Columbia University

HR Business Partner

Columbia University$120K — $130K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
  • 5-7 years of progressively responsible HR experience in consultation, employee relations, and policy interpretation.
  • Expertise in leading workplace investigations and handling sensitive employee matters.
  • Strong written and verbal communication and stakeholder management skills required.
  • Ability to independently analyze complex issues and develop practical recommendations.

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the primary HR advisor for a diverse portfolio of schools and departments.
  • Build relationships and understand the workforce priorities and needs of client organizations.
  • Analyze complex workforce issues and develop well-supported recommendations.
  • Manage workplace investigations involving various employee relations matters, developing investigation strategies and preparing reports.
  • Advise clients on staffing, organizational structure, and workforce planning to support effective solutions.
  • Lead initiatives that improve compliance, employee engagement, and service consistency across portfolios.
  • Provide backup support to Senior Human Resources Business Partners as needed.

Benefits

  • Regular work schedule of 35 hours per week.
  • Opportunity to work with diverse and dynamic teams.
  • Exposure to a wide range of HR functions and strategic initiatives.
  • Involvement in high-impact decisions within the organization.
Full Job Description
  • Job Type: Officer of Administration
  • Bargaining Unit:
  • Regular/Temporary: Regular
  • End Date if Temporary:
  • Hours Per Week: 35
  • Standard Work Schedule:
  • Building:
  • Salary Range: $120,000 - $130,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President, HR Strategy and Operations, the Human Resources Business Partner serves as the primary HR advisor for a portfolio of schools, institutes, and academic and administrative departments. The HRBP advises leaders, managers, and local HR partners on employee relations, performance management, policy interpretation, workforce planning, organizational matters, and the implementation of University HR practices. Approximately 25% of the role is dedicated to workplace investigations and related case management.

The HRBP exercises independent judgment, develops recommendations on complex matters, and consults with senior HR leadership and appropriate University offices when additional technical, institutional, legal, or risk review is warranted. The position also supports cross-portfolio initiatives, compliance activities, and service improvements across HR Advisory Support.

Responsibilities

Strategic HR Advisory and Portfolio Partnership
  • Serve as the primary HR advisor for a portfolio of schools, institutes, and academic and administrative departments.
  • Build effective relationships with leaders, managers, and local HR partners and maintain an understanding of client objectives, workforce priorities, and organizational needs.
  • Analyze complex workforce and organizational issues, assess options and risks, and develop practical, well-supported recommendations.
  • Facilitate stakeholder alignment and support the implementation of agreed-upon actions.

Employee Relations, Performance Management, and Risk Support
  • Advise leaders and local HR partners on performance expectations, performance improvement, workplace conflict, conduct, corrective action, and other employee-related concerns.
  • Triage sensitive matters, assess risk and urgency, and determine the appropriate intervention, consultation, or escalation.
  • Interpret HR policies and practices and collaborate with central HR functions and other University offices to support consistent application and effective resolution.
  • Identify emerging or recurring employee relations risks and recommend appropriate preventive or corrective measures.

Workplace Investigations and Case Management
  • Lead and manage workplace investigations of all types and levels of complexity involving employee complaints, conduct concerns, workplace conflict, alleged policy violations, and other employee relations matters, consulting with the Assistant Vice President, Senior Human Resources Business Partners, the Office of General Counsel, and other appropriate University offices on high-risk, legally sensitive, or precedent-setting matters.
  • Develop investigation strategies, conduct interviews, evaluate evidence and credibility, identify factual gaps, and prepare objective findings, reports, and recommendations.
  • Coordinate case resolution and post-investigation actions with relevant leaders, HR partners, and University offices.
  • Develop and maintain investigation templates, standard operating procedures, interview guides, reporting tools, and other case-management resources to promote consistent, efficient, and compliant practices.

Workforce Planning and Organizational Support
  • Advise clients on staffing needs, organizational structure, role clarity, workforce priorities, and implementation considerations.
  • Support strategic planning, workforce forecasting, and organizational change using available data, case trends, and client feedback.
  • Help leaders navigate competing priorities and align on practical workforce and organizational solutions.

Projects and Team Support
  • Lead portfolio and cross-portfolio initiatives that advance compliance, employee engagement, programming, and service consistency.
  • Provide cross-portfolio coverage and serve as backup to Senior Human Resources Business Partners as needed.
  • Contribute to HR Advisory Support priorities, process improvements, knowledge sharing, and coordinated service delivery.

Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree.
  • Minimum of five years of related experience.

Other Requirements
  • Five to seven years of progressively responsible related HR experience, including HR consultation, employee relations, performance management, policy interpretation, workforce planning, or closely related work.
  • Strategic HR consultation and client partnership across employee relations, performance management, and organizational matters.
  • Experience advising managers and senior stakeholders on complex, sensitive, or high-impact matters, including policy interpretation, risk assessment, and appropriate escalation.
  • Demonstrated skill in leading fair, thorough, and impartial workplace investigations, including interviewing parties and witnesses, evaluating evidence and credibility, documenting findings, and preparing investigation reports.
  • Ability to independently analyze issues, develop practical recommendations, manage competing priorities, and coordinate cross-functional work through completion.
  • Strong written and verbal communication, stakeholder management, facilitation, influence, and conflict-navigation skills.
  • Sound judgment, discretion, collaboration, and the ability to handle confidential information and build trust.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Advanced degree in a related field.
  • Experience working in higher education or another large, complex, decentralized organization.
  • Experience supporting varied client portfolios comprised of schools, institutes, and academic/administrative departments.
  • Experience with employee relations investigations, compliance initiatives, project or change management, client engagement programming, or HR data analysis.
  • ten and verb

About Columbia University

Columbia University is a private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan, Columbia is the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. It is one of nine colonial colleges founded prior to the Declaration of Independence, seven of which belong to the Ivy League. Columbia is ranked among the top universities in the world by major education publications. Columbia was established by royal charter under George II of Great Britain. It was renamed Columbia College in 1784 following the American Revolution, and in 1787 was placed under a private board of trustees headed by former students Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In 1896, the campus was moved to its current location in Morningside Heights and renamed Columbia University. Columbia scientists and scholars have played a pivotal role in scientific breakthroughs including brain-computer interface; the laser and maser; nuclear magnetic resonance; the first nuclear pile; the first nuclear fission reaction in the Americas; the first evidence for plate tectonics and continental drift; and much of the initial research and planning for the Manhattan Project during World War II. Columbia is organized into twenty schools, including four undergraduate schools and 16 graduate schools. The university's research efforts include the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and accelerator laboratories with Big Tech firms such as Amazon and IBM. Columbia is a founding member of the Association of American Universities and was the first school in the United States to grant the MD degree. The university also annually administers the Pulitzer Prize. With over 14.5 million volumes, Columbia University Library is the third-largest private research library in the United States.
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