Employee Relations Consultant; HR Business Partner), IU Bloomington HR Services

BL HUMAN RESOURCES (BL-HR-IUBLA)

Indiana University (IU) Bloomington Human Resources (HR) provides subject matter leadership and consulting to multiple departments on the IU Bloomington Campus. As strategic business partners, the team supports workplace productivity, retention, and compliance through proactive engagement and consulting within a shared governance and decentralized decision-making environment. This role is central to shaping positive employee experience and fostering retention in shared services supported departments.

The Employee Relations Consultant serves as a strategic HR business partner and trusted advisor to senior leaders and managers across assigned academic and administrative units, providing advanced employee relations consultation and HR guidance. The role operates within the context of higher education shared governance and emphasizes long-term consultative partnerships rather than transactional case management. This position focuses on complex employee relations, leadership coaching, policy interpretation, remote work and accommodation guidance, and organizational effectiveness, while ensuring consistent application of university policies, legal compliance, and institutional values.

• Builds sustained consultative partnerships with leaders and managers across assigned academic and administrative units, serving as a trusted advisor on employee relations, engagement, retention, and organizational effectiveness matters.
• Advises on and manages sensitive employee relations matters involving elevated complexity, risk, or visibility, with consideration for institutional risk, precedent, and broader campus impact.
• Coaches and supports leaders many serving in people management roles without formal HR training on effective documentation, communication, conflict resolution, and performance management, employee engagement, and workplace culture practices.
• Provides employee relations consultation within a shared governance and decentralized leadership environment, applying judgment sensitive to academic culture, precedent, campus climate, and institutional impact.
• Provides consultation and guidance related to remote work arrangements, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and religious accommodations, and discretionary and non-Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave requests, ensuring alignment with university policy and legal requirements.
• Supports employee engagement and organizational health initiatives by consulting with leaders on employee listening strategies, onboard and transition experiences, recognition practices, team effectiveness, and change management efforts.
• Partners with HR Centers of Excellence (COEs), campus stakeholders, and leadership to deliver coordinated guidance, supports institution-wide initiatives, and promotes consistent, equitable, and engaging employee experiences.
• Analyzes employee relations trends, engagement feedback, climate concerns, retention indicators, and workplace risks within assigned portfolios to identify opportunities that strengthen organizational effectiveness and foster a positive work environment.

• Utilizes and applies in-depth academic and staff HR body of knowledge and skills to provide tactical guidance for HR related matters like salary administration, hiring, training, and policy interpretation.
• Resolves and provides solutions for more complex employee relations issues with continued partnership, counsel, and support from Centers of Expertise (COEs).
• Provides HR support for academic personnel processes, including administration for academic leaves, policy review and consultation, visa-processing coordination, and facilitation of promotion and tenure procedures.
• Collaborates with other business partners and managers to improve and build effective relationships to improve employee engagement and identify "high priority" retention needs.
• Coaches leaders to help determine best solutions regarding policy interpretation, performance issues, workforce planning, change management, conflict resolution to ensure alignment and consistency across the university.
• Provides HR consulting and problem-solving solutions on issues to leaders and managers.
• Collaborates with HR COEs to roll out and support university-wide initiatives, ensures client's needs are understood and met, and delivers change management interventions.

Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum…