Responsibilities

Working within the Human Resources organization of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the Human Resources Strategic Partner (HRSP) serves as a senior HR advisor and strategic partner to organizational leaders, helping translate business priorities into effective people and workforce strategies. You will develop a deep understanding of the organizations you support-their goals, workforce, challenges, and evolving needs-and use that understanding to help leaders make informed decisions that strengthen organizational performance and employee experience.

Success in this role requires more than strong HR expertise and relationship management. We are looking for someone who is intellectually curious, learns the business quickly, thinks critically, uses data and insights to inform decisions, and is comfortable providing an independent point of view. You will ask thoughtful questions, constructively challenge assumptions, anticipate workforce and organizational implications, and translate complex issues into clear recommendations and practical solutions.

This role requires someone who can move fluidly between strategy and execution in a dynamic, evolving environment. You will partner across HR Centers of Expertise (COEs) and service delivery teams to bring together the right expertise and deliver integrated solutions. The strongest candidates will be proactive, comfortable navigating ambiguity, able to connect issues across the broader organization, and skilled at turning insights and ideas into action.

Responsibilities include:

• Build trusted partnerships with leaders by developing a strong understanding of their business, workforce, priorities, and organizational challenges and translating those insights into effective people strategies.
• Advise and coach leaders on complex people and organizational matters, bringing sound judgment, an independent perspective, and the ability to constructively challenge assumptions and influence decisions.
• Lead talent and workforce planning, succession planning, performance management, organizational effectiveness, workforce development, and other talent management activities for the organizations you support.
• Apply critical and systems thinking to complex workforce and organizational challenges, identifying root causes, recognizing interdependencies and downstream impacts, and developing practical solutions.
• Use workforce data, analytics, employee insights, and business context to identify trends, assess risks and opportunities, challenge assumptions, and develop evidence-based recommendations.
• Anticipate emerging workforce and organizational needs and proactively engage leaders and HR partners to address issues before they become barriers to organizational performance.
• Serve as a connector and integrator across HR, partnering closely with COEs and service delivery teams to bring together the right expertise, share relevant business context, and deliver coordinated solutions to complex workforce needs.
• Lead and support organizational change, helping leaders understand people impacts, build readiness, navigate ambiguity, and drive successful implementation and adoption.
• Facilitate complex leadership discussions and communicate sensitive or challenging perspectives clearly and credibly, helping groups move from discussion to decisions and action.
• Take ownership for results by independently solving complex problems, leading cross-functional initiatives, proactively addressing barriers, and driving work through execution.

Job Competencies:

• Business & Strategic Acumen - Quickly develops an understanding of the organization, its priorities, operating environment, and workforce needs and translates that understanding into practical people strategies and solutions.
• Critical & Systems Thinking - Evaluates complex issues from multiple perspectives, identifies patterns and root causes, recognizes interdependencies, and considers broader organizational implications when developing solutions.
• Decision Quality & Judgment - Makes timely, well-reasoned decisions using data, experience, organizational context, and sound judgment; effectively navigates ambiguity and incomplete information.
• Influence & Leadership Presence - Establishes credibility through expertise, judgment, communication, and follow-through. Constructively challenges assumptions and influences decisions without relying on positional authority.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & HR Integration - Builds trusted partnerships across HR and proactively brings together the right expertise to solve complex problems. Connects business needs and HR perspectives to deliver integrated solutions and a cohesive HR experience.
• Data & Analytical Acumen - Uses quantitative and qualitative information to identify workforce trends, risks, and opportunities and translates findings into clear, actionable insights for leaders.
• Drives Results & Accountability - Takes ownership, anticipates barriers, maintains momentum through ambiguity and competing priorities, and consistently translates strategy and recommendations into action.

This position will have the flexibility to be hybrid with ~60% on-site in Richland, WA.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS/BA and 7+ years of HR experience, including previous HR Business Partner experience (or similar), -OR-
• MS/MA or higher and 5+ years of HR experience, including previous HR Business Partner experience (or similar)

Preferred Qualifications:

• SHRM-SCP or SPHR Certification.
• Experience serving as a strategic HR partner or senior HR advisor to leaders in a large, complex, matrixed, technical, or rapidly changing organization.
• Broad HR experience with depth in areas such as talent management, workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, performance management, succession planning, and/or organizational change.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly learn an unfamiliar business or technical environment and translate that understanding into effective HR strategies and solutions.
• Experience partnering across HR functions or COEs to develop and implement integrated workforce solutions.
• Experience analyzing workforce data and translating insights into actionable recommendations for leaders.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Demonstrated experience influencing leaders, navigating complex or sensitive organizational issues, and leading cross-functional initiatives from problem identification through implementation.

Hazardous Working Conditions/Environment

Not Applicable

Testing Designated Position

This is not a Testing Designated Position (TDP).

Rockstar Rewards

Employees and their families are offered medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, robust telehealth care options, several mental health benefits, free wellness coaching, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, disability insurance*, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, tuition assistance, relocation, backup childcare, legal benefits, supplemental parental bonding leave, surrogacy and adoption assistance, and fertility support. Employees are automatically enrolled in our company-funded pension plan* and may enroll in our 401 (k) savings plan with company match*. Employees may accrue up to 120 vacation hours per year and may receive ten paid holidays per year.

* Research Associates excluded.

**All benefits are dependent upon eligibility.

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Notice to Applicants

PNNL lists the full pay range for the position in the job posting. Starting pay is calculated from the minimum of the pay range and actual placement in the range is determined based on an individual's relevant job-related skills, qualifications, and experience. This approach is applicable to all positions, with the exception of positions governed by collective bargaining agreements and certain limited-term positions which have specific pay rules.

As part of our commitment to fair compensation practices, we do not ask for or consider current or past salaries in making compensation offers at hire. Instead, our compensation offers are determined by the specific requirements of the position, prevailing market trends, applicable collective bargaining agreements, pay equity for the position type, and individual qualifications and skills relevant to the performance of the position.

Minimum Salary

USD $117,900.00/Yr.
Maximum Salary

USD $182,600.00/Yr.