Vanderbilt University

Engagement Consultant

Vanderbilt University$80K — $95K *
Business Services
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required; master's preferred.
  • 8+ years of HR, consulting, employee engagement, or workforce strategy experience.
  • Recent experience in employee relations and maintaining fair relationships between an organization and its employees.
  • Strong knowledge of employment laws and HR practices; multi-state or global experience preferred.
  • Excellent consulting, negotiation, and communication skills, capable of influencing diverse stakeholders.
  • Data and AI literacy, with the ability to interpret data and assess AI tool outputs critically.

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the trusted advisor for leaders and employees regarding People and Culture matters.
  • Lead workforce initiatives such as stakeholder analysis and communication strategies.
  • Advise on workforce planning, talent development, and change adoption.
  • Provide consultation on employee relations issues and partner with other experts for escalations.
  • Use data to diagnose organizational issues and recommend solutions.
  • Implement AI tools to enhance workflow while ensuring accuracy and confidentiality.
  • Coach managers on performance management and employee engagement practices.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to impact employee experience and organizational effectiveness.
  • Collaborative environment with cross-functional initiatives.
  • Access to professional development opportunities.
  • Support in utilizing AI technology for improved workflows.
Full Job Description
Job Description

Key Functions and Expected Performance:
• Serve as the primary people consultant and trusted advisor for an assigned portfolio, connecting leaders and employees with the appropriate People, Culture and Belonging expertise.
• Lead high-level engagement and workforce initiatives, including stakeholder analysis, cross-functional coordination, targeted communication, and measurable action plans aligned with institutional priorities.
• Advise leaders on workforce planning, restructures, role clarity, succession, talent development, performance management, manager capability, and change adoption.
• Provide employee relations consultation on performance and conduct concerns, conflict resolution, documentation, policy application, and early risk identification; partner with Employee Relations, Investigations, Legal, Compliance, and other experts when escalation is appropriate.
• Use quantitative and qualitative data, including workforce dashboards, survey results, case trends, benchmarks, and employee feedback, to diagnose issues, identify patterns, and recommend practical solutions.
• Apply AI-enabled tools responsibly to improve research, analysis, drafting, knowledge access, and workflow efficiency while exercising human judgment and safeguarding accuracy, privacy, confidentiality, and fairness.
• Coach managers to strengthen performance, engagement, accountability, difficult conversations, and consistent people practices.
• Evaluate practices, recommend improvements, establish consistent processes, and lead or participate in committees, projects, and cross-functional initiatives that improve employee experience and organizational effectiveness.

Supervisory Relationships:
This position does not have supervisory; this position reports administratively and functionally to Assistant Vice Chancellor of People Experience.

Experience and Qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience required; master's degree preferred.

Eight or more years of progressively responsible HR, HR consulting/business partnership, employee engagement, employee relations, organizational development, or workforce strategy experience.
• Demonstrated recency in employee relations experience building and maintaining positive, fair, and legally compliant relationships between an organization and its employees, including manager coaching, performance and conduct matters, conflict resolution, policy application, documentation, and risk escalation.
• Strong business acumen and working knowledge of employment laws, policies, and HR practices; multi-state or global employment experience preferred.
• Strong consulting, influencing, facilitation, negotiation, communication, active listening, and conflict-resolution skills, with the ability to work effectively across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Demonstrated data literacy and practical AI literacy, including the ability to interpret workforce evidence, use AI-enabled tools appropriately, and critically assess outputs for accuracy, bias, privacy, confidentiality, and appropriate human review.

About Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1873 and named after shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the South. Vanderbilt enrolls approximately 12,000 students from all 50 U.S. states and over 100 foreign countries in four undergraduate and six graduate and professional schools. The university is organized into ten schools, including four undergraduate and six graduate and professional schools. Vanderbilt is ranked among the top 20 universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, and is considered one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Vanderbilt's endowment is one of the largest among American universities, standing at $7.2 billion as of 2020.
Learn more about Vanderbilt University
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12,700 employees
Industry

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