Human Resources Specialist (Employee Engagement & Professional Development Specialist) (pos#0079556)

University of Hawaii•Hilo, HI

17d•Onsite

About The Position

The Human Resources Specialist (Employee Engagement & Professional Development Specialist) serves as a key member of the University of Hawaii at Hilo Human Resources Office, supporting the campus and its satellite locations. The position aligns employee engagement, professional development, and workplace culture initiatives with the university’s strategic plan and helps foster collaborative relationships among campus leadership and stakeholders to support workforce growth and retention. The specialist independently performs complex professional HR assignments and serves as a point of contact for assigned HR areas. The role coordinates onboarding and orientation, employee engagement initiatives, professional development and training programs, and efforts to assess their effectiveness. It also provides guidance and resources to employees and supervisors, supports performance review processes, maintains HR website content and employment records, monitors required training compliance, and helps administer personnel actions and respond to employment-related inquiries. The position works in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, collective bargaining agreements, and University of Hawaii policies and procedures.

Requirements

A baccalaureate degree in any field and three years of progressively responsible professional experience in one or more HR functional areas, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
Considerable working knowledge of HR administration principles, practices, and techniques and/or learning and development planning.
Considerable working knowledge and understanding of applicable federal and state laws, rules, regulations, theories, and systems related to HR administration and/or learning and development planning.
Ability to resolve complex problems using creative reasoning and logic to identify causes and effective, innovative, and timely resolutions.
Ability to communicate information and ideas clearly and accurately in writing and verbally, and through reports and other materials.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external organizations, groups, teams, and individuals.
Ability to operate a personal computer and use word-processing software and other relevant software and applications.
For supervisory work, ability to lead subordinates, manage work priorities and projects, and manage employee relations.
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and accountability to high standards of professional excellence.
Ability to exercise tact and diplomacy, maintain confidentiality, and use sound judgment and discretion.
Ability to embrace, learn, and apply new and existing technology to maximize effectiveness and efficiency.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated experience successfully coordinating employee engagement initiatives.
Experience in professional development programming, including curriculum planning, coordinating and conducting training, creating resource materials through various media, and developing and compiling surveys and metrics.
Strong organizational and project management skills.
Positive attitude and growth mindset.
Professional HR administration experience in a public employer jurisdiction in Hawaii and/or a post-secondary education setting.
Working knowledge of University of Hawaii policies, procedures, and organizational structure.
Experience in employee and/or labor relations.

Responsibilities

Provide customer service in assigned HR functions for the UH Hilo campus and satellite locations.
Perform complex HR management assignments to support compliance, consistency, best practices, and a productive employee relations environment.
Serve as the point of contact for assigned areas of responsibility and provide guidance, resources, and training to supervisors and employees.
Coordinate new employee onboarding and orientation and develop sustainable employee engagement initiatives throughout the employee life cycle.
Coordinate the planning and implementation of professional development and training programs.
Work with campus stakeholders and external training resources to promote continuous improvement and workplace collaboration.
Administer surveys and develop metrics to assess employee development and engagement efforts; gather feedback and implement improvements.
Advise supervisors and employees on performance review and evaluation processes and identify individual and departmental training needs.
Manage the HR website and keep its content, employment tools, and resources current and useful.
Assist the HR Director in monitoring campus-wide compliance with regulatory training requirements and advise employees and supervisors on timely completion.
Operate HR management and other personnel, payroll, and financial database systems to monitor and execute position and personnel actions.
Maintain and audit official position and personnel files and employment records in accordance with applicable retention and disposition requirements.
Participate in training and professional development and keep current with HR regulations, policies, trends, and professional standards.
Assist the HR Director with researching and interpreting regulations, policies, procedures, and collective bargaining agreements and supporting consistent implementation.
Research, respond to, and proactively resolve employee inquiries and concerns regarding benefits, compensation, terms of employment, and other employment matters.
Advise the HR Director or designee about difficult or unusual issues and provide recommendations.
Assist with assessing employee and labor relations issues and problem-solving; conduct or assist with fact-finding investigations as assigned.
Perform other duties as assigned.