Senior Human Resources Generalist

Company: Indian River State College
Location: Fort Pierce
Posted on: November 21, 2025

Job Description:

Job Description Senior HR Generalist — HR Operations & Employee Experience Leader About The River & Our Transformation Story At The River (Indian River State College), we are more than an academic institution — we are a force for transformation in education, work, and community prosperity. As a nationally recognized leader and recipient of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, we are shaping the future of learning while driving innovation in how colleges serve students, employees, and society. Our HR transformation is central to this journey. We are: Building a Future-Ready HR Function Elevating HR into a strategic driver of growth, culture, and performance. Reimagining how we attract, engage, and grow talent at every level. Redesigning the Employee Experience Creating seamless, digital-first HR services that empower employees and managers. Ensuring every interaction with HR reflects fairness, clarity, and belonging. Scaling with Purpose Implementing modern systems (Workday, ADP) and shared services infrastructure to ensure efficiency, accuracy, and scalability. Aligning HR with world-class benchmarks — from Fortune 500 enterprises to award-winning cultures — while staying true to our mission-driven values. Driving Cultural Renewal Embedding leadership principles and accountability. Making The River a place where employees are inspired to perform, belong, and grow. As a Senior HR Generalist, you will be at the center of this transformation — turning our strategy into reality by building operational excellence and shaping the everyday experience of our people. Why Join Us Joining The River as a Senior HR Generalist offers a rare opportunity to make a lasting impact while building something from the ground up. Here’s what makes this role compelling: Purpose & Mission Your work will directly support our mission of transforming lives through education and community impact. Every policy you shape, every employee you support, and every process you design will ripple outward into student success. Opportunity to Build This is not a role of maintenance or status quo. You will have the opportunity — and expectation — to design and improve systems, policies, and services. You will see your ideas implemented at scale. Employee Experience Champion You will play a direct role in how employees experience The River, ensuring that HR is known not just for compliance, but for care, responsiveness, and innovation. Culture of Belonging & Accountability You’ll help create an environment where employees feel valued, managers feel supported, and leadership sets a clear, inspiring tone. Career Growth & Development This role will expand your skills across the full HR lifecycle, preparing you for future HR leadership roles. You will gain visibility, influence, and the chance to leave a legacy. We value the well-being and professional growth of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes: · Health & Wellness: Medical, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, supplemental plans, and access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). · Affordable Coverage: PPO/HMO options starting at just $50/month for individual coverage and $180/month for family coverage. · Retirement Security: Participation in the Florida Retirement System (FRS), plus tax-deferred annuities and Roth 403(b) options. · Time for You: Generous paid vacation, personal, and sick leave to support work-life balance. · Perks & Discounts: Reduced rates on services and tickets to local attractions. · Growth & Development: Professional development programs, leadership training, and opportunities to advance your career. At The River, you will not just process HR tasks — you will help design and deliver the employee experience of the future, ensuring our people have the clarity, support, and culture they need to thrive. Purpose of the Role At The River, the Senior HR Generalist role is not an administrative back-office function — it is a front-line leadership position that connects employees, managers, and HR strategy in meaningful ways. This role blends operational excellence with a relentless focus on the employee experience, ensuring that every interaction with HR reinforces our values, strengthens our culture, and drives organizational performance. The Senior HR Generalist will serve as both a builder and operator: Building the shared services foundation of HR — policies, processes, and systems that scale. Leading employee relations, compliance, and workforce support with fairness, rigor, and compassion. Acting as a first point of contact and trusted advisor for employees and managers, solving problems with speed and clarity. Driving forward the professionalization of HR operations at The River — raising the standard of service, data quality, and accountability. This role requires someone who is energized by both big-picture transformation and day-to-day execution, who thrives in ambiguity, and who is motivated by the opportunity to shape an HR function into a modern, employee-centered, and high-performing engine. What You Will Build & Lead As a Senior HR Generalist, you will: Shared Services Infrastructure Establish scalable, efficient processes across the employee lifecycle — onboarding, benefits, leaves of absence, performance reviews, offboarding, and more. Create clarity, documentation, and automation that make HR services simple, transparent, and user-friendly. Employee Relations & Experience Serve as the first line of response for employee relations issues, providing guidance, mediation, and resolution rooted in both fairness and organizational values. Lead investigations, grievances, and compliance matters with professionalism, rigor, and consistency. Actively shape the employee experience, ensuring HR interactions leave employees feeling supported and valued. Operational Excellence & Data Integrity Raise the bar for HR data quality, compliance, and reporting, ensuring we can rely on our systems to make sound decisions. Partner with HRIS and People Analytics colleagues to ensure smooth system operations and leverage data for insights. Manager Support & Capability Building Provide hands-on guidance and coaching to managers on policies, employee relations, and performance management. Build managers’ confidence and consistency in handling employee issues, helping them grow as people leaders. Process Improvement & Automation Identify inefficiencies in existing HR workflows and proactively design improvements. Embrace digital tools and automation to simplify work, reduce errors, and enhance service delivery. Measures of Success Your success in this role will be measured not only by how well you manage compliance or transactions, but by the quality, consistency, and humanity of the HR experience you create. You will know you are succeeding when: Employee Trust & Experience Employees report confidence in HR processes and feel respected, supported, and valued in their interactions. Employee feedback shows measurable improvement in onboarding satisfaction, issue resolution, and overall HR support. Manager Confidence & Capability Managers rely on you as a trusted advisor, gaining confidence and skill in handling employee relations, performance management, and team culture. Leaders demonstrate greater consistency and accountability in applying HR policies and practices. Operational Excellence HR processes are documented, streamlined, and automated where possible, resulting in faster turnaround times and reduced errors. Compliance with FMLA, FERPA, Title IX, ADA, and other key regulations is consistently achieved without compromising the employee experience. Data Integrity & Insight HR records, systems, and reports are accurate, timely, and actionable, enabling better workforce decision-making. Data-driven improvements (e.g., reduced turnover, improved leave management, or increased service-level efficiency) are evident within 12–18 months. Problem-Solving & Innovation You proactively identify operational bottlenecks and propose scalable solutions. Demonstrable improvements in efficiency, employee satisfaction, or compliance can be directly linked to your initiatives. Experience & Qualifications We are seeking an HR professional who blends operational mastery with people-centered leadership. Ideal candidates will demonstrate: HR Experience & Breadth 5–8 years of progressive HR experience, with a strong background in employee relations, HR operations, and compliance. Prior experience supporting medium-to-large organizations with complex HR environments. Employee Relations Expertise Hands-on experience managing investigations, grievances, terminations, performance cases, and workplace conflict. Ability to resolve sensitive issues with fairness, confidentiality, and alignment to values. Operational & Compliance Knowledge Working knowledge of FMLA, FERPA, ADA, Title IX, EEO, wage & hour, and other employment regulations. Proven ability to ensure compliance while maintaining a positive employee experience. Process Improvement & HR Technology Experience creating, improving, and automating HR workflows. Proficiency with HRIS systems (Workday and/or ADP strongly preferred). Manager Coaching & Support Demonstrated ability to coach, advise, and build capability in managers at multiple levels. Skilled at balancing organizational accountability with employee care. Mindset & Values Alignment A proactive, roll-up-your-sleeves problem solver who thrives in building from scratch. Deep alignment with The River’s values: service excellence, inclusion, innovation, accountability, and community. Education Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field required. HR certifications (SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP, PHR/SPHR) preferred.

Keywords: Indian River State College, Fort Pierce , Senior Human Resources Generalist, Human Resources , Fort Pierce, Florida