HR Business Partner and Team Lead

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

We’re seeking a seasoned HR Business Partner who enjoys partnering strategically with leaders across assigned client organizations while leading two HR professionals who support HR activities. In this pivotal role, you’ll partner with HR and SEI leaders to advance organizational goals by building engaged, resilient, and high-performing teams while ensuring our people practices are fair, compliant, and aligned with our mission. You’ll bring HR expertise to complex, real-world challenges by supporting employee relations, coaching leaders through change, driving talent development, and strengthening organizational effectiveness. This role is ideal for an HR professional who balances strategic partnership with hands-on execution, enjoys solving complex people challenges, builds trusted relationships, and continuously improves people practices and processes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
5–8 years of progressive HR experience, with a focus on employee relations and HR business partnering.
Proven ability to advise leaders on complex people issues while balancing organizational needs and employee well-being.
Demonstrated success leading or contributing to cross-functional people programs, HR projects, and process improvements.
Current/recent experience working with HR systems, such as Workday.
Proficiency in employee relations, including policy interpretation, and employment law.
Strong coaching and consulting skills with the ability to build trust, influence others, and partner effectively at all levels.
Exceptional judgment and emotional intelligence when managing sensitive, high-stakes situations.
Skilled problem-solver who can synthesize diverse perspectives and develop practical, sustainable solutions.
Organized and adaptable - able to prioritize competing demands in an evolving environment.
Experience driving HR initiatives from conception through implementation and evaluation.
Comfortable working with data to tell stories and inform decisions; demonstrated ability to analyze workforce data and translate insights into actionable recommendations using Excel or similar analytical tools.
Unwavering commitment to confidentiality, integrity, and inclusive practices.

Nice To Haves

Professional HR certification (SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR).
Experience supporting technical, research-intensive, government, or higher education environments.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders, providing strategic, consultative HR guidance that enables business success and supports mission outcomes.
Oversee key people programs including onboarding, performance management, promotions, and recognition while leading a team of two that supports these efforts and recruiting operations.
Navigate complex employee relations matters including conflict resolution, performance challenges, and workplace concerns with fairness, discretion, and legal soundness.
Coach and support managers in building strong teams, improving performance, and fostering connection.
Partner with leadership on workforce planning, succession strategies, change management, and talent optimization.
Analyze HR data to provide insights and recommend evidence-based solutions.
Identify opportunities to modernize HR processes, policies, and tools, ensuring efficiency, consistency, and continuous improvement.
Collaborate cross-functionally with the SEI HR team to deliver a cohesive, human-centered employee experience.