HR Specialist

HR Specialist
American Public Education Inc.

This position will be the main point of contact for employees requiring Tier 1 human resource support. This position serves as the liaison between employees in supporting the following functional areas: general HR administration, employee leave management, triaging and tracking inquiries/issues, and facilitate communication/information exchange between employees and other departments. This position will support or escalate employee matters appropriately across APEI and Education Units and provide the highest levels of customer service.

Primary areas of support include (but are not limited to):
Employee Benefits, Performance Management, Training, Compliance, and new employee onboarding matters.

HR Operations:

• Perform customer service functions by assisting with employee and requests and questions via email, phone, and/or in person communication.
• Responsible for routine processes and inquiries regarding all HR functions to include managing incoming e-mail correspondence, employee personnel files, and employment verification requests.
• Accountable for the processing of leave requests, ADA accommodation requests, including vendor/carrier communications.
• Collaborating with HR Business Partners and HR Teams to support an AskHR response to employees requesting assistance.
• Assist with the benefits communication from employees/faculty.
• Respond to unemployment notices.
• Confidentially ensure all employee personnel files are up to date.
• Update and maintain Human Resource Information System records as needed.
• Support the performance management process including employee/managers step/process reviews, timelines, and general process questions.
• Assist leadership with various projects and tasks.
• Make photocopies, fax/scan documents and perform other clerical functions related to employees.
• Maintain a high degree of confidentiality when dealing with employee matters.
• Participates in developing and carrying out department goals and objectives.
• Supports leadership by ensuring compliance and monitoring service of AskHR and HR Operations toward Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Regulatory and Compliance:

• Maintains knowledge of legal requirements related to day-to-day management of employees, reducing legal risks, and ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Partner with the legal department as needed/required.
• Participate in audits as it relates to SOX.
• Perform other duties as assigned or as needed.

• Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner and gathers and escalates information skillfully.
• Maintains confidentiality, remains open to others’ ideas and exhibits willingness to try new things.
• Ability to approach employee questions and concerns in a caring, confidential, and helpful manner.
• Well-developed team skills, unquestioned integrity, and the experience, confidence, and presence to effectively handle interpersonal relationships and sensitive employee issues.
• Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; demonstrates group presentation skills.
• Proficient in vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, and proofreading. Ability to compose and prepare correspondence appropriate for the leadership team.
• Prioritizes and plans work activities, uses time efficiently and develops realistic action plans.
• Ability to multitask.
• Experience in organizing and managing administrative processes.
• Proactive, flexible, and comfortable in a fast-paced, changing environment, which demands a high level of energy and commitment.
• Ability to always portray a professional image.
• Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness and monitors own work to ensure quality.
• Adapts to changes in the work environment, manages competing demands and can deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.
• Consistently at work and on time, follows instructions, responds to management direction, and solicits feedback to improve performance.
• Promotes and personally observes safety and security procedures and uses equipment and materials properly.

American Public University System (APUS) is an Online University based in Charles Town, WV. Our University has over 100,000 students. Our emphasis is…