HR Generalist

About Hebrew Union College

Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College is North America's leading institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of Reform Judaism.

HUC educates leaders for service to American and world Jewry as rabbis, cantors, experts in Jewish education, and Jewish nonprofit management professionals, and offers graduate degree programs to scholars and clergy of all faiths. With centers of learning in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York, HUC's scholarly resources comprise renowned library, archive, and museum collections, biblical archaeology excavations, and academic publications.

Mission

Hebrew Union College is North America's premier institution of Jewish higher education and the center for professional leadership development of Reform Judaism. A multi-campus academic and spiritual learning community, HUC builds vibrant progressive Judaism in North America, Israel and around the globe by:

• Studying the great issues of Jewish life, history and thought with an open, egalitarian, inclusive and pluralistic spirit;

• Educating innovative, visionary clergy and professionals who embody the sustaining values, responsibilities, practices and texts of Jewish tradition to inspire future generations; and

• Advancing the critical study of Judaism and Jewish culture in accordance with the highest standards of modern academic scholarship.

Position Summary

The Human Resources Generalist provides essential operational and administrative HR support across HUC’s U.S. campuses, with primary responsibility for HR processes serving Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and New York. This position is responsible for executing the daily functions of the HR department, including payroll, recruitment, onboarding and offboarding, benefits and leave administration, personnel file management, HRIS transactions, and compliance documentation. This role is ideal for an experienced and self-directed HR professional who thrives in a collaborative, mission-driven environment and can balance accuracy, responsiveness, and discretion in a fast-paced setting.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Recruit and coordinate the hiring process including job postings, applicant screening, interview scheduling, and new hire documentation.
2. Administer day-to-day HR operations including onboarding, offboarding, benefits, timekeeping, personnel record maintenance, and payroll coordination.
3. Prepare, process, and track Personnel Action Forms (PAFs), employment changes, and compliance documentation to ensure accurate and timely processing.
4. Assist with employee onboarding and training programs, including scheduling orientations and maintaining training records.
5. Support benefits and leave administration, including employee enrollment, changes, and coordination with third-party vendors.
6. Assist with the coordination of HR meetings, including scheduling, preparing agendas, and documenting follow-up actions.
7. Respond to inquiries from employees and supervisors with professionalism, clarity, and sensitivity.
8. Assist with employee relations by documenting issues and escalating matters as appropriate under the guidance of the HR Director.
9. Ensure adherence to federal, state, and local employment laws across CA, NY, and OH, maintaining current knowledge of applicable regulations.
10. Administer HR systems and workflows (Paycom and Paylocity), ensuring data integrity, timely task completion, and accurate reporting.
11. Maintain confidential personnel and compliance records, including I-9s, contracts, and background checks.
12. Support policy development and implementation by drafting, updating, and communicating HR policies and procedures.
13. Coordinate performance review and training documentation to ensure compliance, accuracy, and consistency across campuses.
14. Assist in preparing reports, audits, and HR metrics to support institutional compliance, planning, and continuous improvement.
15. Perform other HR-related duties and special projects as assigned.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field required.

Experience

• Minimum of 5–7 years of professional HR generalist or HR operations experience, preferably within higher education or nonprofit settings.

License/Certification

• Preferred:  PHR or SHRM-CP

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• High level of confidentiality.
• Good Adaptability/Flexibility – open to change (positive or negative) and comfortable with considerable variety in the workplace.
• Excellent Attention to Detail – thorough and precise in completing work tasks.
• Excellent Coordination/Organization – able to organize the various elements of complex activities effectively.
• Good Critical Thinking – uses logic and reasoning to evaluate alternatives and solve problems.
• Excellent Customer Service – provides timely and accurate responses to employees, supervisors, and other stakeholders.
• Excellent Judgment and Decision Making – considers relative costs and benefits of potential actions to determine appropriate solutions.
• Excellent Oral Comprehension & Expression – able to listen and communicate information clearly and professionally.
• Excellent Relationship Building – develops and nurtures effective working relationships across all levels of the institution.
• Good Teamwork – collaborates effectively with colleagues to achieve shared goals.
• Excellent Written Comprehension & Expression – produces clear, accurate, and well-organized written communication.

Technology

• Microsoft Office 365 – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook
• HRIS/ATS systems (Paycom and Paylocity experience preferred).
• Comfortable using virtual and remote collaboration software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or comparable platforms to support multi-campus HR operations.
• Ability to learn and adapt to new HR systems and digital tools as needed.

Core Values

Employees are expected to model Hebrew Union College’s Core Values:

• Honesty and Integrity
• Kindness and Decency
• Openness and Transparency
• Responsible Empowerment
• Trust and Security
• Diversity and Inclusion

Work Environment & Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

Work is typically performed in an indoor office or classroom environment.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit or stand, walk, talk, and listen; the employee may occasionally have to stoop, bend, reach, and lift up to 20 pounds.  Employees need manual dexterity to operate standard office equipment and a personal computer, clarity of speech and hearing or other communication capabilities to discern verbal instructions and to communicate effectively with others and visual acuity to comprehend written work instructions and review, evaluate, and prepare a variety of written materials and documents.

Hebrew Union College is an Equal Opportunity Employer, a drug-free workplace, and complies with all ADA regulations as applicable.