Human Resources Specialist

Human Resources SpecialistThe HR Specialist supports the Costello College of Business Human Resources team by coordinating key HR operational processes that ensure accurate, timely, and consistent support for the college. This position is responsible for managing graduate assistant, non-student wage, student wage, and Federal Work Study hiring and processing; supporting employee onboarding activities; HR projects; process improvements; Microsoft Forms and dynamic form development; recruitment and position description backup support; schedule backup support; employee recognition initiatives; professional development tracking; and general HR administrative support. The position maintains tracking tools and records, supports employment processing, coordinates welcoming onboarding activities for new employees and supervisors, supports nomination and award processes, helps streamline HR workflows, and provides backup support to promote continuity of service, compliance, and operational efficiency across the college.Responsibilities include managing the college's Graduate Assistant hiring process from initiation through completion, including GA posting, applicant and hiring documentation, offer letters, onboarding coordination, eligibility tracking, ePAF submission, tuition waiver submission to the Financial Aid Office, and maintenance of accurate electronic records; monitoring GA appointments to ensure hiring remains within allocated hours and approved budget parameters; completing quarterly wage budget reports and applicable monthly spending reports; tracking related budget and labor information; and identifying discrepancies or concerns for HR leadership review.Additionally, the HR Specialist coordinates non-student wage, student wage, and Federal Work Study hiring processes, including collecting required information, preparing hiring documentation, assisting with onboarding steps, entering or supporting ePAF actions, maintaining hiring logs, and communicating with hiring managers, supervisors, and employees. The Specialist also maintains wage budget labor logs for NSW and SW hires, completes quarterly wage budget reports and applicable monthly spending reports, tracks related budget and labor information, and identifies discrepancies or concerns for HR leadership review.The HR Specialist coordinates employee onboarding activities that support a welcoming and organized transition, including ensuring new employees receive Costello swag, providing supervisors with first-week onboarding guidance, and sharing information with new employees about what to expect during their first few weeks of employment. The Specialist administers Costello Awards by managing nomination, review, and award processes for internal recognition programs. They support George Mason University recognition efforts by engaging with central HR's Faculty and Engagement team to raise awareness, encourage and support nominations for university-wide informal and formal recognition programs, and coordinate the degree bonus program by reviewing eligibility and processing payments for employees who attain qualifying academic credentials. They also support external awards submissions by tracking external professional or academic awards and maintaining related documentation and deadlines.The HR Specialist tracks and promotes professional development opportunities for faculty and staff by maintaining related information, sharing relevant opportunities, monitoring deadlines, and supporting awareness of available learning and development resources. They support HR projects that improve operational efficiency, accuracy, documentation, and customer service; review current processes, document workflows, identify gaps or duplication, recommend improvements, update tracking tools and templates, and assist with implementation of process changes, automations, Microsoft Forms, dynamic forms, and reporting tools. They create and maintain forms that support consistent information collection, routing, tracking, and follow-up for HR processes and support HR team initiatives that strengthen consistency and reduce manual effort.The HR Specialist provides backup support for recruitment-related activities, including posting assistance, applicant disposition updates, recruitment close-out, collection and organization of recruitment documentation, onboarding coordination, and communication with hiring managers and candidates as needed. They provide backup support for position description processes, including assisting with PD updates, formatting, routing, documentation collection, and tracking to support timely review and submission. They provide backup support for schedule-related processes, including assisting with schedule updates, tracking, documentation, and coordination to support timely and accurate information. They assist with maintaining recruitment, position description, and schedule tracking tools and ensuring actions are completed in accordance with established HR procedures.The HR Specialist provides general administrative support to the HR team, including maintaining electronic files, updating tracking logs, preparing routine correspondence, assisting with document collection, responding to routine inquiries, supporting special projects, and completing other related duties as assigned. They serve as a backup to other HR team members, providing support as necessary.