Serve as a trusted advisor on employee relations matters, conducting or supporting investigations and recommending appropriate solutions.
- Provide guidance regarding policy interpretation, workplace concerns, conflict resolution, corrective actions, and employment decisions.
- Partner with leadership to foster an inclusive, respectful, and high-performance workplace culture.
- Develop and implement strategies that enhance employee engagement, belonging, retention, and the overall employee experience.
- Oversee onboarding and offboarding processes to ensure a seamless and positive employee experience.
Compliance & Risk Management
- Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, University policies, collective bargaining agreements, and HR leading practices.
- Proactively assess organizational risks and recommend solutions that minimize legal and operational exposure.
- Partner with HR Centers of Excellence to ensure consistent application of policies, programs, and procedures.
HR Collaboration & Operational Excellence
- Participate actively within the HR Business Partner Community of Practice by sharing leading practices, contributing to strategic initiatives, and promoting consistency across the HR organization.
- Partner effectively with Talent Acquisition, Compensation, Benefits, Staff & Labor Relations, Talent Management, HRIS, and Payroll.
- Leverage technology, including Workday and workforce analytics tools, to improve operational efficiency and enhance HR service delivery.
- Support special projects and strategic initiatives that advance the Division of Human Resources' mission and University Priorities.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Minimum of 7-10 years of progressively responsible Human Resources experience, including significant experience serving as an HRBP or strategic HR consultant.
- Demonstrated experience advising senior leaders on complex organizational, workforce and employee relations matters.
- Experience leading organizational change, workforce planning, organizational development, and talent management initiatives.
- Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws and HR compliance requirements.
- Demonstrated ability to interpret workforce data and utilize analytics to support business decision.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, facilitation, consulting, mediation, and presentation skills.
- Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a complex, fast-paced environment.
- Experience with HR information systems, preferably Workday.
Preferred
- Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Higher Education Administration, Organizational Development, or a related discipline.
- SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or comparable senior HR certification.
- Experience supporting higher education, healthcare, research, or other complex matrixed organizations.
- Experience leading enterprise-wide HR initiatives and cross-functional projects.
Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Department / School
Human Resources
Pay Range
$110,907.00 - $160,000.00 Annual Rate
Salary offers are made based on the candidate's qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job's level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.
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