Human Resources Generalist

Job Posting Location:

Claremont, CA

Job Posting Title:

Human Resources Generalist

Job Description:

JOB PURPOSE:
The Human Resources Generalist serves as a key partner to the HR Business Partners, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources, and senior HR leadership in supporting employee relations, union matters, and compliance-related initiatives. This role plays an active part in union-related processes, including supporting grievance review and resolution, participating in investigations, and helping ensure consistent, fair, and legally compliant practices across the College. The position is responsible for conducting workplace investigations, supporting proactive and responsive training efforts for employees and managers, and assisting with a broad range of HR functions, including recruitment, job description review and updates, Workday reporting, leave of absence (LOA) administration, workers’ compensation, and the interactive process. The Human Resources Generalist partners closely with HR Operations Coordinators to ensure daily HR processes are executed accurately and efficiently, analyzes HR metrics to inform decision-making and workforce planning, and provides support across the Office of Human Resources. The role also serves as a liaison with campus departments, the other Claremont Colleges, and The Claremont Colleges Services (TCCS), the shared services organization for The Claremont Colleges.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

The Human Resources Generalist reports to the Assistant Vice President for Human Resources and works closely with both the AVP and the HR Business Partners. This position includes the following primary duties and responsibilities:

Employee Relations

• In partnership with the AVP, this position will support the relationship between dining services and the union, addressing grievances and conducting investigations as needed. Responsible for facilitating mediation and participating in union negotiations to ensure effective communication and resolution of workplace issues.

• Co-lead with HR business partners in facilitating effective communication between management, employees, and union representatives to address concerns, resolve conflicts, and foster positive working relationships.
• Assist HR business partners as needed in conducting thorough investigations into employee relations issues, ensuring accurate documentation at all stages of the process, and collaborating with departments to address concerns while maintaining legal and policy compliance.
• Provide guidance and support to managers and staff on employee relations matters, including performance management, disciplinary actions, and conflict resolution, while aiding in maintaining strong communication channels across departments.

Leave of Absence Management

• Serve as a strategic partner to the AVP by offering data analysis and insights on leave of absences, peak leave periods, departmental impacts, and recurring types of leaves. This will support leadership in making informed and cost-effective decisions regarding staffing and resource allocation.
• Remain up-to-date and current on state and federal changes to leave of absence regulations and to ensure the College’s compliance.
• Support the HR Generalist in monitoring leave frequency and duration by department or role to identify potential burnout risks, workload imbalances, or policy gaps that may require proactive intervention or wellness initiatives.
• Correlate leave trends with operational outcomes, such as productivity, overtime costs, or temporary staffing needs to inform more efficient workforce planning and budget forecasting.
• Support equitable policy enforcement and ADA/FEHA compliance by using LOA data to ensure consistent application of leave policies and to identify areas where additional manager training or employee support may be needed.

HR Operations

• Manage daily HR operations, including onboarding, offboarding, employee records management, updating job descriptions, and compliance with organizational policies and labor regulations.
• Administer and maintain HRIS platforms to ensure accurate data entry, system integrity, and timely updates to employee information.
• Generate and analyze HR reports from the HRIS to support workforce planning, compliance audits, and strategic decision-making.
• Collaborate with IT and vendors to troubleshoot system issues, implement upgrades, and optimize HRIS functionality for evolving business needs.
• Train HR staff and end-users on system use, data entry standards, and reporting tools to ensure consistent and effective utilization of HRIS resources.

New Hire Orientation, onboarding, and offboarding

• Serve as a backup when conducting new hire orientations for staff and faculty, in groups or individually.
• In collaboration with HR Business Partners, provide support as necessary throughout the recruitment process for both staff and faculty. Oversee all aspects of the termination process for faculty and staff, including effective communication, timely follow-up, processing of final paychecks, management of accrual balances, and coordination of all related changes with the HR Operations team.

• Support special projects/tasks and provide assistance as assigned.

Training and Development

• Design and deliver targeted training programs that align with organizational goals, address skill gaps, and support employee growth across departments in partnership with the HR Business Partners.
• Evaluate training effectiveness through feedback, assessments, and performance metrics to continuously improve learning outcomes and return on investment.

• Collaborate with HR Business Partners to identify departmental development needs and implement learning strategies that strengthen team capabilities and facilitate succession planning.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in human resources or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

• Experience: A minimum of 3+ years of proven experience with increasing responsibility in the areas of Human Resources Management, with a successful consultative style relating to HRIS, recruitment, and experience in leaves of absence administration and applicable state and federal laws is preferred. Bilingual Spanish speaking, reading, and writing is highly desired, but not required. Advanced knowledge and use of Workday is highly preferred.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND CRITICAL SKILLS

The Human Resources Generalist must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and professional judgment needed to successfully perform the essential functions of the role, with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Working knowledge of employment laws and HR best practices, with the ability to interpret and apply them thoughtfully in partnership with campus stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, including the ability to assess situations, identify risks and options, and recommend practical, people-centered solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with discretion, integrity, and sound judgment, particularly in complex or emotionally charged situations.
• Clear, professional, and effective communication skills, including the ability to explain policies, provide guidance, and facilitate productive conversations with employees and leaders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment, adapt to changing needs, and remain organized while responding to emerging issues.
• Collaborative and service-oriented approach, with the ability to work effectively as part of an HR team and build trusted relationships across the campus.
• Commitment to continuous learning, equity, and improvement, including openness to feedback and evolving HR practices.

To successfully perform the essential functions of the position or be able to demonstrate how the essential functions will be performed, with or without reasonable accommodation, using other skills and abilities not listed below.

• Knowledge of employment law, Federal Labor Standards Act, CAL-OSHA, ERISA, Wage and Hour Act, and current labor legislation is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated effectiveness and clarity of verbal and written communication with excellent interpersonal communication and phone manners. Must handle all activities and highly confidential information with patience, discretion, tact, and a keen eye for detail while working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
• Able to operate computers with basic Microsoft Office software (such as Word, Excel, Outlook) and associated professional software (such as HRIS, query reporting, Internet research, menu-driven databases). Demonstrated understanding of the use of technology to achieve annual goals and maintain confidentiality.
• Able to handle multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and work both independently and as a collaborative member of the College in support of the College’s strategic vision and the division’s annual goals with a high standard of integrity and ethics.
• Must have exceptional organizational and time management skills to complete work with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to manage, develop, and train team members, as well as effectively provide leadership.

REQUIRED HOURS:

The regular hours for this full-time position are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday. Holiday, weekend, and evening work hours may be required. Travel may be required. Regular hours may vary due to needs of the College or division.

ADDITIONAL POSITION DETAILS:

This is a temporary, full-time, non-exempt position with an hourly rate between $28.17 and $33.50 per hour. The specific factors that the College will consider when offering a salary to an individual will include, but not be limited to: education, training, relevant prior experience, and performance in prior roles. All staff positions are ineligible for visa or permanent resident card sponsorship. As a California employer, Pomona College requires all employees to be residents of California

POMONA COLLEGE REWARDS:  

Pomona College offers a wide variety of benefits and perks including health, dental, and vision plan options; paid time off; flexible spending accounts; retirement benefits; tuition assistance; fitness and wellness programs; ride share incentives; and so much more! 

ADA/OSHA: This job description defines the essential job duties of this position.  The College expects that employees hired for this position can perform the essential functions of this job without imposing risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of themselves or others.  It may also include marginal functions, generally defined within Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

DISCLAIMER: This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this position.  When duties and responsibilities change and develop, the College will review this job description and make changes of business necessity.