HR Services Specialist

The HR Services Specialist serves as a primary point of contact for employees and managers across the Credit Union, providing high-quality, responsive, and consistent support for a wide range of human resources activities. This position is responsible for handling a high volume of HR inquiries and requests, effective communication with employees at all levels, processing employee transactions, maintaining HR systems and records, supporting onboarding and leave of absence processes, and ensuring compliance with HR policies and procedures. The HR Services Specialist role requires a strong attention to detail while answering and resolving a wide array of HR-related questions, a commitment to confidentiality, and the ability to deliver exceptional service to all individuals requiring support from the HR team.

Work Arrangement - This position is a hybrid role working multiple days/week at the Headquarters building in East Lansing. A schedule of expected onsite and remote work days will be discussed during the interview process.

Schedule - Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm ET.

An offer of employment with MSU Federal Credit Union and affiliates is contingent upon the agreed work arrangement (onsite/hybrid/remote) and work location. MSU Federal Credit Union may or may not be able to accommodate temporary or permanent changes to work arrangements or allow employment outside the city and/or state of residency in which the new hire resides at the time of offered employment.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Salary:
  
  
  
  • Level I: $50,000-60,000+, dependent on experience
  • Level II: $61,000-76,000+, dependent on experience
  • Senior Level: $70,000-85,000+, dependent on experience
  
  
  
  
• 100% Company-Paid Health, Dental, Vision, Life, and Long-Term Disability Premiums
• Up to 26 days of PTO within your first year, as well as Volunteer Time Off & 11 Paid Holidays
• 401(k) with a company match
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Up to 12 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Learn more about our benefits here

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

HR Services Specialist I:

• Serve as the first point of contact for all HR-related inquiries from new hires, employees, managers, and others both through phone, email, chat, and case management system communications.
• Provide accurate, effective, and timely responses, diagnose issues, and offer solutions to inquiries and requests about HR policies, procedures, benefits, payroll, employee relations, performance management, letters, and other HR-related matters.
• Maintain a high level of professionalism and confidentiality when handling sensitive employee information and independently escalate complex or unresolved issues to appropriate HR or internal Credit Union teams, ensuring a smooth transition and follow-up on escalations until resolution.
• Document and track all interactions in the Jira system or metrics spreadsheet, ensuring thorough and accurate records are maintained.
• Process a high volume of employee transactions within HR information systems, including reviewing and processing hires, promotions, merit increases, and other employee changes, and complete necessary filing of HR documents electronically. This includes support for HRIS team by facilitating the creation and maintenance of new jobs within the HR information system and providing any needed support for reorganizations.
• Provides timely assistance during large-scale coordinated HR initiatives such as open enrollment or special enrollment periods, mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, or organizational restructuring activities.
• Provide guidance and information during the new hire benefits enrollment process and collect and maintain I-9 documentation.
• Ensure all lenders obtain and maintain an active NMLS licensure and lead the annual NMLS audit and renewal process and the annual Fannie Mae audit for the HR area.
• Support the leave administration process as needed to provide requested information to employees or support the completion of regular leaves processes.
• Maintain HR resources for leadership and employees in Credit Union's internal information systems SharePoint, UKG and the Loop.
• Support compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations through ownership and coordination of the labor poster process.
• Participate in projects and initiatives that drive the MyHR team's continued evolution.
• Collaborate with other HR teams and participate in ongoing training and professional development to stay informed about policy changes, compliance and legal updates, procedural enhancements, and industry trends to effectively address inquiries and maintain MyHR knowledge base.
• Understand the Credit Union's policies and procedures to ensure compliance and accountability for managing operational risks. Adhere to established internal controls and procedures to safeguard assets, prevent fraud, and maintain the integrity of Credit Union operations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

HR Services Specialist II:

• Write leadership and company communications relating to HR initiatives and programs, fostering employee engagement and transparency.
• Anticipate needs, create efficiencies, and refine processes to increase department effectiveness.
• Develop informational and instructional resources and guides to assist employees, managers, and HR team members with understanding HR-related topics and processes.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on multiple HR-owned processes, procedures, or policies, and provide mentorship and guidance on these items to others within the HR team.
• Work closely with HR Business Partners and managers to improve work relationships, build morale, and increase productivity and retention.
• Independently coordinate with other HR areas to identify and execute needed support activities for large-scale coordinated HR initiatives (i.e. Open Enrollment, mergers/acquisitions, etc.)
• Lead continuous enhancements to HR resources for leadership and employees in Credit Union's internal information systems SharePoint, UKG and the Loop.
• Develop and implement metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of Human Resources programs and measure the contribution of these programs to organizational goals.
• Prepare regular and ad-hoc reports that highlight significant trends, patterns, and insights derived from escalated inquiries, offering actionable recommendations to enhance HR policies and procedures.

Sr. HR Services Specialist:

• Independently analyze trends and metrics in partnership with the HR department to proactively propose, develop, and refine HR solutions, programs, and policies.
• Independently lead and seamlessly drive the successful completion of strategic projects that support the MyHR team, HR Division, and enhance the employee experience.
• Expertly navigate and interpret existing HR policies and procedures and independently identify gaps while proposing effective solutions for future policy or process revisions.
• Mentor others on the team to support employees, leaders, and achieve team and project goals.
• Identify and lead needed leadership and company communications relating to HR initiatives and programs, including the independent creation of informational materials, fostering employee engagement and transparency.

Job Requirements:

HR Services Specialist I

• Bachelor's degree in human resources or a related field or equivalent combination of education and work experience within human resources.
• Demonstrated experience and success in a customer service or HR-related role, preferably in a high-volume customer support or shared services environment.
• Professional certification in Human Resources (e.g., SHRM-CP, PHR) preferred.
• Strong knowledge of MSUFCU's HR policies, procedures, best practices, and general knowledge of employment laws.
• Proven experience effectively using HR information systems and software applications, including understanding of ticketing software (e.g., Workday, UKG, ADP, SAP SuccessFactors, ADP, Jira, or similar).
• Maintains openness to a flexible work schedule which may also include occasional travel within or outside of assigned state for events and HR-related support.
• Proven experience handling sensitive and confidential information with discretion and integrity.
• Proven experience working independently with minimal supervision.

HR Services Specialist II

• Professional certification in Human Resources (e.g., SHRM-CP, PHR) preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in effective process improvement or HR project work.
• Prior experience with mentoring others and/or serving in an informal leadership role.
• Strong understanding of relevant employment laws and HR compliance topics.
• Demonstrated experience independently navigating and resolving complex HR-related issues with multiple stakeholders at varying levels.

Sr. HR Services Specialist

• Professional certification in Human Resources (e.g., SHRM-CP, PHR) strongly preferred.
• Progressive and sustained HR experience within HR operations, shared services, or HRIS role.
• Proven experience navigating and de-escalating challenging situations to reach positive outcomes.
• Demonstrated up-to-date expertise in navigating HR policies, practices, and legal regulations, with the ability to teach these topics to others.
• Proven expertise in HR project management and independently seeing projects through from inception to implementation.
• Strong experience in mentoring, coaching, or supervising team members.

Competencies:

• Core Competencies that must be demonstrated by all Credit Union employees include Communicate, Navigate Change & Evolve, Solve Problems & Make Decisions, Plan, Prioritize, and Achieve, and Collaborate.
• Functional Competencies:

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  • Adaptability - Adapts quickly to change and considers new approaches
  • Communicate - Effectively interact with others to facilitate sharing of ideas and clearly articulate information through multiple avenues.
  • Critical Thinking - Takes outside knowledge into account while evaluating information.
  • Detail Orientation - Ensures information is complete and accurate. Adheres to processes as outlined. Follows up to ensure quality and completion of work.
  • Initiative - Takes proactive and prompt action to accomplish work goals. Takes action to achieve results beyond requirements.
  • Organization - Arranges work in a systematic way on small or large scales.
  • Resourcefulness - Creatively copes with difficult situations or unusual problems. Solves problems and achieves results in the face of obstacles and constraints.
  • Superior Service - Prioritizes and acts on the needs of members and employees. Sets the tone and establishes rapport. Acknowledges and clarifies while committing and providing guidance. Summarizes and closes the interaction positively.
  • Teamwork - Works well with internal and cross-functional teams to achieve individual, team, department, and/or organizational goals. Values diverse perspectives and working with others to achieve the best outcome possible.
  • Time Management - Manages time and resources to ensure work is completed efficiently.
  
  
  
  

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• May be required to remain in a stationary position for an extended period.
• Ability to operate standard office technology, equipment, and tools, which may include many hours of computer and phone usage.
• Occasionally needs to move about inside or outside of an office area.
• Exposure to potentially hazardous condition, i.e. robbery. Receives detailed instructions and procedures to be followed to minimize the exposure.
• Occasionally moves equipment or materials weighing up to 25 pounds.
• This position can work in hybrid or onsite working arrangements.

Disclaimer:

• Note this job description is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills, and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. This document does not represent a contract of employment, and MSU Federal Credit Union reserves the right to change this position description and/or assign tasks for the employee to perform, as MSUFCU may deem appropriate.
• MSUFCU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer.
• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.