HR Business Partner (Long Term Temporary) (2024048)

Job Summary

This position is open until filled; however, to ensure consideration applications should be submitted by April 12, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. 

Be part of a team where your talents are valued, your ideas are heard, and your impact is felt every day.

We are seeking an experienced Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) dedicated to supporting KCHA's goals by championing its greatest asset – its people.  

In this new role, you will be serving as the “go-to” expert for managing leave of absence and reasonable accommodations, providing essential support for employees in need while ensuring compliance with relevant state and federal employment laws. While navigating the complexities of HR you will play an important role supporting areas such as employee relations, classification and compensation, and have the autonomy to work independently as well as collaboratively with our energetic and innovative HR team. As the HRBP you will work under the general direction of the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources, based at our Central Office in Tukwila, WA.

We are looking for a partner who can inspire trust, promote open dialogue, and foster authentic relationships across the organization. Your ability to communicate effectively and collaborate with cross-functional teams will be key in driving positive change and promoting a culture of inclusivity and respect.

If you are a dedicated and passionate HR professional who wants to work hard with a team who laughs a lot, strives to balance conflict and stress with grace and gratitude, and embraces change with open arms, this could be the job for you!  

The King County Housing Authority  

King County Housing Authority (KCHA), an independent municipal organization, is a high performing nationally recognized leader in affordable housing. To learn more about KCHA and our Mission visit this link.  

We transform lives through housing. 

Essential Functions

The HRBP:

• Oversees and provides technical support for HR operations in key functional areas such as leave of absence management and reasonable accommodations, ensuring compliance with state and federal employment laws, including but not limited to FMLA, ADA, WA PFML, FCA, FLA, and Paid Sick Leave.
• Consults with managers and employees to provide advice and guidance on a full range of leave of absence matters including policy interpretation and the intersection of KCHA policies with federal and state leave laws.
• Acts as a liaison with TPA vendor(s) ensuring all requirements, certifications and paperwork is accurately processed and claim is well managed with employee and supervisor.
• Performs case management and coordinates the reasonable accommodation process for short- and long-term accommodations for employees at work or returning to work from a medical leave of absence; and for those seeking a religious accommodation; facilitates best practice reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act as amended (ADAAA), Federal and State laws and KCHA applicable policies.
• Provides advice and consultation to employees and KCHA leadership; reviews and responds to employee relations issues; provides advice, interpretation and counsel throughout the employee life cycle; be responsive to employee complaints and concerns, collaborating closely with managers, making recommendations for actions as needed.
• Facilitate partnerships and authentic relationships that inspire trust and confidence; promote a culture that encourages open dialogue and communication; engage in consistent communication regarding HR services and resources that support KCHA staff.
• Coordinate and support job classification and compensation plans, programs and procedures; provides input to the development of policies in partnership with cross-functional leadership; conducts research and identifies concerns; synthesizes data, interprets information and recommends ideas and solutions.
• Researches and analyzes proposed rules, laws, and program elements to determine impact on human resources and organizational operations; participates in planning and implementing new programs, policies-procedures.
• Maintains a thorough understanding of federal and Washington state employment and labor relations laws; collaborates with HR Vice President and Assistant Vice President as needed; provides information and assistance to the HR staff regarding application of statutes, regulations, and employee relations practices relating to their functional areas.
• Leads or assists with the development and implementation of various HR programs and initiatives as requested.

Qualifications and Competencies

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, human resources management, or related field AND
• Considerable human resources experience including three years of leave administration, reasonable accommodation, legal compliance, policy development and administration, performance management, position classification and/or employee relations OR
• An equivalent combination of experience and education that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of human resources administration such as the accepted methods of leave of absence management, reasonable accommodations, performance management, labor and employee relations, wage and salary administration, and federal and state employment labor laws and regulations.
• Understands technical aspects of the position and continuously builds knowledge, keeping up to date on the substantive and procedural aspects of the position including the ability to negotiate labor and other agreements/contracts for the agency.
• Clearly and effectively communicates both verbally and in writing by actively listening and sharing relevant information.
• Ability to compose and prepare strong technical correspondence; demonstrated proofreading and editing skills;
• Ability to understand, interpret and explain difficult materials with complicated information that may contain excerpts from regulatory and/or legal documents to all levels of the organization.
• Values diversity and possesses an understanding of multicultural and cultural competencies; ability to work effectively and positively with individuals of diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Proficient in creating an inclusive environment, demonstrating interpersonal skills with tact and empathy, especially when handling leave and accommodation requests, and exhibiting emotional intelligence in interactions.
• Ability to work collaboratively to garner the trust, respect, and confidence from others; can be relied upon to achieve excellent results; ability to work effectively under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• A collaborative team member who is also a strong leader with well-developed organizational and time management skills; ability to develop effective working relationships; works cooperatively, exchanges ideas, and addresses issues in a constructive manner. 
• Ability to use discretion and diplomacy when dealing with sensitive or confidential information.
• Proficient in HRIS, Microsoft Office, and data reporting tools, with strong analytical skills.

Special Requirements: 

• PHR/SPHR professional certification is preferred. 
• Consent to and pass a driver's and criminal records background check.
• Must possess a valid driver's license and means to regularly travel between work sites.  Must have an acceptable driving record at time of appointment and throughout employment.

Position Information and Application Process

Application Requirements:

• To be considered for this opportunity, you must:
• Complete the online application profile in its entirety.
• Upload a cover letter that addresses how your experience and education qualifies you to perform the essential functions listed in the job announcement. (Cover Letter)
• Upload a detailed résumé of all educational and professional experience. (Résumé)

Salary & Benefits:
The starting salary range for this position is $93,539.00-$114,585.00 annually dependent on qualifications and professional experience. The complete salary range for this position is $93,539.00-$135,510.00 annually. Performance based merit increase opportunities and Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) are reviewed on an annual basis. A comprehensive health care benefits package for you and your dependents includes medical, dental and vision insurance, life and long-term disability insurance plans, vacation, sick and personal leave, tuition reimbursement, and retirement benefits are also available. For more details regarding KCHA comprehensive benefits, please visit our benefits page.

Work Environment:
After initial onboarding, this position will have the opportunity to work remotely in accordance with the KCHA's flexible work arrangements; however, remote work conditions will be reviewed on a regular basis based on business and program need. Employees must reside in Washington State and have the ability to report to the Central Office in Tukwila will be required. Some local and domestic travel may be required to support KCHA business needs.

Physical Requirements:
Incumbent(s) must be able to meet the physical requirements of the classification and have mobility, balance, coordination, vision, hearing and dexterity levels appropriate to the functions performed. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

This work requires the frequent exertion of up to 10 pounds of force and occasional exertion of up to 25 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting, speaking or hearing and using hands to finger, handle or feel, frequently requires standing and occasionally requires walking and lifting; work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or to make fine distinctions in sound; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surroundings and activities; work has no exposure to environmental conditions; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).

Equal Opportunity:
King County Housing Authority is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.