Senior Human Resources Specialist

NWF•Reston, VA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is seeking a Senior Human Resources Specialist to join their People Team. This role is crucial in executing a three-year strategy to build a modern, high-impact People function for a remote and hybrid workforce, focusing on Trust, Well-Being, and Community. The specialist will be the primary employee relations practitioner, managing employee issues proactively and reactively, and partnering with staff, managers, and senior leaders. This role requires comfort in coaching managers through difficult conversations and consulting with executives on sensitive personnel matters. Additionally, the role supports Employee Experience (EX) programs such as onboarding, performance evaluation, engagement, and culture, and collaborates closely with Talent Acquisition, Equity Inclusion & Belonging (EIB), Learning & Development, and Compliance & Total Rewards (CTR). The position aims to impact the organization's pillars by resolving employee concerns fairly, identifying and addressing workplace friction, and modeling fair conflict resolution to build belonging across a distributed workforce.

Requirements

3–5+ years of HR experience with direct employee relations casework
Comfort holding difficult conversations and maintaining confidentiality and neutrality.
Experience supporting programs in a remote, hybrid, or multi-state organization strongly preferred.
Working knowledge of HRIS platforms, survey tools, and/or learning management systems.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience; SHRM-CP/PHR preferred but not required.
Genuine interest in NWF’s conservation mission and in building an employee experience that reflects it.

Nice To Haves

SHRM-CP/PHR preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Monitor organizational health indicators (engagement data, turnover patterns, exit interview themes) to flag emerging ER risks before they become formal issues.
Coach managers on early intervention: setting expectations, giving feedback, and addressing performance or conduct concerns before they require formal action.
Build manager capability through training, toolkits, and just-in-time guidance on employee relations fundamentals.
Partner with leadership to identify team or organizational dynamics that could create risk (e.g., unclear roles, team dysfunction).
Serve as the first point of contact for employees and managers to address concerns, complaints, and workplace conflicts; conduct thorough, neutral intake and investigation and close-out.
Guide managers through corrective action processes, including performance improvement plans and separations.
Recommend and document resolutions that are fair, consistent, and legally sound.
Support sensitive situations such as leave-related conflicts, interpersonal disputes, in coordination with the Legal team.
Act as an HR resource for staff, managers, and senior leaders alike adjusting tone and approach appropriately.
Ensure consistency between policy, practice, and lived employee experience across the organization.
Help maintain onboarding and EX-related content in the employee handbook, in coordination with AVP, Total Rewards multi-state compliance work.
Support the ongoing evolution of the performance evaluation and feedback program, including rollout communications and staff support materials.
Contribute an employee relations lens to onboarding design and early-tenure feedback, helping reduce friction and set new hires up for success.
Assist with employee listening efforts such as stay interviews, and survey follow-up and help translate findings into action, including employee experience program improvements.
Contribute to reporting on key People metrics (e.g., eNPS, engagement score, 90-day retention) as they relate to employee relations trends.