Sr. HR Business Partner

About the Job

The Senior Human Resources Business Partner (Senior HRBP) serves as an embedded HR leader and operational partner across the University of Minnesota Foundation (UMF). The Senior HRBP translates UMF's mission to connect passion with possibility into high-impact talent strategies. Rooted in UMFway, this role champions a culture built on P.C.I.P. (Production, Collaboration, Innovation, Purpose) to deliver a "pinnacle career experience" for staff while ensuring the Foundation operates as a highly effective partner to the University. Operating as an active individual contributor, this position works directly alongside HR team to drive organizational design, change leadership, performance management, and talent acquisition. While maintaining functional agility tailored to Foundation operations, the Senior HRBP ensures all practices respect broader University of Minnesota HR guidelines and compliance frameworks.

The role operates with a high degree of independence and judgment, complex and enterprise-level people initiatives, and serves as a key thought partner to leaders navigating organizational growth, transformation, talent, and workforce challenges.

RESPONSIBILITIES

HR Partnership & Engagement (25%)

• Develop trusted relationships with assigned leaders and understand their business, organizational, and workforce priorities.
• Deliver proactive HR consultation on workforce needs, staffing, team structure, position management, and organizational priorities.
• Partner with leaders to shape workforce plans and assess current and future talent and capability needs.
• Advise leaders on business decisions with significant people and organizational implications, providing informed HR perspective and recommendations.
• Use workforce data and organizational information to identify trends, risks, and opportunities and translate insights into actionable recommendations.
• Analyze talent metrics and employee feedback to identify trends and advise leaders on proactive retention, engagement, and workforce strategies.
• Develop strong expertise in the University's fundraising environment and the talent, organizational, and workforce needs of high-performing, fast-paced development teams and their leaders.
• Partner with leaders across all functions such to align people's strategies with functional priorities.

Talent, Performance & Employee Experience (25%)

• Operationalize P.C.I.P. framework principles across organization embedding high-performance expectations, cross-functional collaboration, and purposeful work into daily team operations.
• Partners with leaders on talent reviews, succession planning, career development, retention, and internal mobility strategies.
• Coach managers on performance expectations, feedback, recognition, development, and employee engagement.
• Advise leaders on critical talent, capability gaps, and strategies to strengthen organizational capacity.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition to develop effective recruitment and hiring strategies aligned with workforce plans.
• Advise leaders on promotions, reclassifications, compensation, and other talent decisions, ensuring alignment with organizational strategy and established practices.
• Influence leaders in building effective, inclusive, and high-performing teams.

Organization Effectiveness & Change (20%)

• Lead HR partnership for organizational changes, restructuring, centralization, growth, and team transitions.
• Advise leaders on organizational effectiveness, roles, responsibilities, team dynamics, decision-making, and organizational design.
• Shape change management strategies that promote clarity, engagement, accountability, and adoption.
• Partner with the OD leader to advance organizational and people initiatives aligned with business priorities.
• Identify and advance opportunities to strengthen team effectiveness, culture, communication, and employee experience.
• Champion initiatives that integrate UMF's core values into the daily employee experience, ensuring culture is consistently demonstrated through leadership practices and organizational decisions.

Employee Relations & Workplace Culture (30%)

• Advise leaders on complex employee relations, performance, workplace conduct, policy interpretation, and organizational matters.
• Coach leaders through sensitive and high-impact employee situations, balancing employee experience, organizational effectiveness, consistency, and institutional risk.
• Independently assess complex employee relations matters and recommend appropriate courses of action based on policy, precedent, organizational context, and risk.
• Partner with OHR, UMF HRBPs, legal counsel, and University resources on complex, sensitive, or high-risk matters.
• Identify patterns in employee relations and workplace data and translate those insights into strategies that address systemic organizational issues.
• Advise leaders on workplace practices that strengthen trust, accountability, engagement, inclusion, and team effectiveness.
• Identify emerging employees, workplace, compliance, and organizational risks and proactively develop strategies to mitigate those risks.
• Promote consistent, equitable, and effective application of HR policies, programs, and employment practices.
• Exercise significant independent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality in complex employee and organizational matters.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen workplace effectiveness and employee experience through leadership practices, organizational interventions, and systemic improvements.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a closely related field and six years of progressive, professional human resources experience across core HR disciplines (employee relations, talent management, change leadership, and organizational design).
• Strong knowledge of federal and state employment laws, compliance standards, and strategic HR frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust, exercise high emotional intelligence, and drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Advanced problem-solving skills with a proven track record of resolving complex, sensitive workplace matters with discretion.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 8+ years of progressive HR experience, including experience in an HR Business Partner, strategic HR, or comparable role.
• HR Professional Certification (SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent).
• Experience operating within a higher education, non-profit, philanthropic, or university-affiliated foundation environment.
• Experience working within a matrixed HR model alongside central institutional HR frameworks.

About the Department

At the University of Minnesota Foundation (UMF), our mission is to connect passion with possibility, inspire generosity, and support greatness at the University of Minnesota by placing donors at the heart of everything we do and every decision we make. UMF is a nonprofit organization responsible for raising and managing gifts to the University of Minnesota.

For more information about UMF, please visit https://give.umn.edu/about/about-umf.

Pay and Benefits

Pay Range: $115,000-130,000; depending on education/qualifications/experience

Time Appointment: 100% Appointment

Position Type: Faculty and P&A Staff

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefit eligibility.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
• Employee Transit Pass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metro area

While our salary ranges provide a framework, it is important to note that most of the

time, the initial pay may not reach the maximum of the range. This approach ensures

that compensation reflects the value and unique contributions of each candidate while

maintaining equity within our organization. As part of our commitment to fair and

equitable compensation, please be aware that the salary offered to incoming candidates

will be based on their individual credentials and experience.

How To Apply

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will be given the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail jobcentr@umn.edu.

Diversity

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Employment Requirements

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

About University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nations most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by Forbes as a Best Employer for Company Culture (2026), Best Employer for Women (2023, 2025, 2026), and Best Employer by State (2022-2026). In 2026, we also received Culture Excellence & Industry Awards recognition for employee appreciation and work-life flexibility.