Title: Human Resources Generalist
Department/Location: Human Resources, St Louis
Position Type: Full-Time, 12-month
Summary
Principia is looking for a Human Resources Generalist to support the administrative and operational functions within our HR team and promote a welcoming atmosphere for our School and Shared Services teams. Reporting to the Director of Human Resources – School and Shared Services, you will assist with HR processes, enhance the employee experience, contribute to efficient daily operations, and help align HR practices with the needs of the organization. You will be an instrumental support for recruiting activities, onboarding, employee relations, and supporting staff and faculty throughout the employee lifecycle. Your organizational and interpersonal skills, professionalism, discretion, and ability to balance empathy with organizational priorities will be key to your success. You’ll collaborate with colleagues across departments to ensure HR practices are effective, responsive, and people-centered.
Who We Are
At our award-winning Early Childhood through grade 12 Principia School in St. Louis, Missouri, and top-ranked Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, Principia faculty and staff make up a close-knit community of educators, coaches, and professionals taking a distinct approach to education—blending academic excellence with Christian Science-based character education. Principia’s team of over 500 employees supports not only Principia School and Principia College, but also a worldwide network of alumni and friends.
Principia employees are part of an engaging academic community preparing students to be tomorrow’s leaders, thinkers, and changemakers. We strive to create a collaborative and inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong and are valued.
Primary Responsibilities
- Coordinates the full-cycle recruitment and interview process, including posting positions, screening resumes, coordinating interviews, and assisting managers with candidate selection; tracks recruitment activity through HRIS (ADP) and maintains hiring metrics reports.
- Manages the onboarding experience, ensuring new employees and their managers are equipped for a successful transition, including conducting orientation sessions and regular check-ins.
- Provides guidance and support to employees and managers on HR-related issues, ensuring effective resolution and documentation of employee relations matters.
- Collaborates closely with the HR Director to develop clear departmental standards, goals, systems, and processes; proactively fosters cross-campus collaboration with extended HR team to ensure consistent application of Principia employment policies and practices at School and College.
- Partners with payroll and benefits teams to ensure accurate and timely processing of employee changes, benefits enrollment, and leave management
- Coordinates and supports various HR research and special projects, presenting findings and recommendations clearly and effectively
- Plans, coordinates, and facilitates logistics for HR events, such as employee orientations, training workshops, professional development sessions, and employee recognition programs
- Ensures compliance with all federal, state and local employment laws; develops and maintains accurate and compliant department records and reports
- Keeps informed of HR best practices and developing trends; recognizes change opportunities; shares ideas
Core Competencies
- Positivity: Optimistic, positive, and focused on elevating and bringing out the very best in themselves and others. Faculty and staff are invited to understand teammates’ strengths and how they can complement each other.
- Team players: Ability to collaborate and partner with peers and senior leaders is critical, with an ability to listen, give and receive feedback, and be comfortable exchanging ideas and speaking candidly in a professional and collegial manner
- Interpersonal Skills: Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively and professionally with candidates and staff at all levels and build strong relationships
- Communication: Provides regular, consistent, and meaningful information. Listens carefully to others and ensures message is understood. Ensures important matters are shared with all appropriate parties. Communicates in a clear and concise manner. Tailors communication style to needs of the recipient.
- Ethical: Treats people with respect; keeps commitments; inspires the trust of others; works with integrity; upholds organizational values
- Quality: Demonstrates attention to detail, accuracy, and thoroughness
Minimum Qualifications
- Student of Christian Science preferred
- Supportive of Principia’s guiding statements as articulated here https://www.principia.edu/about/guiding-statements
- Bachelor’s degree in relevant field; SHRM-CP or PHR certification completed within a reasonable time
- At least 3 years of experience in an HR Generalist role, ideally in an educational environment
- Coaching experience
- Proficient Microsoft Office skills including Teams, PowerPoint, Excel and Word
- Strong understanding of the difference between confidentiality and transparency
The statements above describe the general nature and level of work but are not a complete list of responsibilities and are subject to change at the discretion of Principia.
Compensation and Benefits
We offer a competitive salary range for this position: $56,903 - $66,221 annually, commensurate with experience and qualifications.
In addition to salary, our comprehensive total rewards package includes:
- Generous Employee Tuition Discount: Enjoy a 90% discount on tuition (pro-rated for part-time staff) for your eligible children enrolled from Pre-K3 through College (infant and acorn programs excluded).
- Relocation: Principia provides a relocation imbursement of up to 12% of your annual salary, when moving from outside a radius of more than 50 miles
- Professional Development: Access to learning opportunities, training programs, and career growth support.
- Comprehensive Benefits: Learn more about all our benefits here, including comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans, paid time off, a 403(b) retirement plan with Principia matching, and more.
Equal Opportunity
Principia, a mission-driven institution, believes every person has the right to an equitable and respectful educational environment and workplace. Principia does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender (identity or expression), sexual orientation, family status, disability, age, or military or veteran status.
In hiring, admissions, and related decisions, Principia—as an institution with a religious mission—gives preference, where appropriate, to Christian Scientists.