Senior HR Business Partner

Company Description By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Why join Harvard Law School?

Join a community that combines excellence in legal education and scholarship with a deep commitment to justice. Here at Harvard Law School (HLS), you’ll find an environment that values who you are and encourages you to grow, inspire others, and make a meaningful impact. Wherever you are in your career journey, HLS is a place where you can thrive, contribute, and be part of something bigger.

Job Description As part of the Human Resources team at Harvard Law School (HLS), the Senior HR Business Partner (Sr. HRBP) provides responsive, strategic, and transparent human resources consulting services to leaders and employees across the School’s organizations. This position will serve as the primary HR partner to the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society (BKC), the Institutional Data Initiative (IDI), and the Library Innovation Lab (LIL).

BKC, IDI, and LIL are innovative research centers operating at the intersection of law, technology, information, and knowledge. Their work involves highly interdisciplinary teams, including faculty, researchers, engineers, technologists, librarians, staff, students, fellows, affiliates, and other specialized professionals. The Sr. HRBP will help ensure that HR strategies, practices, and support are appropriately tailored to these varied populations and aligned with the groups’ academic, research, operational, and strategic objectives.

As a Senior HR Business Partner, you will:

Serve as the Sr. HR business partner to BKC, IDI, LIL, and other clients, providing tailored strategic guidance and operational support based on each group’s mission, organizational structure, workforce composition, and evolving priorities. Serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to the leadership while ensuring alignment with HLS and University-wide HR policies, practices, and priorities. Partner with leadership teams to navigate ambiguity and rapid scaling through organizational design, talent acquisition, professional development, change management, and employee engagement.

Establish and cultivate partnerships with client groups to enable proactive planning and collaboration on operational and strategic initiatives. Identify opportunities to strengthen HR practices and promote consistency, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing across BKC, IDI, LIL, and other research and technology focused groups while respecting the distinct missions and operating models of each organization. Lead talent acquisition strategy and execution including sourcing, selection, onboarding, and building diverse, high-quality talent pipelines aligned with business needs.

Guide and support leaders in resolution of complex employee relations concerns, performance management, team development, retention, and compensation. Advise and counsel on best practices and approaches, presenting options for achieving desired results. Actively partner with managers, staff, and bargaining unit representatives to strategically address workplace challenges, deliver tangible value, and identify opportunities for improvement. Share responsibility for our commitment to inclusion and belonging.

Qualifications Basic Qualifications Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required

Minimum of 8 years’ relevant HR experience

Additional Qualifications and Skills We are looking for people who have:

Master’s degree in relevant field and/or professional HR certification is desirable;
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