Human Resource Coordinator, Staff and Academic HR Administration

About the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy

The Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy harnesses the University’s broad disciplinary excellence in public policy, along with its innovative teaching, research, and engagement programs, to solve pressing global challenges. The school’s prestigious faculty apply an interdisciplinary and problem-oriented focus to wide-ranging public policy issues as they explore how government choices intersect with people’s lives.

The Opportunity

The Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University is seeking an experienced, detail-oriented, and service-driven Human Resources Coordinator to serve as a key front-line resource for employment related matters supporting faculty, academic, non-academic, and staff employees. The HR Coordinator will operate in a shared service model between the Brooks School and the College of Human Ecology located in the same building. They will dedicate approximately 75% of effort to supporting the Brooks School and 25% of effort to supporting the College of Human Ecology with broad HR administration and Workday processes across both units.

In this role, you will perform:

• Employee Lifecycle Support: Provide comprehensive human resources and payroll support across the full employee lifecycle, from recruitment through retirement or separation, including employee relations, talent management, talent acquisition, recruitment, retention, classification, compensation, payroll, time administration, absence and leave management, and student employment.
• Policy Guidance & Workday Transactions: Use a working knowledge of applicable university policies and procedures and leverage Workday to complete transactions, while providing accurate guidance and assistance on a wide range of HR-related policies, procedures, and practices to faculty, managers, employees, prospective hires, and campus partners.
• HR Operations & Transaction Management: Perform high-level functional, operational, and administrative HR duties by executing moderately complex transactions, supporting multiple employee classification types, and ensuring accuracy and consistency across all processes.
• Front-Line HR Service Delivery: Support efficient and effective coordination of daily front-line HR operations within the school by maintaining a strong understanding of HR processes and data, demonstrating agility, and applying strong communication and problem-solving skills to foster a positive and inclusive workplace.
• Shared Services Model: Operate within a shared service model, dedicating approximately 75% of effort to the Brooks School of Public Policy and 25% to the College of Human Ecology, providing broad HR administration and Workday process support across both units.
• HR Systems, Data & Compliance: Provide HR and payroll service delivery and administration by implementing cyclical processes, maintaining digital records compliance, managing data integrity in Workday HRIS and related Human Capital Management (HCM) and Academic Information System (AIS) tools, and supporting HR reporting, compliance, communications, and learning and professional development.
• Collaboration & Coordination: Maintain a high degree of collaboration and coordination in the delivery of HR services by working closely with colleagues across HR, Finance, and Administration to ensure smooth workflows and efficient operations.
• Confidentiality & Judgment: Handle sensitive and confidential matters and information with appropriate discretion and judgment, while upholding the standards and behaviors expected of HR professionals.
• Team Operations & Documentation: Coordinate daily HR activities and internal procedures, maintain accurate documentation, and uphold confidentiality as a member of the Brooks School’s Administration, Finance, and HR team.
• Cross-Functional Support: Work cross-functionally within the Brooks School and the College of Human Ecology to support operational needs, enable effective service delivery, and serve as secondary backup support when needed.
• HR Community Engagement: Participate as an active member of the University HR community by engaging in meetings, projects, initiatives, and end-user training, and by collaborating with unit and central HR partners to support institutional goals.
• Adaptability & Continuous Learning: Demonstrate a willingness to learn new skills and embrace evolving processes and technologies, while adapting to a dynamic, fast-paced, and service-oriented environment.

Hours and Location

This full-time, benefits-eligible position is based in Ithaca, NY and follows a hybrid work model of 1 day remote, 4 days on campus. Team members are typically on campus multiple days per week to support collaboration, partnership with departments, and in-person engagement across the Brooks School of Public Policy and the College of Human Ecology.

Core business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with flexibility on start and end times, determined by your supervisor. Flexibility is expected to meet business needs, including occasional adjustments to support time-sensitive academic deadlines, hiring cycles, or cross-campus coordination.

Success Factors

You will be considered competitive for this role if you demonstrate:

• Ability to quickly learn and confidently execute complex HR processes across academic and non-academic areas. Navigates multi-step transactions, understands how systems connect, and ensures accuracy with a clear awareness of downstream impact.
• A structured, systems-oriented approach to organizing work and solving problems. Uses tools, tracking methods, and defined processes to manage high-volume, detailed work even when processes are evolving, unclear, or still being built.
• Sound judgment, confidentiality, and ownership in day-to-day work. Applies critical thinking to data and decisions, handles sensitive information with discretion, and takes accountability by addressing issues and improving processes over time.
• A proactive, service-driven, and team-oriented mindset. Builds strong relationships, asks thoughtful questions, communicates clearly, balances competing priorities, and delivers high-quality support while knowing when to escalate or refer.

What We Need

• A cover letter and resume outlining your interest and how your experience and goals align with the potential for mutual success in the role are required for consideration.
• Associates Degree and 4-6 years relevant experience or equivalent combination.
• Knowledge of current HR laws, policies, procedures, trends, and best practices within higher education
• Competency using Workday HRIS and related HCM Human Capital Management and AIS Academic Information System tools and reports and ensuring data integrity
• Competency using Workday, Academic Job Online, and other online systems for talent acquisition and recruitment and ensuring search compliance and records maintenance
• Accuracy and detail-emphasis with strong research, critical thinking, and data analysis skills
• Effective organizational and time-management skills to coordinate and complete multiple assignments, meet deadlines, and adapt quickly to shifting business needs in a fast-paced customer-oriented office
• Demonstrate positive attitude, strong work ethics and behaviors, and handle sensitive and confidential matters and information with appropriate discretion and judgment
• Effective writing, listening, and interpersonal communication skills, plus trust and relationship-building skills
• Proactive and flexible work style with ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment for sharing information and accomplishing common goals 
• Proficiency using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, Visio), Tableau, Qualtrics, Adobe, administrative and financial systems, and meeting/collaboration tools (Outlook, Teams, Zoom)
• Work effectively and maintain focus in an open office/workspace setting with frequent interruptions
• Manage changing processes and procedures in an entrepreneurial environment
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members. 

If you have all those things, great! We have a few more things that we would prefer you to have, but it’s ok if you don’t.

• Bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years related higher education human resources experience
• Experience supporting faculty, academic, and non-academic staff in at least four of the following HR functions: employee and labor relations, talent management, talent acquisition, recruitment, classification, compensation, payroll, HRIS, time administration, absence/leave management, or benefits
• Knowledge of Cornell University’s faculty, academic, and non-academic staff human resources policies, procedures, practices, compliance requirements, systems, mission, goals, and objectives.
• SHRM or HRCI professional certification

Rewards and Benefits

• This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement. Employees typically perform this role remotely 1 day per week and on-campus 4 days per week. The university reserves the right to modify, suspend, revoke or terminate the hybrid work arrangement at any time.

• Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, and sustainability.

• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell.

• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell

• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell

• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell:Total Rewards | Working at Cornell.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

With a founding principle of “... any person ... any study,” Cornell is an equal opportunity employer.

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