Senior HR Business Operations Partner

Elliot Park/Multi Site/Hybrid

WAGE RANGE: $88,000 - $99,000/annually

SUMMARY:

The Senior HR Business Operations Partner reports to the Director of HR Operations and serves as the agency-wide contact for employee relations, workplace investigations, performance and conduct matters, and leader consultation. This role manages employee relations matters from intake through assessment, fact-finding, recommendation, manager guidance, documentation, and closure, while partnering with the Director of HR Operations and CLO/CHRO/Compliance Officer at established consultation, approval, and escalation points. Success in this role requires strong judgment and critical thinking skills; established credibility; a high degree of integrity, confidentiality, and ethics; conflict-management skills; and a thorough working knowledge of employment law and Human Resources best practices.

The Senior HR Business Operations Partner must actively align with Catholic Charities' HR mission of compassion, empathy, and accountability and apply trauma-informed principles while helping leaders address workplace concerns fairly, consistently, with appropriate accountability, and in compliance with all applicable legal, contractual, or regulatory requirements and best practice standards.

This role leads both routine and complex employee relations work, conducts workplace investigations, coaches leaders, advises on disciplinary and performance matters, assesses employment risk, interprets policy, supports unemployment matters, and develops and facilitates employee-relations and people-management training. The Senior HR Business Operations Partner recommends employment actions, including termination when warranted; all terminations require approval from the Director of HR Operations before action is taken.

This is a high-impact, agency-wide role that will need to juggle and effectively prioritize competing demands. The successful candidate will thrive in a very challenging environment in a 24-7, multi-site organization.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Serves as Human Resources partner for employee relations matters across Catholic Charities, providing consultation, coaching, and guidance to leaders and employees regarding workplace concerns, attendance, conduct, performance, corrective action, conflict, and consistent policy application.
2. Manages both routine and complex employee relations matters from intake through resolution, including assessment, case planning, fact gathering, analysis, recommendations, manager guidance, documentation, follow-through, and closure; consults with and escalates to both the Director of HR Operations and CLO/CHRO/Compliance Officer based on established approval and risk thresholds.
3. Leads most workplace investigations, including developing investigation plans, conducting interviews, reviewing and assessing relevant evidence, making credibility assessments when necessary, ensuring appropriate documentation makes or recommends findings (depending on complexity of the matter), and recommending appropriate action; partners with the Director of HR Operations and CLO/CHRO/Compliance Officer on high-risk or highly sensitive matters.
4. Advises leaders on disciplinary and corrective action, performance management, attendance, and conduct concerns; reviews documentation for consistency and sufficiency and helps leaders prepare for and conduct difficult employee conversations.
5. Triages employment relations, forwarding higher-risk issues (legal, regulatory, contractual, organizational policy, collective bargaining agreement, etc.) to the Director of HR Operations and/or the CLO/CHRO/Compliance Officer.
6. Assesses and recommends employment actions, including termination when warranted; prepares leaders and documentation for action (All terminations will require approval from the Director of HR Operations before action is taken).
7. Owns substantive unemployment matters, including reviewing separation circumstances and documentation, preparing or coordinating employer responses, and supporting hearings or follow-up as needed; partners with HR Business Operations Partner for records and process support.
8. Interprets organizational policies and practices and advises leaders on consistent application; identifies policy gaps, recurring employee-relations trends, and opportunities for clarification or improvement and provides recommendations to the Director of HR Operations and CLO/CHRO/Compliance Officer.
9. Provides employee-relations consultation on complex leave, accommodation, return-to-work, workers' compensation, and related matters when performance, conduct, workplace restrictions, or employment risk intersect with established leave or accommodation processes.
10. Develops and facilitates employee-relations, performance-management, and foundational people-management training in partnership with the Director of HR Operations; provides leader coaching that builds confidence, consistency, accountability, and sound judgment.
11. Uses employee-relations data, case trends, and organizational patterns to identify emerging risks and opportunities; provides ER input into HR projects, policy development, organizational change, performance-management strategy, and cross-functional initiatives.
12. Provides limited backup support for HR Operations and transactional work as business needs require and collaborates closely with the HR Business Operations Partner, Talent Acquisition, Compensation & Benefits, Payroll, Legal/Compliance, and agency leaders to ensure coordinated Human Resources service delivery.
13. Participates, as needed, in strategic planning work, Management & Strategy or other leadership meetings, applicable projects, etc., as assigned.

Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS/TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible Human Resources experience, including substantial experience in employee relations, workplace investigations, performance management, corrective action, and leader consultation.
• A minimum of five (5) years of substantial experience independently managing employee relations matters from intake through resolution, conduct objective workplace investigations, analyze evidence, develop sound recommendations, and recognize when consultation, approval, or escalation is required.
• Strong working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws, regulations, trauma-informed leadership, and Human Resources best practices, with the ability to identify and assess employment risk and apply requirements to complex workplace situations.
• Demonstrated consultative and coaching skills, including the ability to build credibility with leaders, navigate conflict, facilitate difficult conversations, communicate clear expectations, and influence effective people-management decisions.
• Excellent judgment, discretion, analytical ability, written documentation, and verbal communication skills; ability to manage sensitive and confidential information and multiple complex matters in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse populations, including individuals and communities experiencing homelessness, unstable housing, poverty, mental illness, substance use disorders, trauma, or other systemic barriers.
• Demonstrated experience working in a high-demand, stressful, 24-7/multi-site organization effectively prioritizing and managing competing needs.
• Ability to travel independently to Catholic Charities work locations throughout the Twin Cities, as needed.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience in a human services, nonprofit, healthcare, behavioral health, housing, or other mission-driven organization; advanced employee-relations or investigations experience; experience with collective bargaining environments; or Human Resources professional certification is preferred.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

CPR

No

Driving

No

Operating specialized machinery (additional assessment may be required)

No

Walking or standing > 2 hours/shift

No

Lifting up to 25lbs without assistance

No

Lifting up to 50lbs without assistance

No

Physically restraining clients

No

Job Description Updated: 09/03/2026

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all functions that are required of the employee for this job.