Shepherd Center

HR Advisor

Atlanta, GA Full time

About Shepherd Center 

With five decades of experience, Shepherd Center provides world-class clinical care, research, and family support for people experiencing the most complex conditions, including spinal cord and brain injuries, multi-trauma, traumatic amputations, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and pain. An elite center ranked by U.S. News as one of the nation’s top hospitals for rehabilitation, Shepherd Center is also recognized as both Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems. Shepherd is the only rehabilitation facility in the nation with an intensive care unit on-site, allowing us to care for the most complex patients and begin the rehabilitation process sooner. Shepherd Center treats thousands of patients annually with unmatched expertise and unwavering compassion to help them begin again.

Shepherd Center's culture is one of hope, humor, and hard work. You will enjoy career growth, strong relationships with co-workers, strong support from leadership, and fun activities that have kept over 12% of staff members working at Shepherd for more than 20 years.  

The HR Advisor will partner with employees and leaders at all levels - someone who brings practical HR expertise, sound judgment, and a genuine passion for people. This role plays a key part in shaping a positive employee experience while supporting compliance, people programs, and strategic HR initiatives. You’ll collaborate closely with leaders and teams across the organization to help employees do their best work and feel supported along the way, bringing a data-driven mindset to identify trends, inform decisions, and continuously improve the employee experience.

Job Responsibilities

Employee Relations & People Support

  • Be a trusted resource for employees and managers by providing day‑to‑day guidance, coaching, and support on employee relations matters
  • Partner with managers and supervisors to navigate performance concerns, workplace challenges, and employee engagement opportunities
  • Contribute to People Committee initiatives by offering insights, participating in discussions, and supporting follow‑up actions
  • Help plan and oversee employee activities that strengthen culture, connection, and engagement
  • Support DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) initiatives, programs, and reporting efforts that promote a welcoming, inclusive workplace
  • Conduct and/or support exit interviews; synthesize themes and share insights/learnings with leaders to strengthen engagement, retention, and the overall employee experience

HR Operations

  • Routinely serve as backup support for payroll to help ensure accuracy, continuity, and smooth processing
  • Assist with benefits invoice processing, reconciliation, and vendor coordination
  • Create and support HR presentations and decks for leadership meetings, committees, and people‑focused initiatives

Manager & Employee Development

  • Facilitate and support New Manager Training, helping leaders build competencies in people management fundamentals and HR best practices
  • Provide ongoing coaching and guidance to managers as they grow their leadership and employee management skills

Compliance & Governance

  • Support HR compliance activities, including policy adherence, audits, documentation, and regulatory reporting
  • Help ensure HR practices are applied consistently and in alignment with organizational policies and applicable regulations

HR Projects & Continuous Improvement

  • Lead and support HR projects from planning through execution, helping keep initiatives organized, on track, and well‑communicated
  • Use people data and HR metrics (e.g., turnover, engagement, ER trends) to identify root causes, share insights with stakeholders, and support data-driven decisions and continuous improvement
  • Contribute ideas and solutions that improve processes, support change initiatives, and enhance employee experience

Required Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s Degree from a four-year college or university

Required Minimum Certification:

  • No professional certifications required.

Required Minimum Experience:

  • 6+ years of progressive human resources experience, preferably in an HR generalist or advisory role

Required Minimum Skills: 

  • Strong employee relations and problem‑solving skills
  • Business acumen with the ability to deliver practical HR solutions
  • Relationship‑building and coaching capability with leaders at all levels
  • Project management and organizational effectiveness
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Proficiency in the use of HCM software
  • Advanced proficiency with MS Office

Preferred Qualifications:

  • PHR or SPHR (or SHRM‑CP or SHRM‑SCP) certification preferred
  • Previous Workday and/or UKG experience a plus

Physical Demands:

  • Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time or exerting up to 15 pounds of force occasionally or a negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body

Working Conditions:

  • No potential for exposure to blood and body fluids

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification.  They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified.