Staff Associate-Human Resources and Faculty Affairs Specialist

Job Description

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES: The Human Resources and Faculty Affairs Specialist position serves as a confidential and strategic member of the Personnel Services team, acting as a key liaison between Human Resources and Academic Affairs. This position supports the full lifecycle of faculty and librarian employment, with primary responsibility for administering processes governed by the collective bargaining agreement.

The role ensures compliance with contractual obligations, advances equitable and inclusive hiring practices, and enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of faculty personnel processes.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Faculty Recruitment, Search & Onboarding

• Serve as a primary resource to academic departments on faculty and librarian recruitment processes, ensuring compliance with collective bargaining agreements and university policies.
• Advise deans, department chairs, and search committees on recruitment strategies, hiring protocols, and equitable search practices.
• Coordinate and support all aspects of the search process, including position postings, advertising, applicant tracking, and documentation review.
• Develop and deliver training for search committees on topics such as implicit bias, equitable evaluation practices, and behavioral interviewing techniques.
• Review applicant pools and search outcomes to ensure fairness, consistency, and alignment with institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
• Conduct recruitment planning meetings with academic leadership to align hiring strategies with programmatic and workforce needs.
• Process faculty hiring documentation and coordinate onboarding in collaboration with Human Resources and Academic Affairs.
• Collaborate with relevant units to ensure timely and accurate onboarding, including completion of required documentation and orientation processes.

Faculty Affairs & Personnel Administration

• Administer personnel processes for faculty and librarians, including appointments, reappointments, promotions, tenure, sabbaticals, resignations, and retirements.
• Provide guidance to deans, chairs, and committees on interpretation and application of collective bargaining agreements.
• Support peer evaluation, tenure, and promotion processes by ensuring adherence to contractual guidelines and timelines.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for academic personnel calendar coordination, ensuring compliance with contractual deadlines and required documentation.
• Maintain and track faculty and adjunct salary data, ensuring accuracy and timely communication with Payroll for implementation.
• Prepare adjunct faculty contracts and payroll-related documentation.
• Generate reports and provide data analysis related to faculty hiring, compensation, and compliance.
• Respond to inquiries from internal and external stakeholders regarding policies, procedures, and contractual provisions.

Compliance, Data & Workforce Planning

• Monitor and ensure compliance with collective bargaining agreements, university policies, and applicable federal and state regulations.
• Maintain accurate personnel records and support audit readiness.
• Utilize HRIS, applicant tracking systems, and reporting tools to compile and analyze workforce data.
• Develop data-informed strategies to improve recruitment outcomes and operational efficiency.

Departmental Support & Special Projects

• Assist with employee immigration processes (e.g., visa sponsorships), serving as liaison with legal counsel and internal stakeholders.
• Lead or support special projects and continuous improvement initiatives related to faculty hiring and HR operations.
• Maintain and update employment-related web content and resources for faculty, adjuncts, and search committees.
• Monitor HR-related advertising budgets and assist with procurement processes as needed.
• Prepare standard and ad hoc reports to support departmental and institutional needs.
• Provide cross-functional support within Human Resources during peak periods or staff absences.
• Provide customer service and administrative support for walk-in visitors and phone/email inquiries.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of the mission of Personnel Services.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Three to five (3-5) years of progressively responsible experience in human resources or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience interpreting and applying policies, procedures, or contractual agreements.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet strict deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage a broad range of stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and technical skills, including experience working with HR systems and data reporting tools.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and work both independently and collaboratively.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and the ability to support equitable practices.
• Ability to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a related field.
• Experience in higher education, particularly in faculty affairs or academic human resources.
• Experience working within a unionized environment and interpreting collective bargaining agreements (MSCA experience strongly preferred).
• Professional HR certification (e.g., SHRM-CP/SCP, PHR/SPHR).
• Experience with project management and process improvement initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to use data and analytics to inform decision-making.
• Experience supporting employee immigration processes.
• Bilingual or multilingual communication skills (e.g., English/Spanish).
• Demonstrated multicultural competence and experience working with diverse populations.